French biking’s nationwide competitors, the Coupe de France, is present process a revamp for the 2026 season with a brand new identify and a brand new broadcaster for the upcoming season.
The season-long Coupe de France, which started life in 1992, will now be often called the FDJ United Sequence, named for FDJ United, the brand new identify of the Française des Jeux group, which sponsors the competitors.
The information was revealed on the awards ceremony for the 2025 Coupe de France, which noticed former Arkéa-B&B Inns rider Clément Venturini take residence the highest prize as collection winner forward of TotalEnergies racer Emilien Jeannière and Groupama-FDJ United rider Guillaume Martin.
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Groupama-FDJ United received the workforce prize, whereas the workforce’s 22-year-old rider Brieuc Rolland took residence the youth competitors.
The brand new-look FDJ United Sequence – received previously by Thor Hushovd, Philippe Gilbert, and Benoît Cosnefroy – will even be broadcast in full in France by way of the not too long ago established Novo19 channel, owned by Ouest-France and which has acquired the rights to the 15 races of the collection till 2027.
Eurosport will even retain broadcasting rights by way of its HBO Max platform.
“Partnering with Novo19 means nationwide tv protection. We’ve a high-quality product, a collection that retains viewers on the sting of their seats all season lengthy, with suspense proper as much as the very finish, as this yr has,” Xavier Jan, President of France’s Nationwide Biking League (LNC), instructed Ouest-France.
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“The LNC has acquired the rights to the footage, and we can be dealing with manufacturing and creating our communication technique, with a web site that can be shared throughout all of the occasions.
“This promotion of the FDJ United Sequence will permit us to safe funding to make sure the organisation of those occasions and the manufacturing of footage.”
Jan additionally defined how the competitors is internationalising for 2026, permitting overseas groups to compete within the workforce competitors. Beforehand, solely French groups had been ranked, whereas within the particular person and younger rider competitions, any rider on a French workforce has been in a position to compete within the season-long rankings.
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“Opening the general workforce classification to overseas groups and broadcasting it nationally are compelling elements. It permits groups to supply a return on funding to their companions and higher visibility, but additionally demonstrates a need to find younger expertise,” stated Jan.
“We have been going in opposition to the grain a bit. And there wasn’t essentially sufficient visibility for the product in that respect, apart from true biking lovers. Now, we need to broaden our attain.”
Subsequent yr’s thirty fifth version of the collection will encompass 15 occasions, starting with the GP La Marseillaise on February 1 and concluding with the Tour de Vendée on October 4. Stops alongside the way in which embody the GP de Denain, Tour du Jura, and the Mercan’Tour Basic Alpes-Maritimes.
There isn’t any room, nevertheless, for the Tro-Bro Léon, Paris-Camembert, or GP d’Isbergues – a part of the competitors since its inception – subsequent yr. Tro-Bro Léon will not be within the FDJ United Sequence because it’s owned by ASO, which has a broadcasting cope with France TV, whereas the GP d’Isbergues “at present lacks the monetary assets to cowl its share of the TV broadcasting prices,” stated Jan.
The adjustments to the long-running competitors have been met positively round French biking, with Groupama-FDJ United supervisor Marc Madiot main the reward.
“This is good news,” Madiot instructed Ouest-France. “A contemporary begin for the French Cup on a brand new channel, adjustments in laws, a need to develop and develop.
“It’s going to be a implausible occasion, and it’s a win-win scenario for each the races and the Ouest-France channel. With this new label, there’s an actual need to provide the competitors a lift. Reshuffling the deck when it comes to tv is promising, modern, thrilling, and motivating.”
Sequence runner-up Jeannière additionally reacted positively to the announcement.
“It is nice, we’ll be racing the identical rounds, however they will all be broadcast on free-to-air TV,” he stated. “I am considering of my household and mates who generally cannot watch sure races. And so they’re nice occasions. It is good for the riders and the organisers!”
The calendar of the 2026 FDJ United Sequence (Picture credit score: Ligue Nationale de Cyclisme)
