Zwift Racing League: The 2026/27 Guide
2026/27 dates · What's new · How to join · Categories · Formats · Costs
2026/27 season · Round 1 races from Sep 22 · Round 2 entries close Nov 14Everything you need to start racing the ZRL — dates, what the new season changes, how to join, categories, formats and costs. Compact and sourced.
What is the Zwift Racing League?
The Zwift Racing League (ZRL) is the biggest team racing series on Zwift, run by WTRL in partnership with Zwift. Teams of every level race weekly on Tuesdays — scratch races, points races or team time trials — and collect league points. The 2026/27 season runs from September 22, 2026 to April 6, 2027 across four rounds of six weeks each.
How do I join the ZRL?
You need a WTRL profile linked to your Zwift account, and a team — the ZRL is pure team sport, there are no solo entries. Either your team captain registers a team with WTRL, or you join an existing one. No race history yet? Ride at least two races (30+ minutes) first so your category is set. Round 1 entries shut on September 18; round 2 (starting November 17) takes registrations until November 14, 2026. Want to race sooner? “Rider for Hire” puts you in front of teams still short a rider for round 1.
How do you find a Zwift race team?
The fastest route is WTRL's team finder (“Find a Team”). New for 2026/27 is “Rider for Hire”, a matchmaking system for riders who arrive at a round without a squad. Beyond that: the Road to ZRL introduction rides, the official recon rides before each round, the ZRL Facebook group (#zrlteamhunt), or asking WTRL directly. Know your own category first and the team will fit right away — and expect places to be tighter this year, with rosters capped at 10 riders instead of 12.
How much does Zwift racing cost?
There is no entry fee for the ZRL: the WTRL profile is free, you only pay the Zwift subscription ($19.99 / €19.99 a month since the 2024 price change). On top of that: a smart trainer or power meter, and a heart-rate strap — race without HR data and your points are halved. Cadence no longer needs its own sensor (rule relaxed on August 31), a trainer's estimate is fine. Divisions A and B must send power from a smart trainer, smart bike or power meter; C and D may ride on ZPower, again for half points.
The 2026/27 season: key dates
Four six-week rounds · races on Tuesdays · season: Sep 22, 2026 – Apr 6, 2027 · every round has its own entry window.
| Round 1 — “Fresh & Fast” | Sep 22 – Oct 27, 2026 Entries closed (Sep 18) |
| Round 2 — “Team Tempo” | Nov 17 – Dec 22, 2026 Entries Sep 19 – Nov 14 |
| Round 3 — “Racecraft Rush” | Jan 12 – Feb 16, 2027 Entries Nov 15 – Jan 8 |
| Round 4 — “Final Charge” | Mar 2 – Apr 6, 2027 Entries Jan 9 – Apr 2 |
Round 1 is locked: entries closed on September 18. For round 2, registration runs until November 14, 2026 — three days before the first race on Nov 17.
Round 1: the six race nights
| Sep 22 | Race of Truth (new) Paris · Montmartre Mixer · 27.6 km · 198 m · no draft |
| Sep 29 | Scratch Innsbruck · Innsbruckring · A/B 4 laps, 35.4 km · C/D 3 laps, 26.6 km |
| Oct 6 | Points Makuri · A/B Makuri 40, 40.3 km · C/D Urumaze, 26.8 km |
| Oct 13 | TTT Watopia · Figure 8 Reverse · 29.9 km · 254 m |
| Oct 20 | Scratch New York · Green to Screen · 28.5 km · 207 m |
| Oct 27 | Points Watopia · Spiral Summit · 24.0 km · 283 m |
Source: the WTRL round 1 schedule and Zwift Insider (updated Aug 31), checked September 20, 2026. C and D ride shorter courses than A and B in weeks 2 and 3. WTRL publishes rounds 2–4 before each round starts.
What changes in 2026/27
WTRL unveiled the new season on August 18. Seven changes affect you directly:
Smaller squads: Rosters cap at 10 riders instead of 12, and only 5 of them start on any race night — down from 6. Selection matters more than it used to.
FTS scoring goes twice as deep: Points races now score the 10 fastest segment times of the race instead of the 5 fastest. For the first time, a strong time well outside the podium is worth something.
Steering is on: Steering is enabled in every ZRL race; braking only in the team time trial. Fighting for position into a sprint no longer works the way it did last season.
A new “Race of Truth” format: Drafting off, TT bikes locked out: nobody gets a free ride, yet it scores like a points race, sprint by sprint (FAL + FTS). It debuts on opening night, September 22 in Paris.
“Rider for Hire”: A matchmaking system for riders without a squad — aimed at newcomers who reach the start of a round still looking for a team.
In-game rewards: 250 XP for every lap you complete, plus an in-game ZRL cap if you race at least once in each of the four rounds.
Kit rules enforced: Teams have to wear their chosen ZRL kit in every race — WTRL says this season it will be enforced.
Source: the WTRL season overview and Rules & Scoring (on the 26/27 season since September 20), plus Zwift Insider on round 1 — checked September 20, 2026.
How the game is set up this season
- Steering enabled in every race · braking in the team time trial only
- Rider flagging switched off
- Points and scratch races run a custom power-up set issued at the arches · no power-ups in the TTT
- Bike upgrades allowed
- TT bikes draft in the TTT but are locked out of points and scratch races
The race formats
Scratch race: the classic — finishing order decides. Points follow the finish, with a podium bonus for the top 5.
Points race: scoring happens along the way: every intermediate sprint scores by crossing order (FAL) and by the fastest segment times of the race (FTS) — plus finish points. New for 2026/27: FTS now pays the ten fastest times per segment instead of five. Tactics and teamwork beat raw sprinting.
Team time trial (TTT): teams set off at one-minute intervals and ride together; the time of the fourth rider across the line counts. Fewer than four finishers means no league points — pacing and rotation are everything. With five starters a night, that is a margin of exactly one rider.
“Race of Truth” (new): the fourth format opens the season on September 22 on Paris's Montmartre Mixer. Drafting is switched off and TT bikes are banned, so sitting in saves you nothing and pulling costs you nothing extra. Scoring follows the points race: FAL and FTS on every sprint and climb segment (Lutèce, Monceau twice, Église, the Montmartre KOM twice, Tchou Tchou), plus finish and podium points. It rewards riders who can hold power for the whole race, not the ones waiting for one big jump.
Categories: where do you race?
The ZRL uses Zwift's pace-group system based on zFTP and zMAP (categories A–D, with separate women's leagues). Your category is checked as you cross the start line; exceeding your division's limits brings points penalties. Alongside the standard divisions there are development divisions for the lower ~60% of each category — tighter, fairer racing without the top riders of the class.
| Division | Open (zFTP · zMAP) | Women (zFTP · zMAP) |
|---|---|---|
| A | ≥ 4.2 · ≥ 5.1 W/kg | ≥ 3.88 · ≥ 4.8 W/kg |
| B | < 4.2 · < 5.1 W/kg | < 3.88 · < 4.8 W/kg |
| C | < 3.36 · < 4.1 W/kg | < 3.36 · < 4.1 W/kg |
| D | < 2.63 · < 3.2 W/kg | < 2.63 · < 3.2 W/kg |
Development divisions (the lower ~60% of each category, open): A-Dev below 4.37 W/kg zFTP and 5.33 W/kg zMAP · B-Dev below 3.74 and 4.53 · C-Dev below 3.08 and 3.68 · D-Dev below 2.40 and 2.83 W/kg. Women's A-Dev sits at 4.36 and 5.29 W/kg; B- to D-Dev match the open limits.
Source: WTRL Rules & Scoring for the 2026/27 season, checked September 20, 2026. Divisions A–C also carry an absolute zFTP floor in watts (A from 250 W, B from 200 W, C from 150 W).
First time? The checklist
Create a WTRL profile and link your Zwift account · ride two races (30+ minutes) so your category is set · find a team (see above) · pair a smart trainer or power meter and a heart-rate strap (no HR, half points; a trainer's cadence estimate is fine) · join an official recon ride on the course before race day · sort out the team kit, because kit rules are being enforced this season. For 2026/27 teams roster up to 10 riders and start 5 on a race night — full league points need at least 4 of them over the start line.
Good enough for division C — or B?
Before you go team hunting: know your numbers. Create an account, link your Zwift ID — we pull your public racing profile and show you your power profile, your strongest dimension and where you stand in the field. So you know which division you belong in, and whether standard or development is the better fit. Round 2 entries stay open until November 14.
Start free — get your analysis Coach Lab →
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Sources
- WTRL — Zwift Racing League: the 2026/27 season (dates, what's new, registration)
- WTRL — Round 1 “Fresh & Fast”: 2026/27 in-game race settings
- WTRL — Rules & Scoring 2026/27 (categories, development divisions, scoring, registration windows)
- WTRL — ZRL Technical Guide & Rules v5.0.4 (PDF, October 2025)
- WTRL — team finder (“Find a Team”)
- Zwift Insider — ZRL 2026/27 round 1 (routes by division, Race of Truth, equipment; updated Aug 31)
- Rennrad-News — Zwift subscription price ($19.99/€19.99 a month since 2024)
Facts as of September 20, 2026. Zwift, Zwift Racing League and WTRL are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is an independent fan and analytics project with no affiliation to Zwift or WTRL. All facts are rule-based from the linked sources — no AI-generated numbers.