2026 WorldSBK rider line-up: The grid so far, and the latest rumours

Here is what we know about the 2026 World Superbike Championship rider line-up so far.

After the end of the 2025 season, much of the 2026 grid is already set, with only three seats still to be filled before the first round of next season in Australia on 20-22 February.

Here, we will look at the deals that have already been signed for next season, as well as the rumoured moves that could happen between now and the end of the year.

The table below shows the confirmed riders with their 2026 teams. Below that, you'll find the latest rider market moves for each manufacturer.

Ducati

The factory Ducati team tied down Nicolo Bulega to a new contract which reportedly includes MotoGP testing responsibilites.

But they also announced that Alvaro Bautista would be replaced.

Iker Lecuona was signed from Honda as Bautista's replacement. Lecuona and Bulega will be the Aruba.it Ducati duo in 2026.

Bautista will drop into the Barni Ducati team as a replacement for the outgoing Danilo Petrucci alongside Yari Montella.

Andrea Iannone has been replaced by former Moto2 and World Supersport race winner Lorenzo Baldassarri for 2026.

Ryan Vickers was confirmed to be out of the Motocorsa team next year and has joined the Honda Racing UK squad in BSB. Motocorsa has not announced his replacement.

The final Ducati is that of the MGM team, who have announced Tarran Mackenzie will remain on the bike in 2026 after he replaced Scott Redding from Hungary onwards in 2025.

BMW

BMW seems set to maintain its two-bike effort in WorldSBK next season and could field an all-new line-up.

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s departure to MotoGP with Pramac Yamaha next year has opened the door for Danilo Petrucci to take one of the two factory M1000 RRs.

Petrucci's teammate for 2026 has been confirmed as Miguel Oliveira.

Yamaha

Jonathan Rea has confirmed that he will retire at the end of 2025.

Rea was out of contract with Yamaha and was linked to other teams but instead opted to walk away.

Yamaha had already confirmed Andrea Locatelli to remain with the team in 2026 before Rea's announcement, and had kept Remy Gardner at GRT.

Gardner will be partnered by Stefano Manzi, who clinched the 2025 Supersport title, while Locatelli will joined by Xavi Vierge in the factory team. Vierge's move from Honda was confirmed at the Aragon Round.

The MotoxRacing Yamaha team will retain Bahattin Sofuoglu for 2026 and replace Michael Ruben Rinaldi with 20-year-old Italian Mattia Rato who rode in the CIV Supersport class last year, finishing third overall.

Honda

Honda is all-change for 2026 with Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona both leaving.

It will also be another all-rookie line-up for HRC, with Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon moving over from the MotoGP paddock.

There is also the MIE team, but in recent seasons the line-up there has been confirmed quite late before the start of the season, so we could be waiting a while before we get confirmation of the Japanese squad’s line-up which in 2025 was Tito Rabat and Zaqhwan Zaidi.

Bimota

Bimota will enter its second season in WorldSBK with the KB998 in the same situation as it has contested its first: one team, two bikes, with Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani on-board.

Kawasaki

There is only one Kawasaki on the grid this year and it belongs to Garrett Gerloff at the Puccetti-run Kawasaki WorldSBK Team. None of this will change in 2026, with Gerloff having re-signed earlier in 2025 to stay put for next season when Kawasaki will have an updated version of the ZX-10RR.