USA set for 2027 WRC slot after missing out on ’26

The 2026 FIA World Rally Championship will not include a long-sought U.S. round, but series organizers are confident of Rally USA getting a slot in ’27.

Next year’s WRC sees the return of Rally Croatia and major date changes for Rally Japan and Rally Italy in its 14-round calendar. But while the inclusion of Tennessee-based Rally USA in the 2026 schedule had been a strategic goal for the WRC and its participating manufacturers, bringing top-level rallying to the world’s largest car market for the first time since 1988’s Washington-based Olympus Rally (pictured above, winner Miki Biasion) now looks set to happen a year later than planned.

In 2025, the WRC announced it had developed a “clear roadmap” to holding a U.S.-based round in 2026, with direct investment and event promotion from WRC Promoter, subject to approval by the FIA and U.S. governing body ACCUS.

A candidate event – a required precursor to a full WRC event – had been tentatively scheduled for this September, but a final date is still to be confirmed. However, FIA Road Sport Director Emilia Abel remains confident of the U.S. joining the WRC in 2027, telling a media roundtable prior to this weekend’s Rally Finland: “Yes, confident, 100%. We see some very good progress already over the last month. We see a dedicated team, so it's certainly on a good path.”

Abel confirmed that the call to delay Rally USA’s inclusion was a mutual one between the FIA, WRC Promoter and ACCUS, adding that “it will require another year to get prepared.”

Rally USA was set to be based out of host city Chattanooga and include special stages on the gravel roads of the Cherokee National Forest, and this still seems the most likely scenario for a 2027 WRC debut.

“As we all know, rallying is a slightly different discipline and perceived slightly different [in the USA] than in Europe,” said Abel. “We have decided that we want to be 100 percent confident that they are following exactly the same requirements as the FIA, and just need another year to be prepared and trained for the event, just purely from the organizational point of view.”

The 2026 WRC calendar drops the all-asphalt Central European Rally (CER), a multi-country event that included stages in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic, but the return of Croatia after a one-year absence keeps the ratio of gravel to asphalt events intact.

Japan’s switch to May from its current November slot breaks up a run of gravel rallies – potentially giving some respite to the WRC points leader, who starts first on the road and acts as an unwitting “road sweeper” for the cars behind. Sardinia-based Rally Italy swaps with Japan to take over the penultimate slot – ensuring that, with CER’s demise, Europe still hosts a late-season round.

2026 FIA World Rally Championship calendar

Jan. 22-25 Monte Carlo Rally

Feb. 12-15 Rally Sweden

March 12-15 Safari Rally Kenya

April 9-12 Croatia Rally

April 23-26 Rally Canary Islands (Spain)

May 7-10 Rally Portugal

May 28-31 Rally Japan

June 25-28 Acropolis Rally Greece

July 16-19 Rally Estonia

July 30-Aug. 2 Rally Finland

Aug. 27-30 Rally Paraguay

Sept. 10-13 Rally Chile

Oct. 1-4 Rally Italy

Nov. 11-14 Rally Saudi Arabia

Catch more 2025 WRC action on RACER+ and the RACER Network. There’s LIVE Wolf Power Stage coverage from all remaining rallies on the RACER+ App, plus same-day airings on the RACER Network.
From the high-speed dirt roads of Finland, to a fast-paced South American doubleheader in Paraguay and Chile, to the all-asphalt blasts of Central European Rally and Rally Japan, and finishing with an all-new gravel challenge in Saudi Arabia, it’s all on RACER+ and RACER Network. You can find out more about the RACER+ App at racerplus.com.