The route, featuring a total of 20 special stages, was officially presented on Tuesday in Helsinki. While the itinerary includes plenty of familiar stages, the majority of the stages have changed compared to last year.
“One of our key objectives is that we don’t run the same route two years in a row. This year, 66 per cent of the special stages have changed from last year. The rally has to keep evolving in order to remain interesting for both drivers and spectators,” said clerk of the course Kai Tarkiainen.
The 2026 route takes into account both the rally’s 75-year history and completely new openings. It includes sections built in the spirit of past decades, but also roads that have never before been used in a World Rally Championship event.
The rally weekend gets under way in traditional fashion on Thursday, 30 July. The morning features the shakedown stage with jumps at Ruuhimäki, followed in the evening by the first competitive stage of the rally: the iconic Harju super special stage in Jyväskylä.
Friday undergoes a major overhaul
The biggest changes to the route are seen on Friday, which features the highest number of competitive kilometres. Almost half of the day’s roads have never been used during the WRC era.
The day begins with the Laukaa stage, which has now been reversed and is driven in the opposite direction. From there, the rally moves via Saarikas to the new high-speed stages of Sydänmaa and Hoho.
The Sydänmaa stage includes sections from the Sirkkamäki and Kalliokoski stages last used decades ago. The Hoho stage, run near Lievestuore, replaces Ruuhimäki, which has been dropped from the main rally for the first time since 2023.
“Some of these roads have never seen a rally car, not even in a local event. Still, there is a strong historical charge, as befits an anniversary year,” described deputy clerk of the course Kari Nuutinen, who is responsible for the route.
According to Tarkiainen, the new Sydänmaa stage is one of the highlights of the entire rally.
“It has all kinds of roads, fast in every sense – good, traditional Finnish WRC spirit.”
The four-stage loop will be driven twice, with a midday service in between. On Friday evening, the drivers will once again entertain the crowds on the Harju stage.
A new finale for the rally
Saturday’s itinerary features exactly the same four-stage loop as last year. The day starts near Jyväskylä in Parkkola and continues through Päijälä and Västilä to Leustu in Korpilahti. The loop will be completed twice during the day.
The road sections between stages have now been shortened to make the day more driver-friendly.
“We wanted to break up the long road sections and make the day more pleasant for the competitors, while still preserving the classic high-speed nature of Finnish roads,” Tarkiainen explained.
On the final day of the rally, Super Sunday follows the same concept as last year: one long stage will be driven twice, with the second pass serving as the Power Stage.
Last year, the rally was decided on the legendary Ouninpohja stage, which does not feature on this year’s route. This time, the rally will conclude on a brand-new stage called Himos-Jämsä, measuring 30 kilometres in length.
The opening part of the stage runs along the fast Vaheri state road, the middle section switches to narrower private roads, and the finish is located beneath the slopes of Himos, in a compact event area.
Rally Finland route and itinerary (CET):
Wednesday 29 July 2026:
18:00 Ceremonial Start, Jyväskylä
Thursday 30 July:
08:01 Shakedown: Ruuhimäki (4.12 km)
18:05 SS1: Harju 1 (2.58 km)
Friday 31 July:
07:44 SS2: Laukaa 1 (18.20 km)
08:45 SS3: Saarikas 1 (15.78 km)
09:50 SS4: Sydänmaa 1 (19.10 km)
10:58 SS5: Hoho 1 (9.60 km)
Service, Jyväskylä
13:48 SS6: Laukaa 2 (18.20 km)
14:49 SS7: Saarikas 2 (15.78 km)
15:54 SS8: Sydänmaa 2 (19.10 km)
17:05 SS9: Hoho 2 (9.60 km)
18:05 SS10: Harju 2 (2.58 km)
Saturday 1 August:
07:01 SS11: Parkkola 1 (16.80 km)
08:42 SS12: Päijälä 1 (10.60 km)
09:36 SS13: Västilä 1 (19.20 km)
11:05 SS14: Leustu 1 (16.44 km)
Service, Jyväskylä
14:01 SS15: Parkkola 2 (16.80 km)
15:42 SS16: Päijälä 2 (10.60 km)
16:36 SS17: Västilä 2 (19.20 km)
18:05 SS18: Leustu 2 (16.44 km)
Sunday 2 August:
09:35 SS19: Himos-Jämsä 1 (30.00 km)
12:15 SS20: Himos-Jämsä 2 (30.00 km) *Power Stage
13:15 Podium, Himos
Special stage distance 316.60 km, total itinerary 1 276.97 km.
