Cycling: The Tour du Faso returns to the UCI calendar for its 37th edition

The Tour du Faso is returning to the international calendar of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for its 37th edition, scheduled from October 30 to November 8, 2026, in Burkina Faso. The race, which was absent from the UCI calendar in 2024 and 2025, returns in the 2.2 category of the Africa Tour, according to Reflet Info and Africa Top Sports.

Ten stages and eight regions

The announced route features 10 stages covering approximately 1,370 kilometers across eight regions of the country: Kadiogo, Koulsé, Nando, Bankui, Guiriko, Nakanbé, Nazinon, and Oubri. Twelve teams are expected, including the Burkinabe national team as well as African and European squads, according to Africa Top Sports.

The projected budget is set at 600 million CFA francs. The Minister of Sports, Annick Pikbougoum Zingué Ouattara, has called for "integrating the concerns of partners" to ensure the success of the event, reports Reflet Info. The permanent secretary of the Tour du Faso, Soumaïla Traoré, is leading the organization.

An event born in 1987

Created in 1987, the Tour du Faso has established itself as one of the most renowned races on the continent and one of the few major cycling events in West Africa. Its removal from the UCI calendar for two seasons had left a void: without an international label, a race loses its points, a portion of its foreign teams, and the visibility that allows African riders to be scouted.

The value of a label

The reinstatement was announced during a Council of Ministers meeting, where the Minister of Sports saw it as good news for African cycling, which regains one of its most iconic events, according to Africa Top Sports. It also places Burkina Faso back on a continental sporting map dominated by a few countries, while African cycling remains driven by Rwanda, Eritrea, Algeria, Morocco, and South Africa.

For Burkinabe riders, the stakes are concrete: racing at home against foreign teams in a ranked event remains the most direct path to contracts and selections. The start will be given on October 30, 2026, on the eve of a busy sporting autumn on the continent.