2027 World Rally Championship to feature 15 rounds, with the USA and Great Britain new additions to the calendar

The FIA has announced the calendar for the 2027 World Rally Championship. With a total of 15 rounds across four continents, it is the most extensive since the 2008 season. Following the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian Rally, originally scheduled as the season finale, 13 World Rally Championship rounds took place this year.

The Rally USA, scheduled for 26–29 August, brings the World Rally Championship back to North America for the first time since 1988. Its inclusion follows a successful WRC candidate selection process in June 2026 and builds on the ongoing development of rallying in the United States.

Vize-Weltmeister Oliver Solberg gewann den Saisonuftakt 2026

Foto: Red Bull

The UK is also returning to the calendar for the first time since 2019: Rally Scotland will take place from 30 September to 3 October. The event will have its rally centre in Aberdeen.

The Rally Italy represents a third major addition to the 2027 calendar. It will be held from 8 to 11 July, having been successfully staged for many years as a European Rally Championship round. The tarmac rally will combine special stages in the Lazio region with a high-calibre supporting programme in Rome. It replaces the Rally Sardinia, which provided the dramatic season finale this year.

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The 2027 season begins with its traditional opener, the Monte Carlo Rally, from 21 to 24 January, before moving on to two championship classics in Sweden and the Safari Rally Kenya.

Croatia, the Canary Islands and Japan will then form three consecutive tarmac rounds, before the Acropolis Rally in Greece opens the European summer gravel series.

Der neue Weltmeister Eflyn Evans bei der Rallye Sardinien

Foto: Red Bull

The Rally Italia returns to tarmac in July, before Estonia and Finland host two of the championship’s fastest gravel rounds back-to-back – in a region where rallying enjoys exceptionally high participation and strong support from fans.

Both events will continue to build on alternative approaches to the rally format, following the successful introduction of the condensed programme in Estonia and the fan-focused ‘Super Sunday’ concept in Finland.

Following Rally USA, the World Championship returns to Europe for Rally Scotland, before heading to South America for the rounds in Paraguay and Chile. The decisive final round of the season will take place in late November in the desert terrain of Rally Saudi Arabia.

Die Rallye Finnland mit ihren weiten Sprüngen gilt als ein Saisonhöhepunkt

Foto: XPB

The long-established Rally Portugal will no longer feature in 2027. This is due to the WRC’s increased international focus. Discussions regarding Portugal’s return in 2028 are already underway.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the expanded calendar – the most extensive since the 15-round programme in 2008 – was proof of the growing strength of the World Rally Championship.

“With the introduction of the WRC27 technical regulations, a new promoter – thanks to the ‘deal of the century’ – who will bring long-term investment and ambition to the championship, and a strong global calendar, the future of rallying looks extremely promising.”

Eric Boullier, CEO of WRC Promoter, said: “The year 2027 marks the start of an exciting new chapter for the World Rally Championship, and this calendar reflects our commitment to building a stronger, more accessible and truly global championship.”

In 2026 ausgefallen, in 2027 wieder im Kalender: Die Rallye Saudi-Arabien

Foto: Red Bull

Toyota is already working on a new car for the top class. New additions will include Project Rally One and WRT Rally1 Spain. M-Sport Ford initially plans to field a Ford Rally2 car fitted with a WRC kit. Ford has already announced that it will return as a works team from 2028 and field a completely newly developed car from 2029.