The 2026 Tour de France will begin with a team time-trial as the opening stage for the first time in the race's history.

The "Grand Depart" of next year's Tour de France will take place on July 4 in Barcelona, Spain, kicking off with a 19.7km team time-trial, organisers said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).

This stage will feature a format first introduced on the 2023 Paris-Nice, where a team's time is determined by the first rider to cross the finish line.

However, individual general classification times will be based on each rider's actual time.

The following day's stage also finishes in Barcelona after a 178km ride from Tarragona, before the third stage begins in Granollers, with the format and finish line yet to be confirmed.

"It is a very special day for the city of Barcelona and the whole of Catalonia. Thank you for your trust and belief in Barcelona," the city's mayor Jaume Collboni told a press conference on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).

"Finally, the city will be linked to this event forever. It will be the culmination of this love story between Barcelona and the Tour."

The last time the Tour began in Spain was in 2023 in Bilbao. The 2025 edition of the prestigious cycling race will start in the northern French city of Lille.