The 2025-26 cyclocross season is already in full swing, with Superprestige, X2O Trofee, Exact Cross and the UCI World Cup all running through to the World Championships in Hulst from 30 January to 1 February 2026. Between domestic series, continental championships and the Worlds, there is barely a free weekend from October to mid-February.
For viewers, that means a patchwork of national broadcasters, subscription platforms and free online streams. Below is a country-by-country guide, plus the key dates and riders to keep an eye on.
Free cyclocross streams
In many parts of the world, you can watch top-level cyclocross without paying for a dedicated TV package.
The UCI streams World Cup rounds and the World Championships on its official YouTube channel. Those feeds are geo-restricted and only appear in territories where there is no local rights holder, but they are often available in parts of North America, Australia and other regions with limited broadcast deals.
Belgian public broadcasters VRT/Sporza and RTBF continue to be the natural home of the sport. They show most World Cup rounds and give extensive live coverage of Superprestige, X2O Trofee and Exact Cross races, all free to view inside Belgium. In the Netherlands, NOS serves a similar role, with live coverage on TV and online via NPO Start.
Availability can change from race to race, so it is always worth checking on the day whether the UCI feed or your local public broadcaster is showing a particular event live.
Watching cyclocross when you are abroad
If you travel regularly over the winter, you may find that your normal streaming subscriptions no longer work once you leave your home country. That is because most platforms apply geo-restrictions based on where you are connecting from.
One way around that is to use a Virtual Private Network. A VPN routes your traffic through a server in another country, which can allow you to sign in to your usual services while you are on the road. There are many commercial VPN providers, so look for one that sets out its privacy policy clearly and supports the devices you use most often.
You should always be aware of the terms of service for your streaming platforms and of the laws in the country you are visiting before using a VPN in this way.
How to watch cyclocross in the United States
In the United States, coverage is split between a specialist cycling platform and a mainstream streaming service.
FloBikes is the dedicated cycling option. It carries a broad mix of European cyclocross, including a selection of World Cup races and other UCI events, although the exact calendar changes through the winter. Subscriptions are offered on monthly and annual plans, and the same subscription also covers road, mountain bike and track racing.
HBO Max, which sits under the Warner Bros Discovery umbrella, provides most of the WorldTour road coverage in the US and also shows a number of Superprestige, X2O Trofee and Exact Cross races. At the moment, it does not carry the World Cup or the World Championships, so you will need FloBikes or an unblocked UCI YouTube stream for those.
How to watch cyclocross in Canada
In Canada, FloBikes is once again the primary option. It shows much the same schedule as in the US, often with a few additional European races built in. Prices are set in Canadian dollars, with a choice of monthly or annual billing.
For some World Cup rounds, Canadian fans can also watch for free on the UCI YouTube channel when there is no conflicting national broadcast deal. As ever, it is worth checking both FloBikes and YouTube as race day approaches.
How to watch cyclocross in the UK and Ireland
In the UK and Ireland, TNT Sports and Discovery+ continue to market themselves as the home of cycling. Between them they carry every round of the UCI World Cup, the UCI World Championships and an extensive programme of Superprestige, X2O Trofee and Exact Cross races.
Discovery+ is the more reliable destination if you want to watch most of the season. Not every race will appear on the linear TNT Sports channels, but the streaming platform usually has full live coverage and replays. Since the spring, packages that include cycling have been moved into a premium tier.
Because Eurosport and Discovery+ hold the rights to the World Cup and Worlds in the UK and Ireland, viewers in those countries are blocked from the free UCI YouTube streams. If you are a Discovery+ subscriber based in the UK who travels abroad and wants to keep watching your usual coverage, you will need a VPN that can present a UK connection.
How to watch cyclocross in the rest of Europe and worldwide
In Belgium, cyclocross is still a mainstream winter sport. Sporza (VRT) and RTBF show live races most weekends and offer detailed analysis and highlights afterwards. In the Netherlands, NOS plays much the same part, particularly on big World Cup and championship weekends.
Across much of continental Europe, Eurosport remains the core international rights holder for cyclocross. Depending on where you live, Eurosport content now sits either inside Discovery+ or on Max, but the selection of World Cup rounds and Belgian series races is broadly similar. Exact details vary by country, so it is worth checking local listings.
The World Cup has the widest international footprint. Recent seasons have seen World Cup rounds broadcast on RAI in Italy, TV2 in Denmark, J Sports in Japan, Astro in Malaysia, STVR in Slovakia and CT Sport in the Czech Republic. Before each round, the UCI publishes a list of international broadcasters on its website.
If there is no local broadcast deal in your country, the default is usually a free live stream on the UCI YouTube channel.
Key cyclocross dates in 2025-26
The heart of the season runs from early November to mid-February, with a few clear focal points.
The World Cup begins in Tábor on 23 November and then runs most weekends until the final round in Hoogerheide on 25 January. The Christmas period is particularly intense, with four World Cups between 20 and 28 December, plus X2O Trofee, Superprestige and Exact Cross rounds on the intervening days. That kerstperiode block is often where overall series standings are won or lost.
National championships for the major cyclocross nations take place over the weekend of 10 and 11 January. Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Great Britain and Spain will all crown new champions that weekend.
The UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Hulst from 30 January to 1 February is the undisputed peak of the season. The rainbow jerseys awarded there will shape reputations for years, particularly in the elite and under-23 categories.
The winter then winds down with the final Superprestige in Middelkerke on 7 February, the closing X2O Trofee rounds in Lille and Brussels on 8 and 15 February, and the last Exact Cross events in Maldegem and Sint-Niklaas on 4 and 14 February.
Photo Credit: GettyRiders and teams to watch
On the women’s side, Fem van Empel is again the reference point. The world champion reached the landmark of 50 elite victories at the Exact Cross in Heerde and remains the most efficient winner in the peloton, even as she deliberately leaves more space in her life for recovery and time away from racing. Her reduced schedule opens the door for others to collect big wins, but she is still the rider everyone measures themselves against.
Lucinda Brand looks close to her best after injuries in recent seasons. Early victories in the Koppenbergcross and Rapencross rounds of the X2O Trofee suggest that she has the depth and consistency to contend across a full winter once more. Belgian champion Marion Norbert Riberolle has already claimed the opening Superprestige in Ruddervoorde, while Italian champion Sara Casasola scored a breakthrough win in the Druivencross in Overijse.
Behind them, the next wave is not far away. Puck Pieterse will join the season later, planning to start her programme at the Namur World Cup in mid-December before targeting the bigger Christmas and championship races. Shirin van Anrooij is expected to return to the Baloise Glowi Lions line-up once she has fully recovered from surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis. Under-23 world champion Zoe Bäckstedt will miss the first part of the season after a heavy training crash, but should be back racing once her fractures and concussion have fully cleared.
In North America, Maghalie Rochette has dominated the Trek USCX series with seven wins from eight races so far, while young American Lizzy Gunsalus has collected a string of victories in non-series events. Both are likely to feature prominently when the World Cup visits Benidorm and other southern venues later in the winter.
On the men’s side, the early pattern is familiar. Michael Vanthourenhout leads the Superprestige standings after back-to-back wins, while Thibau Nys has already won the X2O Trofee opener on the Koppenberg and continues to look like the most explosive of the new generation on the steepest climbs. Joris Nieuwenhuis carries the flag for Ridley Racing Team and has already added the Rapencross to his growing list of elite wins.
Belgians still dominate the UCI Rankings. Vanthourenhout, Toon Aerts and Eli Iserbyt sit at or near the top, although Iserbyt is out until later in the winter as he recovers from surgery on a femoral artery problem. Behind them, Niels Vandeputte, Laurens Sweeck and Nys round out a deep group of riders capable of winning on any given day.
Beyond the Belgian core, Spaniard Felipe Orts continues to punch above his weight as a one-man national movement. He has already won the Nacht van Woerden under the lights this season. Pim Ronhaar and Joran Wyseure are steady front group riders with the talent to turn series consistency into more regular victories. In Great Britain, Thomas Mein has dominated the National Trophy series, while in the United States, Andrew Strohmeyer and Eric Brunner have shared out the Trek USCX wins between them.
Photo Credit: David Pintens/BELGA MAG/AFPOne of the most intriguing storylines this winter will be the final season of Lars van der Haar. The Dutchman, riding for Baloise Glowi Lions, has announced that he will retire at the end of 2025-26. With European titles, multiple World Cup wins and four Dutch elite championships already on his palmares, he is still good enough to contest any major race on his day. His farewell campaign will be emotional as well as competitive.
Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are once again expected to race reduced schedules. Each winter they drop into a handful of races to sharpen form and reconnect with their roots in the sport. The dates of their debuts are always closely watched, because every time they line up together the level of the race rises by several notches.
Putting it all together
In simple terms, if you are in Belgium or the Netherlands, you will find most of the season on free-to-air public TV. In much of Europe, the bulk of the action sits inside Eurosport, Discovery+ or Max. In the UK and Ireland, TNT Sports and Discovery+ are the key platforms. In North America, FloBikes and HBO Max share the European coverage, with the UCI YouTube channel filling in gaps where there are no rights deals.
Check the calendar, note the weekends that matter most to you and set your alarms. Cyclocross remains one of the most watchable and intense disciplines in cycling, and the 2025-26 season has all the ingredients to be another classic.
