This season, the UCI has set a record in terms of country participation. 31 countries have registered at least one team, compared to 27 last year. Lesotho and New Zealand are fielding a UCI mountain bike team for the very first time. A total of eight cross-country teams come from Switzerland, of which the "BMC Mountain Bike Racing Team" and the "Scott-Odlo MTB Racing Team" have elite status. There are only two Swiss teams on the downhill list. The Gstaad-Scott team which is listed under the "UCI Elite Teams" and the SC-Intense team which has trade team status.

The big difference between the two disciplines is striking. While the number of "UCI Elite Trade Teams" is set by the UCI at 15 in both disciplines, there is a large gap between the downhill and cross-country camps in the "normal" UCI teams. Just 21 UCI teams come from downhill racing, while 72 are listed from the endurance scene.

Of the total of 123 registered racing teams, 15 teams in downhill and 15 in cross-country hold the higher "UCI Mountain Bike Elite Team" status. These teams benefit from a number of advantages over the "UCI Trade Teams", but are obliged to have at least one rider at the start of every race in the Mountain Bike World Cup. These teams, which have emerged from a special ranking, were invited in advance by the UCI to accept this status. They must confirm their elite status and pay the corresponding fee by March 1st.UCI Trade and Elite Teams 2014