João Almeida has extended his current contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG through to the end of 2028, following his most successful season to date in 2025.
Almeida, 27, plays multiple important roles in UAE Team Emirates, both as a key team worker for Tadej Pogačar in Grand Tours, particularly on the tougher climbs, and a top stage racer in his own right.
Having made his breakthrough in 2020 with Soudal-QuickStep when he led the Giro d'Italia for two weeks and finished fourth overall, the Portuguese racer signed with his current squad in 2022.
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Third in the 2023 Giro d'Italia, this year represented a major step up for Almeida, despite abandoning the Tour de France after first-week crash injuries proved too severe.
In the spring, he had already claimed overall victories in the Itzulia Basque Country – his first outright GC win in a week-long WorldTour stage race since the Tour de Pologne back in 2021 – the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse.
After recovering from his Tour injuries, he then managed to return to top-level performances in the Vuelta a España, maintaining a ferocious battle against overall winner Jonas Vingegaard all the way to Madrid and even beating the Dane on Spain's toughest climb, the Angliru.
"I'm really happy to be continuing my journey with UAE Team Emirates–XRG. From the very beginning, I’ve felt at home here – the environment, the professionalism, and the trust the team has given me have all helped me become a better rider," Almeida said in a team press statement about his re-upped contract.
"Over the past few seasons, we’ve achieved some big results together, but I still feel there’s a lot more to come.
"Extending my contract gives me the confidence and stability to keep building toward those goals. I have great teammates and staff around me, and I’m really motivated for what lies ahead. Together, I’m sure we can keep fighting for victories in the biggest races in the world."
The news of Almeida's reboosted contract comes just a few weeks after another top Portuguese star of recent years, former World Champion and multiple Tour de Suisse winner Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost), 39, announced he would be retiring at the end of 2025.
