2026 Tour de France to kick off in Barcelona with three stages in Catalonia

Barcelona will host the start of the Tour de France for the first time in history in 2026.

The Catalan capital will join the handful of cities that have hosted the Grand Départ of the world's most prestigious cycling race.

Three stages of the Tour will be held in Catalonia from July 4 to 6. The first will take place entirely in Barcelona, while the second will start from a different location and finish in the Catalan capital. 

The city's mayor Jaume Collboni made the official announcement on Tuesday in a joint press conference with Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme.

"This is a historic milestone. It confirms Barcelona's role as an international sports capital," he said.

Barcelona has hosted a few stages of the Tour throughout its history, but it has never hosted the Grand Départ. The last time the race came to Barcelona was in 2009.

The Catalan capital will be the third city in Spain to host a Grand Départ. Last year's race started in Bilbao, in the Basque Country, while the first time the race started in Spain was in San Sebastián in 1992.  

"Barcelona will be the only city in the world to host the Olympics, the World Cup, the America's Cup and the Tour de France, the four most influential sporting events in the world," he said.

The agreement with the Tour de France has been sealed after more than six years of negotiations, sports councilor David Escudé said recently.

Last year, Barcelona hosted the start of La Vuelta for the first time since 1962, paving the way for the city to host the start of the Tour de France.

Although the city council has not yet estimated the economic impact of the event in the city, it has estimated the cost at €7 million.