Luxembourg takes aim at 2028 Tour de France Grand Départ as sports minister meets with race director Prudhomme

The Grand Départs of the next two Tours de France, in Barcelona and Edinburgh, are already confirmed, and now the 2028 race start may well be heading abroad once again, with Luxembourg the possible destination.

The European microstate has previously hosted the start of the Grand Tour in 1989 and 2002, and earlier this year, the Luxembourg government approved a plan to submit a bid for the 2028 Grand Départ.

According to the local newspaper, L'Essentiel, the country's sports minister Georges Mischo will meet with Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme on Wednesday to discuss the subject.

For Luxembourg, a 2028 Grand Départ would mark the 70th anniversary of Charly Gaul's Tour de France victory and the 100th anniversary of Nicolas Frantz's second win.

The race start location is far from confirmed, however. Luxembourg faces competition from Czechia, home of major race sponsor Skoda, with the country hoping for Prague to host.

Elsewhere, several French cities and regions will be hoping for the race to start in its home nation.

Come 2028, only the 2025 Tour will have started in France since the 2021 Grand Départ in Brittany. Slovenia is also hoping to host a Tour start in future, with the 2029 and 2031 races on the country's radar.

The destination of the 2028 Grand Départ has yet to be confirmed, but Luxembourg looks to be a strong candidate for host duties. Should the country miss out, L'Essentiel reports that the government is hoping to host at least one stage of the race.