WRC cancels Rally Saudi Arabia, will end 2026 season in Italy

The 2026 FIA World Rally Championship will end with next month’s Rally Italy Sardinia after motorsport’s global governing body, the FIA, and WRC Promoter confirmed that Rally Saudi Arabia has been cancelled.

Rally Saudi Arabia, was due to run Nov. 12-15 and would have hosted the WRC finale for a second consecutive year (above, 2025 winner Thierry Neuville), but events in the Middle East, including the ongoing war between Iran and the USA and escalations in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, had made such a scenario increasingly unlikely. The cancellation was announced Thursday, and with no plausible replacement event, Rally Italy Sardinia will determine the WRC drivers’ title, Oct. 1-4.

Rally Saudi Arabia joins a growing list of international motorsports events that have been cancelled, moved or postponed due to the ongoing Middle East situation, including Formula 1’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix, the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Qatar and Bahrain races, and MotoGP’s Qatar GP. F1 is yet to confirm if its season-ending Qatar and Abu Dhabi double-header will take place, but a decision on that – and on a possible Imola race as a replacement finale – is expected imminently.    

In a statement, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem noted: “We have worked closely with our partners in Saudi Arabia, our Member Club the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, WRC Promoter and our championship stakeholders in recent months to explore every possible route that would allow Rally Saudi Arabia to take place as planned. However, ongoing regional developments mean that the WRC element of Rally Saudi Arabia will not proceed this year. These are never easy decisions, particularly after the significant work undertaken by everyone involved in preparing for the event.

“While the WRC element of the event will not take place this year, our confidence in the organizers and in the long-term future of the rally remains unchanged. The FIA Middle East Rally Championship event will continue as planned in November, and we will continue to work closely with SAMF, SMC and the organizing team to support the successful delivery of the event in November.

“Our focus now is firmly on the future. We will continue working together with our partners in Saudi Arabia and WRC Promoter towards bringing the FIA World Rally Championship back in 2027.”

Saudi Arabia’s cancellation means the 2026 WRC shrinks from 14 to 13 rounds, with the WRC drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles up for grabs in the Sardinia closer. In the drivers’ title race, Elfyn Evans leads his factory Toyota teammates Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg by 17 and 21 points, respectively, with a maximum of 35 points up for grabs.

Catch WRC action from all rounds of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship on RACER Network and the RACER+ App. Tune in on Monday, Oct. 4 at 9.00pm ET for full highlights from Rally Italy Sardinia.

RACER Network is also your home for the WRC Magazine show, with new episodes landing on the Thursday before every WRC event.