Australia has ended a 24-year wait for Speedway World Cup glory, claiming a memorable victory at the 2026 BOLL FIM Speedway World Cup Final in Warsaw on Saturday night.
Racing in front of more than 40,000 fans at the iconic PGE Narodowy, the Roos delivered one of the nation’s greatest team speedway performances to secure their first Speedway World Cup title since Peterborough in 2002.
The victory was also a landmark moment for Jason Doyle, who became the first rider in speedway history to complete the modern-era grand slam. The Australian added Speedway World Cup success to his 2017 Speedway GP World Championship and FIM Speedway of Nations titles from 2022 and 2025.
Australia finished the night on 38 points, with a blistering start laying the foundation for victory. The Roos opened the meeting with four straight race wins, banking 12 points from the first round of heats and immediately putting pressure on their rivals.
While Australia entered the meeting as favourites, the contest was far from straightforward. Denmark fought back strongly after a slow start to finish with the silver medal on 30 points, while hosts Poland claimed bronze on 29. Great Britain rounded out the standings in fourth with 23 points.
The triumph belonged to Australia’s current golden generation and, at 40 years of age, Doyle was proud to see years of effort finally rewarded.
“I am letting it sink in. It’s unbelievable,” Doyle said after the victory. “I have tried for years with Team Australia and to see us do this is something special. I have got goosebumps, and I am trying to process these emotions. It’s amazing.
“Being part of this team and to do what we have done after 24 years … I feel very proud.”
After Australia’s flying start, Doyle admitted he briefly thought the night might be straightforward before the competition tightened dramatically.
“We got off to an unbelievable start and I was thinking, ‘This is going to be easy tonight!’ We had four straight wins, but the third round went tits up. We thought it was going to be tough, and we just worked hard. The boys knew we were going to battle. We weren’t going to throw the towel in. It was going to be our night.”
Doyle also singled out Max Fricke for his resilience after a difficult middle part of the meeting.
“Max had a couple of tough rides, but he came out, blew Bartosz Zmarzlik away and won his last race. Everyone scored good points, and that’s how you win the world title.”
Fricke’s night was a tale of recovery. After opening with a win, he managed just one point from his next three rides before producing one of the races of the meeting in Heat 18, defeating six-time Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik.
Already a Speedway of Nations champion and 2016 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Champion, Fricke credited his teammates for helping him find a solution when he needed it most.
“Obviously things started okay with a win, but after that, I was struggling a little bit,” Fricke said. “I was able to lean on the boys a little bit to try and change a few things with my bikes and make it work for this last one.
“My last race was an important heat and Lemo put a lot of faith in me to try and pull out a fast ride. I knew the pressure was on, and I am just grateful that I was able to deliver.”
Fricke said bringing home gold for Australia was a moment he would never forget.
“Racing in Australian team colours gives me a lot of pride and to bring home gold for Australia this year is unbelievable. It’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
“The Speedway World Cup is definitely a favourite event of mine. It doesn’t come around very often. It is always an honour to be able to represent Australia and give it my very best.”
Australian captain Brady Kurtz was competing in his first Speedway World Cup Final and said the bond within the squad played a major role in the result.
“When I saw the boys come running out after we won, I was pumped,” Kurtz said. “It was something really special. I am so happy to be a part of it. I feel like it has been such a long wait for me to be a part of a Speedway World Cup team. To get this across the line is pretty cool.”
Kurtz believes Australia’s team spirit gave them an edge over the competition throughout the weekend.
“I think Australia is by far the country that is proudest to race in the World Cup. There is no question about it. I think we all bonded a little bit better than the rest of the countries. It is a cool weekend to be a part of, and I think that definitely helped us.”
Making his Speedway World Cup debut, Ryan Douglas announced himself on the world stage with a superb 10-point haul, including victories in his opening three rides.
“It’s a great feeling. This is unbelievable,” Douglas said. “I just treated it like any other meeting. I have probably raced most of these riders in some sort of league.
“When you look around the stadium and see a crowd like that, racing in a place like this is on another level. But at the same time, it is just four blokes at the tapes, and I have just as good a chance as anyone.”
Australian team manager Mark Lemon was equally proud as Australia secured its third Speedway World Cup title, adding to victories in 2001 and 2002.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Lemon said. “I am so proud of what these boys have done and delivered.”
Lemon reflected on Australia’s rich speedway history and was delighted to see the current generation experience the same success as the legends who came before them.
“I grew up in an era when Australian speedway dominated, with the likes of Jason Crump, Leigh Adams, Todd Wiltshire, Craig Boyce, Jason Lyons and Ryan Sullivan. I am so happy that these guys have had the same feeling. We are on top of the world.”
He also praised the development pathways that continue to produce world-class Australian riders.
“These boys have grafted from a young age through the junior ranks. In Australia, we have a great junior programme producing great riders. After all the hard work and dedication of the volunteers in Australia, they should also take a bow.”
Denmark recovered from a difficult opening phase to secure second place, with Mikkel Michelsen leading the team’s charge with an impressive 12-point contribution.
“We didn’t get off to the best start,” Michelsen admitted. “After eight heats, it didn’t look like we were going home with anything. I think to come away with a silver medal is a great accomplishment.”
While disappointed not to win, the Dane acknowledged Australia deserved the title.
“Obviously we wanted more, but in these events, consistency wins gold, and the Aussies showed that. I would like to say a massive congrats to them. They really deserved it. If it wasn’t going to be the Danish team, I am happy the Aussie riders got it done.”
Michelsen’s night ended in dramatic fashion after a clash with Zmarzlik in his final ride. The Dane crashed after being challenged by the Polish star before chasing him down the pits tunnel, with officials and mechanics intervening as tensions boiled over. Zmarzlik was ultimately disqualified, drawing loud boos from the home crowd.
Reflecting on the incident later, Michelsen was surprisingly self-critical.
“I think that was the adrenaline pumping. I think I was angrier with myself than anything else, to be honest,” he said.
“We all know that Bartek races hard and I left the gate open for him. I knew that he was going to divebomb me into that corner and I knew if I had kept my line, he would have clipped my front wheel. But I think I chickened out at the last second and then I jumped off the bike. The decision is fair enough. I can’t say anything about that.
“I definitely made a bit of a fool of myself out there and I am probably the most hated person in Poland tonight, but it is what it is.”
Poland’s hopes of a fourth consecutive Speedway World Cup title ultimately fell short, but team manager Stanislaw Chomski was pleased with the fight shown by his riders to secure bronze.
“Of course, we wanted to win, and of course we wanted gold. This is what we came here to do at PGE Narodowy,” Chomski said.
He revealed the team had been dealing with illness throughout the event, explaining that Patryk Dudek was unable to attend the podium ceremony after battling stomach flu during the competition.
“Maybe you wouldn’t have noticed but Patryk Dudek wasn’t able to come to the podium to collect his medal because he has stomach flu, and he was sick almost through all of the competition.”
Chomski also praised Kacper Woryna for stepping up when needed before acknowledging Australia’s dominance.
“Kacper Woryna was our joker and he stepped in at the right moment. He also scored some points for the Polish team.
“Australia was the strongest team. In the first round when they won every race possible, it was very impressive. Then Denmark woke up in the middle of the competition.
“We have the bronze medals. We are very happy, and I think we really promoted speedway because this event was the most interesting for a couple of years here in Warsaw.”
With the Speedway World Cup now decided, attention turns back to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix championship battle. Zmarzlik, Kurtz and Great Britain’s Robert Lambert will resume their fight for the world title at the Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark in Vojens on Saturday, September 12.
The weekend will also feature the Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark on Friday, September 11, which serves as the final round of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship.
