All nineteen UCI WorldTeams and six UCI ProTeams participated to the race. Of the twenty-five teams, only Team BikeExchange did not compete with the maximum allowed seven riders. 96 of the 174 riders to start the race finished.[5]
Originally scheduled to take place on 11 April 2021, the race was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.[6] The planned race in 2020 was also cancelled due to the pandemic.[7] For the first time, Paris–Roubaix Femmes was held, taking place the day before the men's race.