Kigali has become the second city in the world to host the UCI Road World Championships with the highest participation, bringing together more than 760 riders. Remarkably, for the first time in history, African nations have fielded more athletes than any other continent.
The championship, organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), will feature 13 categories for both men and women. It runs from September 21 to 28, 2025. Among the highlights was the debut of the Women’s Under-23 race, held on the morning of Monday, September 22, 2025—an event included for the first time in the tournament’s 104-year history.
This year’s edition drew an impressive 108 countries, making Kigali the second city to host the widest international representation, just behind Glasgow, Scotland, which welcomed 110 nations in 2023.
It also marks the first time in UCI’s 125-year history, and in the 98 editions of the World Championships, that the competition is taking place on African soil accompanied by record participation from African countries.
A total of 769 riders are competing in Kigali, a significant increase compared to the 647 who took part in Wollongong, Australia, in 2022 the last edition staged outside Europe.
Africa is especially well represented, with 36 nations sending athletes to Kigali, compared to only 15 African countries that participated in last year’s event in Zurich, Switzerland.
Currently, the rider distribution is as follows: Africa leads with 33.64%, followed by Europe at 32.71%, the Americas at 17.76%, Asia at 14.02%, and Oceania at 1.87%.
On Thursday, September 25, 2025, Kigali will also host the 194th UCI Congress. This assembly, set to welcome a record number of delegations, is already being hailed as the second most attended in history again only surpassed by Glasgow in 2023.
Author: Justinmind HARERIMANA
