France's premier cycling series gets a revamp for 2026 with new name and free-to-air broadcasting

French cycling's national competition, the Coupe de France, is undergoing a revamp for the 2026 season with a new name and a new broadcaster for the upcoming season.

The season-long Coupe de France, which began life in 1992, will now be known as the FDJ United Series, named for FDJ United, the new name of the Française des Jeux group, which sponsors the competition.

The news was revealed at the awards ceremony for the 2025 Coupe de France, which saw former Arkéa-B&B Hotels rider Clément Venturini take home the top prize as series winner ahead of TotalEnergies racer Emilien Jeannière and Groupama-FDJ United rider Guillaume Martin.

Groupama-FDJ United won the team prize, while the team's 22-year-old rider Brieuc Rolland took home the youth competition.

The new-look FDJ United Series – won in the past by Thor Hushovd, Philippe Gilbert, and Benoît Cosnefroy – will also be broadcast in full in France via the recently established Novo19 channel, owned by Ouest-France and which has acquired the rights to the 15 races of the series until 2027.

Eurosport will also retain broadcasting rights via its HBO Max platform.

"Partnering with Novo19 means national television coverage. We have a high-quality product, a series that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats all season long, with suspense right up to the very end, as this year has," Xavier Jan, President of France's National Cycling League (LNC), told Ouest-France.

"The LNC has acquired the rights to the footage, and we will be handling production and developing our communication strategy, with a website that will be shared across all the events.

"This promotion of the FDJ United Series will allow us to secure funding to ensure the organisation of these events and the production of footage."

Jan also explained how the competition is internationalising for 2026, allowing foreign teams to compete in the team competition. Previously, only French teams had been ranked, while in the individual and young rider competitions, any rider on a French team has been able to compete in the season-long rankings.

"Opening the overall team classification to foreign teams and broadcasting it nationally are compelling factors. It allows teams to offer a return on investment to their partners and greater visibility, but also demonstrates a desire to discover young talent," said Jan.

"We were going against the grain a bit. And there wasn't necessarily enough visibility for the product in that respect, except for true cycling enthusiasts. Now, we want to broaden our reach."

Next year's 35th edition of the series will consist of 15 events, beginning with the GP La Marseillaise on February 1 and concluding with the Tour de Vendée on October 4. Stops along the way include the GP de Denain, Tour du Jura, and the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes.

There's no room, however, for the Tro-Bro Léon, Paris-Camembert, or GP d'Isbergues – part of the competition since its inception – next year. Tro-Bro Léon won't be in the FDJ United Series as it's owned by ASO, which has a broadcasting deal with France TV, while the GP d'Isbergues "currently lacks the financial resources to cover its share of the TV broadcasting costs," said Jan.

The changes to the long-running competition have been met positively around French cycling, with Groupama-FDJ United manager Marc Madiot leading the praise.

"This is excellent news," Madiot told Ouest-France. "A fresh start for the French Cup on a new channel, changes in regulations, a desire to develop and grow.

"It’s going to be a fantastic event, and it’s a win-win situation for both the races and the Ouest-France channel. With this new label, there’s a real desire to give the competition a boost. Reshuffling the deck in terms of television is promising, innovative, exciting, and motivating."

Series runner-up Jeannière also reacted positively to the announcement.

"It's great, we'll be racing the same rounds, but they'll all be broadcast on free-to-air TV," he said. "I'm thinking of my family and friends who sometimes can't watch certain races. And they're great events. It's good for the riders and the organisers!"