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As 2025 came to a close, speculation about the new Championship joining the MOTUFL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock swelled. Since then, as more and more high-calibre riders announce their candidacy in the class, the hype has continued to grow. From returning faces and manufacturers, to new characters excited to earn their stripes in the new class, the following teams and names are locked in for 2026 in World Sportbike.

RIDERS IN BLUE: 2026’s riders atop Yamaha machinery

One of 2025’s brightest young WorldSSP300 stars was Australian rider Carter Thompson. After his runner-up performance in the Riders’ Championship, he is all set to join the WorldSPB field in 2026 alongside Marco Gaggi, who remains with his Team BrCorse squad. Getting the nod after winning the 2025 Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup, Alessandro Di Persio will be competing with the Arco Motor University Yamaha squad. Team Panattoni BGR Smrz Racing has announced that their rider pair will be comprised of Troy Sovicka, and 17-year-old Italian Mirko Gennai riding atop Yamaha bikes.

GREEN MACHINES: Kawasaki riders set to take on 2026

After re-joining the MTM Kawasaki crew mid-season, Loris Veneman will stay with his team as they migrate from the WorldSSP300 order to the WorldSPB order. Riding alongside him will be 2018 European Talent Cup Champion and Moto3 race winner Xavi Artigas. After their collaboration saw the pair lift the 2025 WorldSSP300 Teams’ Championship, David Salvador and Antonio Torres will run it back in 2026 in WorldSPB with Team ProDina XCI. Joining the new Championship however staying with his same team, Pepe Osuna will remain with his ZAPPAS-DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team.

KOVE’S COHORT: Benat Fernandez to remain with the Chinese manufacturer

After striking gold in 2025, Benat Fernandez will stick by his Irish Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove outfit and their Chinese manufacturer. This season, however, the team are bringing in reinforcements in the form of German rider Philipp Tonn after Fernandez competed last season without a teammate in WorldSSP300.

SUZUKI MAKING A RETURN: Suzuki returns for the first time in the WorldSBK paddock in three seasons

Two-time WorldSSP300 World Champion Jeffrey Buis will ride a Suzuki in 2026, ending two seasons without the legendary manufacturer. Suzuki last competed in the paddock in a one-round appearance in 2023 at Donington Park, where Irish rider Irwin Rhys rode the bike in their only appearance since 2021, when the manufacturer was a part of the full-time grid. A fellow Dutchman will join Buis on Suzuki’s all-new GSX-8R, as VLR Racing Team Suzuki and their Dutch rider Kas Beekmans will make the Jump in 2026 to World Sportbike from British Sportbike.

TRIUMPH TAKES ON WorldSPB: The British manufacturer looks to start the season hot with their rider pair

PHR Performance Racing – by Peter Hickman Racing have thrown their hat into the inaugural WorldSPB ring, powered by their Triumph Daytona 660 platform. Riding their pair of bikes into the Championship’s first season, British riders 20-year-old Harrison Dessoy will ride alongside 23-year-old Fenton Seabright.

Look back through seasons of drama and edge-of-your-seat moments with the WorldSBK VideoPass!