The Vuelta a España 2026 begins in Monaco on Saturday 22 August, with 23 teams set to contest the final men’s Grand Tour of the season.
The 21-stage race runs until Sunday 13 September and brings together a deep field of general classification contenders, stage hunters, climbers and sprinters. Tadej Pogačar is among the headline names as he returns to the Vuelta for the first time since finishing third on his Grand Tour debut in 2019, while Primož Roglič adds another major Slovenian presence to the race.
The Vuelta a España 2026 contenders preview looks in more detail at the riders likely to shape the fight for the red jersey, while the full Vuelta a España 2026 route guide covers every stage from Monaco to Granada.
Below is the latest Vuelta a España 2026 start list. The FirstCycling feed will continue to reflect team changes and late substitutions as the race approaches.
Full Vuelta a España 2026 start list
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
Teams racing the Vuelta a España 2026
A total of 23 teams are due to start the 2026 Vuelta.
All 18 UCI WorldTeams are joined by five ProTeams and wildcard selections to create the 184-rider field.
UCI WorldTeams
- Alpecin-Premier Tech
- Bahrain Victorious
- Decathlon CMA CGM Team
- EF Education-EasyPost
- Groupama-FDJ United
- Lidl-Trek
- Lotto Intermarché
- Movistar Team
- Netcompany-Ineos
- Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Jayco AlUla
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- UAE Team Emirates-XRG
- Uno-X Mobility
- XDS Astana Team
- NSN Cycling Team
ProTeams and wildcard teams
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Cofidis
- Burgos Burpellet BH
- Equipo Kern Pharma
Photo Credit: GettyBiggest names on the Vuelta a España 2026 start list
The most significant name on the start list is Tadej Pogačar.
Seven years after the Vuelta introduced him to a much wider audience, Pogačar returns as one of the dominant Grand Tour riders of his generation and with the Spanish race the only one of the three men’s Grand Tours still missing from his palmarès.
His presence makes him the obvious reference point for the general classification, but he is far from the only major name.
Primož Roglič returns with four Vuelta victories already behind him and the opportunity to become the first rider to win the race five times.
Behind the two Slovenians, Richard Carapaz, Mattias Skjelmose, Felix Gall, Enric Mas, Cian Uijtdebroeks and Oscar Onley are among the riders capable of influencing the overall classification.
There is considerably more detail on the balance between those riders in our Vuelta a España 2026 GC contenders preview.
The stage-hunting field is equally interesting.
Mads Pedersen should be one of the leading candidates on reduced-sprint and rolling stages, while Wout van Aert gives Team Visma | Lease a Bike options across everything from bunch finishes to long-range breakaways.
Matthew Brennan is also expected to make his Grand Tour debut, adding another layer to a Visma squad that will approach the race very differently without Jonas Vingegaard.
Pogačar returns to where his Grand Tour career began
Pogačar’s return carries much more historical significance than a normal late-season programme decision.
The 2019 Vuelta was his first Grand Tour.
He arrived as a 20-year-old prospect and left having won three stages, finished third overall and established himself as a rider capable of competing against the best stage racers in the world.
The victory also went to Roglič, meaning the 2026 edition reconnects two riders whose careers were already intertwined before their subsequent Tour de France battles.
Pogačar’s position in the sport is very different seven years later.
He now arrives after winning the Tour de France for a fifth time in July, and victory in Spain would complete his collection of Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España overall titles.
That makes his Vuelta challenge one of the defining storylines of the second half of the 2026 season.
For more historical context on the race itself, our brief history of the men’s Vuelta a España looks at how the event developed from its beginnings in 1935 into cycling’s third Grand Tour.
Roglič chasing a record fifth Vuelta
Primož Roglič brings an entirely different historical target.
The Slovenian has already won the Vuelta four times and another overall victory would move him clear as the most successful rider in the history of the race.
His first title came in 2019, the same edition in which Pogačar finished third.
That gives the 2026 race an unusual link to seven years ago. The two Slovenians who occupied first and third then return with vastly expanded palmarès and very different expectations.
Roglič’s presence also gives the Vuelta a more substantial GC contest than simply asking how large Pogačar’s eventual advantage might become.
The central question is whether Roglič can still produce the three-week consistency required to challenge a rider who has dominated the biggest stage races of 2026.
A strong Vuelta field for stage wins
The Vuelta has traditionally provided fertile ground for riders prepared to attack from breakaways, and the 2026 start list contains plenty of names suited to that style of racing.
Pedersen and Van Aert are particularly interesting because neither requires a completely flat finish.
Pedersen can survive significant climbing before sprinting from a reduced group, while Van Aert can target everything from conventional sprints to rolling transition stages and breakaways.
Kaden Groves provides another established Vuelta sprint threat, while Bryan Coquard should particularly enjoy finishes that contain enough climbing to remove the heavier sprinters.
The mountainous route should also create opportunities for GC riders who lose time early.
Once a rider falls several minutes behind Pogačar and the other main contenders, the freedom to enter breakaways increases substantially. That usually becomes particularly important during the second and third weeks of the Vuelta.
The 2026 route contains enough medium-mountain and summit-finish terrain for those breakaway specialists to become a major part of the race.
When does the Vuelta a España 2026 start?
The Vuelta a España 2026 runs from Saturday 22 August to Sunday 13 September.
It begins with a short individual time trial in Monaco before travelling through France and Andorra and then continuing through Spain.
There are 21 stages in total, with the race heavily weighted towards climbing and the decisive mountain stages concentrated particularly strongly towards the final week.
The Vuelta finishes in Granada on Sunday 13 September rather than the traditional Madrid finale.
Our Vuelta a España 2026 route guide has a stage-by-stage breakdown of the full race, including the summit finishes, time trials and days most likely to shape the general classification.
How to watch the Vuelta a España 2026
UK viewers can follow the race through TNT Sports and HBO Max.
The UK Vuelta a España 2026 TV and streaming guide covers the available options for watching all three weeks.
In the United States, Peacock is the main streaming home for the race. Our US Vuelta a España 2026 viewing guide explains the Peacock coverage and subscription options.
Is the Vuelta a España 2026 start list final?
The start list can continue to change right up until the race begins.
Teams regularly make late substitutions because of illness, injury or changes in rider condition, particularly during the final days before a Grand Tour.
That is why the FirstCycling embed above is particularly useful. Rather than relying on a static list of 184 names that can become outdated after one late withdrawal, it will continue to reflect changes as the final squads settle.
The final eight-rider selections should become increasingly secure following the team presentation in Monaco and the last pre-race checks.
For anyone following the race beyond the start list itself, ProCyclingUK’s beginner’s guide to the Vuelta a España 2026 explains the classifications, race format and what makes this year’s edition distinctive.
