The 2026 MXGP World Championship enters its decisive phase this weekend, and Jeffrey Herlings will have his first mathematical opportunity to secure the title at the MXGP of Turkey.
Following another dominant performance in Arnhem, the Honda HRC Petronas rider arrives in Afyonkarahisar holding a commanding 143-point advantage over Romain Febvre with three rounds still remaining on the calendar.
However, the championship picture changes significantly after Turkey. Once the weekend concludes, only the rounds in China and Australia will remain, leaving a maximum of 120 points available.
That means Herlings simply needs to leave Turkey with a lead greater than 120 points to be crowned the 2026 MXGP World Champion.
This means the Dutchman can afford to lose up to 23 points to Febvre across the entire weekend and still secure the championship. If the Frenchman manages to gain 24 points or more, the title fight will continue into the final overseas rounds.
Herlings has been virtually unstoppable during the second half of the season, collecting seven overall victories across the last eight Grands Prix, including five consecutive overall wins.
Top 10 MXGP Standings ahead MXGP of Turkiye | Round 17 (of 19)
| Pos | # | Rider | Brand | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 | 🇳🇱 Jeffrey Herlings | Honda | 795 |
| 2 | 1 | 🇫🇷 Romain Febvre | Kawasaki | 652 |
| 3 | 243 | 🇸🇮 Tim Gajser | Yamaha | 611 |
| 4 | 5 | 🇧🇪 Lucas Coenen | KTM | 566 |
| 5 | 80 | 🇮🇹 Andrea Adamo | KTM | 522 |
| 6 | 70 | 🇪🇸 Rubén Fernández | Honda | 502 |
| 7 | 16 | 🇫🇷 Tom Vialle | Honda | 496 |
| 8 | 959 | 🇫🇷 Maxime Renaux | Yamaha | 449 |
| 9 | 74 | 🇳🇱 Kay de Wolf | Husqvarna | 428 |
| 10 | 41 | 🇱🇻 Pauls Jonass | Kawasaki | 333 |
