Next year, the World Rally Championship will feature 14 events, just like this year. The biggest surprise in the calendar is the absence of the United States round.
The return of the USA to the WRC has been eagerly anticipated. A test event was already held in the state of Tennessee last year in preparation for a future WRC round. Furthermore, the WRC Promoter had stated earlier this year that the US rally would be included in the 2026 calendar.
According to RallyJournal.com’s information, the new goal is to bring the WRC to the United States in 2027.
The 2026 season will kick off traditionally with the Rally Monte Carlo in January. Championship points will be up for grabs in Sweden in February, followed by Kenya’s iconic Safari Rally in March.
April will feature two asphalt events. First comes Croatia, which returns to the calendar, and two weeks later the WRC stars will be in action at the Rally Islas Canarias.
The Rally Portugal retains its traditional slot in May. Later that same month, the championship heads to Japan for an asphalt round. In recent years, Rally Japan has taken place in the late autumn.
The latter half of the season is, for now, made up exclusively of gravel events. Greece, Estonia, Finland, Paraguay, Chile, Italy, and Saudi Arabia will round off the season. The Saudi Arabian finale is scheduled for mid-November.
However, the WRC Promoter has not yet confirmed whether the Italian round will be held as usual on the gravel roads of Sardinia. Rumours have suggested the event could be moved to mainland Italy, around the Rome area, and run on asphalt. This will be confirmed at a later date.
According to the promoter, one of the aims of the calendar structure is to reduce the disadvantage faced by the championship leader acting as the road-sweeper during the early part of the season, thanks to the inclusion of tarmac rallies in between.
“This is a calendar built with purpose,” WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel commented.
“It’s diverse, it flows well, and it reflects the feedback we’ve had from teams, drivers and stakeholders. We’ve put real thought into how the sequence of events can impact the sporting fight.”
One of this year’s rallies to drop out of the calendar is the Central European Rally.
2026 World Rally Championship calendar:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Rally Monte Carlo | 22–25 January |
| Rally Sweden | 12–15 February |
| Safari Rally Kenya | 12–15 March |
| Croatia Rally | 9–12 April |
| Rally Islas Canarias | 23–26 April |
| Rally Portugal | 7–10 May |
| Rally Japan | 28–31 May |
| Acropolis Rally Greece | 25–28 June |
| Rally Estonia | 16–19 July |
| Rally Finland | 30 July – 2 August |
| Rally Paraguay | 27–30 August |
| Rally Chile | 10–13 September |
| Rally Italy | 1–4 October |
| Rally Saudi Arabia | 11–14 November |
