Australia is the 2026 FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC) champion, storming to a famous victory in Warsaw on Saturday, August 29.
After a dream start – consecutive victories by captain Brady Kurtz, rookie Ryan Douglas, Jason Doyle and Max Fricke – Australia stamped its authority on the final from the outset, eventually winning by 8pts over Denmark (38 to 30) followed by host nation Poland (29pts) and Great Britian (23pts).
Kurtz (11pts), Douglas (10pts), Doyle (10pts) and Fricke (7pts) all put in the hard yards for the Kangaroos, while substitute Rohan Tungate wasn’t called into action by team manager Mark Lemon.
“As a kid, there was nothing cooler than watching our country’s best riders wear the Team Australia suit at the Speedway World Cup. To think that now it was our time… I couldn’t be prouder and more honoured,” said Kurtz.
“What a team we had, and what a privilege to be a part of it. The boys and our teams were prepared, ready, and determined to get this over the line. Thousands of miles from home, what every Australian rider sacrifices to be here in Europe is something most nations will never truly know.
“Thank you to the whole Australian squad, our teams in the pits, and Lemo (Mark Lemon) in charge. Thank you to everyone who was in the stadium and everyone watching from home.”
In front of over 40,000 fans in Poland’s biggest football arena, Kurtz’ second spot in heat 19 eventually sealed the deal for Australia, with celebrations erupting on a grand scale as the 24-year Team Australia SWC drought came to an end.
Doyle then soared to victory in the final heat to cap off an extraordinary night for Australia on the purpose-built track.
Australia now holds the FIM Speedway of Nations and SWC titles concurrently, while from an individual standpoint Doyle is now the first rider in the sport’s history to complete the modern-day ‘grand slam’: the two major teams’ titles as well as his 2017 Speedway GP World Championship.
Meanwhile, Denmark locked in second place in the decisive heat 19 thanks to an Anders Thomson victory, closing the door on any late heroics from Poland.
Great Britain was in third early before eventually dropping back to fourth, with its skipper Robert Lambert the highest scorer on the night.
Team Australia’s 2026 SWC campaign was backed by CBS Bins and A1 Accessory Imports.