The 18 WorldTour teams are the same structures as those in the 2018 WorldTour, with the UCI confirming title sponsors and team nationality.
Jim Ochowicz's team will officially be known as CCC Team after the Polish shoe brand took over title sponsorship from BMC. Deceuninck is the new title sponsor for Patrick Lefevere's Quick-Step squad. LottoNL-Jumbo will be known as Team Jumbo-Visma, with the Dutch team confirming the arrival of the Norwegian IT company Visma as second sponsor just after the UCI announced the team had a place in the 2019 WorldTour.
Far more significant changes in the WorldTour and Professional Continental teams are expected for the 2020 season, when the UCI will award new three-year licences for the 18 WorldTour places. Several current Professional Continental teams have already confirmed they hope to step up a level in 2020 but will need to score ranking points during the 2019 season and sign big-name riders to secure a place in the 2020 WorldTour.
The UCI checked the teams registration requests, rider rosters and budgets under the ethical, financial, administrative and organisational criteria. Only UAE Team Emirates needed further checks and a final confirmation from the UCI's Licence Committee for a place in the WorldTour, while seven Professional Continental teams, including the Israel Cycling Academy, faced extra scrutiny. All were eventually given places in the 2019 peloton.
Other new teams stepping up to Professional Continental level include the Riwal Readynez cycling team from Denmark and W52/FC Port from Portugal. The Roompot and Veranda's Willems teams have merged to become Roompot-Charles, while CCC Sprandi has merged with Ochowicz to step up to the WorldTour level.
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The Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia squad has been registered as Tharcor, the name of the Irish-registered management company.
US-registered Hagens Berman Axeon, Rally UHC Cycling and Team Novo Nordisk all secured places in the Professional Continental ranks.
2019 UCI WorldTour teams:
AG2R La Mondiale Astana Pro Team Bahrain-Merida CCC Team Bora-Hansgrohe Deceuninck-Quick-Step Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale Groupama-FDJ Lotto Soudal Mitchelton-Scott Movistar Team Team Dimension Data Team Katusha-Alpecin Team Jumbo-Visma Team Sky Team Sunweb Trek-Segafredo UAE Team Emirates
2019 Professional Continental teams:
Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec Bardiani CSF Burgos BH Caja Rural-Seguros RGA Cofidis, Solutions Credits Corendon-Circus Delko Marseille Provence Direct Energie Euskadi Basque Country-Murias Gazprom-Rusvelo Hagens Berman Axeon Israel Cycling Academy Manzana Postobon Team Nippo-Vini Fantini-Faizanè Rally UHC Cycling Riwal Readynez Cycling Team Roompot-Charles Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise Team Arkea-Samsic Team Novo Nordisk Tharcor (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 2018) Vital Concept-B&B Hotels W52-FC Porto Wallonie-Brussels Wanty-Gobert Cycling Team
