FIA announces the WRC calendar of 2026 which includes 14 rallies.
As tradition dictates, the season kicks off in January with the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo, which will also see the WRC return to Monaco’s iconic Formula 1 circuit for the event’s superspecial stage, its first appearance there since 2008.
From the glamour of Monte-Carlo, the championship transitions to the icy forests of Umeå for Rally Sweden in February, before heading south to the savannahs of Africa for Safari Rally Kenya in March, where deep ruts and fine dust roads offer one of the sport’s most iconic challenges.
April marks a return to all-asphalt action with back-to-back Tarmac tests. Fan-favourite Rally Croatia rejoins the calendar following a one-year break, bringing the WRC back to its picturesque Adriatic coastlines and technical inland stages. Just weeks later, Rally Islas Canarias returns for a second season after a successful WRC debut in 2025. With its smooth, twisting Tarmac and high-speed mountain passes, the event made a strong impression in 2025, and looks set to become a calendar highlight into the future.
May delivers a staple of European rallying with Rally de Portugal, where thousands of passionate fans will line the stages to witness the spectacle of one of the WRC’s most historic events.
The series then makes an early-season trip to Asia for Rally Japan, featuring, narrow roads, passionate local fans and demanding technical sections. This move should help shift the balance of the championship onto a fairer footing, with the asphalt stages reducing the effect of road sweeping in the early part of the 2026 campaign.
June and July mark the heart of the European gravel season, with the rock lined stages of Acropolis Rally Greece kicking off the action. From there, the WRC shifts to the lightning-fast forest tracks of Estonia and Finland, where jumps, blind crests and blistering speeds define these fan-favourite events.
South America takes centre stage in August, with the championship first heading to Paraguay, with its distinctive red gravel and stages skirting the dramatic Paraná River. Two weeks later, Rally Chile offers flowing gravel routes and breathtaking Andean vistas.
A reshuffled autumn sees the championship’s Italian round move to October, trading dust and heat for cooler conditions and the potential for late-season drama in the championship battle.
The season draws to a close in spectacular fashion in November, as Rally Saudi Arabia hosts the finale. Offering an ever-changing mix of gravel and desert terrain, the event ensures the WRC finishes its year in a setting as demanding as it is dramatic.
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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