The 2022 Giro d’Italia begins in Hungary on 6 May alongside the 18 WorldTour teams and Alpecin-Fenix, who gained automatic entry thanks to their position as the best-ranked ProTeam last year.
The three Italian-registered teams made the cut after French team Arkea-Samsic took the unusual decision to refuse an invite to the Grand Tour.
It means the same 22 teams with the exception of Qhubekha-Assos will take part in the Giro this year as in 2021, the African squad no longer operating as a WorldTour team.
EOLO-Kometa, the ProTeam run by Alberto Contador, his brother Fran and Ivan Basso, took part in the Giro for the first time last year. They sensationally won a stage through Lorenzo Fortunato atop the hardest mountain of the race, as the young climber triumphed atop the Monte Zoncolan.
Alberto Contador had promised to ride to Milan if his team won a stage in their first Grand Tour, and he made good on his promise a few months later, completing the 1,600 kilometre trek from Madrid to the northern Italian city with a group of cyclists.
The team is based in Spain, but has a Italian main sponsor in EOLO, with the Italian fixed wireless broadband provider also sponsoring the Giro d'Italia as an event partner, those ties make it unlikely the team would miss an invitation.
Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè and Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli are both regulars of the Giro d’Italia, with the race their main goal for the year. They both animate the breakaways during the race and take stage wins fairly regularly.
Bardiani’s last win was in 2016 with then-rising star Giulio Ciccone while Gianni Savio's Androni outfit last won in 2019 with Fausto Masnada.
Drone Hopper's run of Giro d'Italia appearances was threatened last year when they were initially left off the list of wildcard invites, but a positive doping test at Vinu-Zabu saw the fellow Italian squad have to withdraw from the race prior to the start with Drone Hopper taking their spot.
Giro d'Italia 2022 teams
Ag2r-Citroën Team
Alpecin-Fenix
Astana Qazaqstan Team
Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè
Bora-Hansgrohe
Bahrain Victorious
Cofidis
Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli
EF Education-Nippo
EOLO-Kometa
Groupama-FDJ
Ineos Grenadiers
Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
Israel Start-Up Nation
Team Jumbo-Visma
Lotto-Soudal
Movistar Team
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
Team BikeExchange-Jayco
Team DSM
Trek-Segafredo
UAE Team Emirates
