The UCI has confirmed that 18 teams, including Cofidis and the Israel Cycling Academy, have secured a place in the 2020 Men's World Tour, but Mitchelton Scott's application file is still under evaluation by the UCI's licensing committee and a final decision "will . will be issued as soon as possible."

"Due to a slight delay in one of the documents requested by the UCI, the WorldTour and Women's WorldTour license approvals are still "under review," a statement from Mitchelton Scott reads. [The dossier has since been submitted and meets all criteria. We expect to receive confirmation within a few days."

France's Cofidis earned enough ranking points to step up from the Professional Continental level.

The Israel Cycling Academy took over Katusha-Alpecin and took over the German team's slots. All teams were given three-year World Tour licenses, but must apply for World Tour status each new season.

Twenty teams applied for World Tour status, but Nairo Quintana's Arkea-Samsic team failed to make the sport's top team. Each team was scrutinized in recent weeks for financial, ethical, administrative, and organizational standards in accordance with UCI rules. Teams had to submit bank guarantees and register all athletes in case of financial problems.

The UCI has already announced that only 18 teams will be eligible for the 2023 Men's World Tour, and 19 teams will have to compete for ranking points for the next three seasons to avoid relegation from the Pro Cycling League after the 2022 season. Any new sponsor or team that wants to enter pro cycling at the World Tour level would have to buy out an existing team in order to race at the highest level in 2021 or 2022.

As part of the rebranding and creation of a men's professional series level race, the Pro Continental teams will be referred to as professional teams starting in 2020.

The UCI also awarded licenses to 18 Professional Continental teams (seven fewer than in 2019), including Total Direct Energies and Alcare Samsic. Rally Cycling and Team Novo Nordisk are the only US professional teams for 2020, while Axeon Hagens Berman falls to the Continental level.

Mathieu van der Poel's team will be known as Corendon, and Circus will be the title sponsor of the Belgian team Wanty-Gobert, known as Circus-Wanty Gobert. The Italian team Neri Sottoli will become the Vino Zabu KTM team. The application file of the Belgian Bingoal-WB team is under evaluation by the UCI Commission.

Total Direct Energie is the highest ranked team in the 2019 Professional Continental Ranking and has earned an automatic invitation to all UCI World Tour events, including the three Grand Tours. They have already declined the Giro d'Italia, but are expected to compete in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

Circus Wanty Gobert finished second in the pro team standings, earning them an automatic invitation to the UCI Classics Series one-day race. However, the 19-team WorldTour, and the qualification of Total Direct Energy and Circus Wanty Gobert, will limit the number of wildcards given to WorldTour race organizers in 2020, leaving other pro teams to compete for a spot in the sport's big races. to compete for a spot in the sport's big race.