The 2026 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations runs from 2 to 4 October at Ernée in France. It is the one weekend of the year when riders race for a country rather than a factory team, and it uses a scoring system that catches out plenty of people who watch every MXGP round. Here is how the Motocross of Nations 2026 format works, what happens on each day, and why the nation with the fastest single rider often does not win.
When and where the 2026 Motocross of Nations happens #
The event is at the Ernée circuit in France on 2–4 October 2026. France was awarded both the 2023 and the 2026 editions back in June 2021, and Ernée hosted that 2023 race as well, so the paddock arrives at a track it already knows.
The weekend opens on Friday 2 October with the official team parade. Racer X lists the main event on Sunday 4 October at 8:00 AM. Saturday carries the qualifying races that set the gate picks for Sunday, which matters more here than at a normal Grand Prix — you will see why below.
Three riders, three classes #
Each country selects a squad of three riders, one for each class:
- MXGP — 450cc.
- MX2 — 250cc.
- Open — the team’s choice of a 450 or a 250.
That Open slot is the interesting one. A nation can put a second 450 on the gate for outright pace, or send a 250 rider who is quick enough to hang on and who gets off the gate well. Both are legitimate reads of the same rulebook, and teams do not always agree. If you are still weighing the two engine types for your own riding, our 2-stroke versus 4-stroke comparison covers the trade-offs, and the 2026 motocross bikes compared guide runs through what the manufacturers currently field in each capacity.
Three races, and every rider rides twice #
There are no separate class finals. Sunday is three combination races, each pairing two of the three classes:
- Race 1 — MXGP and MX2.
- Race 2 — MX2 and Open.
- Race 3 — MXGP and Open.
Every rider therefore races twice, against a different class each time. Three riders racing twice gives each nation six individual results across the day.
This is also why the 250s cannot hide. An MX2 rider lines up against 450s in race one and against Open-class machinery in race two, and every position lost on a start is a point on the team’s card.
Lowest score wins, and one score gets thrown away #
Scoring runs on finishing position, not championship points. First place is one point, second is two, third is three, and so on down the field. Class does not matter — if an MX2 rider finishes fifth overall in a combination race, his team is charged five points.
Each nation ends the day with six scores. The single worst of those six is dropped, and the team with the lowest five-race total wins the Chamberlain Trophy.
The drop score is what keeps the event alive to the last lap. One mechanical, one first-turn crash, or one bad start can be absorbed. Two cannot. A hypothetical team scoring 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, then a 38 after a DNF, still totals 20, because the 38 is the score that gets binned. That same team having a second bad race is out of contention immediately.
It also changes how teams ride the third race. A nation that has already used its drop can afford nothing; a nation still holding a clean sheet can take a risk on a line or a start that it would never take in a championship round.
What the 2025 result looked like #
The 2025 edition ran at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Australia won it with a low score of 19 points, their second Motocross of Nations title in a row. Behind them, the USA and France both finished on 33 points, with the tiebreak going to the USA on the strength of Eli Tomac’s second place in the final moto — the best single finish among the tied riders.
A 14-point margin sounds comfortable and, by the standards of this event, it is. It generally takes a team with two riders near the front of nearly every race to build a gap that size.
Who actually wins this thing #
Since 2003 there have been seven different winning nations, with the USA the most successful in that span on eight victories:
| Nation | Winning years since 2003 |
|---|---|
| USA | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2022 |
| France | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023 |
| Belgium | 2003, 2004, 2013 |
| Australia | 2024, 2025 |
| Italy | 2021 |
| Netherlands | 2019 |
| Germany | 2012 |
The France entry is worth holding onto for October. France won the 2023 edition, and it won it at Ernée. A home team that has already taken this trophy at this circuit is a different proposition from a home team hoping for a good day.
Watching it live at Ernée #
Racer X describes Ernée as one of the sport’s most iconic venues, with a natural, stadium-like layout. That shape is good news for spectators: it gives you sightlines across several sections at once instead of watching bikes disappear behind a fence for half a lap.
An early-October date in northern France means planning for conditions rather than assuming them. Take layers you can shed, boots you do not mind cleaning properly afterwards, and something waterproof. If it does turn wet, the roll-offs and lens choices that get argued about all season suddenly decide whether anyone off the second row can see anything at all.
That is not a bad prompt to sort your own goggle setup either. Our motocross goggles lens guide explains when clear, smoke, mirrored and roll-off setups are each the right call, and you can browse the full motocross goggles range if you are heading into an autumn of mud at your own local track.
Sources #
- Racer X — VIP Tickets on Sale For 2026 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Ernée
- Racer X — 2026 Motocross of Nations Confirmed for Ernée in France
- Racer X — 2026 Motocross of Nations Schedule
- MXoN Assen — The Motocross of Nations Explained
- Cycle News — 2025 Motocross of Nations News and Results
- MXGP Results — MXoN 2025 Overall Classification, Ironman
- MXGP Results — Motocross of Nations Champions and Results
- Wikipedia — Motocross of Nations
