2026 World Rally Championship

Elfyn Evans is the current drivers' championship leader.
Scott Martin is the current co-drivers' championship leader.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT (GR Yaris Rally1 pictured) are the reigning manufacturers' champions.

The 2026 FIA World Rally Championship is the 54th season of the World Rally Championship, an international rallying series organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and WRC Promoter GmbH. Teams and crews compete for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. Crews are free to compete in cars complying with Groups Rally1 to Rally5 regulations; however, only manufacturers competing with Rally1 cars are eligible to score points in the manufacturers' championship. The championship began in January 2026 with the Monte Carlo Rally and is set to conclude in November 2026 with the Rally Saudi Arabia. The series is supported by the WRC2 and WRC3 categories at every round of the championship and by Junior WRC at selected events.

Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais are the reigning drivers' and co-drivers' champions, having secured the 2025 championship at the 2025 Rally Saudi Arabia. Toyota are the defending manufacturers' champions.

After the third round, Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin respectively lead the drivers' and co-drivers' championship over Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson by eight points. Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston are third, a further three points behind. In the manufacturers' championship, the reigning manufacturers' champions Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT hold a 41-point lead over Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT.

Calendar

A map showing the locations of the rallies in the 2026 championship. Event headquarters are marked with black dots.

The 2026 season is scheduled to be contested over fourteen rounds across Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.

Round Start date Finish date Rally Rally headquarters Surface Stages Distance Ref.
1 22 January 25 January Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Gap, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France Mixed[a] 17 339.15 km [1]
2 12 February 15 February Rally Sweden Umeå, Västerbotten County, Sweden Snow 18 300.66 km [2]
3 12 March 15 March Safari Rally Kenya Nairobi, Nakuru County, Kenya Gravel 20 350.52 km [3]
4 9 April 12 April Croatia Rally Rijeka, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia Tarmac 20 300.28 km [4]
5 23 April 26 April Rally Islas Canarias Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain Tarmac 18 322.61 km [5]
6 7 May 10 May Rally de Portugal Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal Gravel 23 348.70 km [6]
7 28 May 31 May Rally Japan Toyota, Aichi, Japan Tarmac TBA TBA
8 25 June 28 June Acropolis Rally Greece Loutraki, Corinthia, Greece Gravel 17 329.13 km [7]
9 16 July 19 July Rally Estonia Tartu, Estonia Gravel TBA TBA
10 30 July 2 August Rally Finland Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland Gravel 20 316.60 km [8]
11 27 August 30 August Rally del Paraguay Encarnación, Itapúa, Paraguay Gravel TBA TBA
12 10 September 13 September Rally Chile Concepción, Biobío, Chile Gravel TBA TBA
13 1 October 4 October Rally Italia Sardegna Alghero, Sardinia, Italy Gravel TBA TBA
14 11 November 14 November Rally Saudi Arabia Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia Gravel TBA TBA
Sources:[9][10]

Calendar changes

Entrants

The following manufacturers are set to contest the championship under Rally1 regulations.[15] All crews use tyres provided by Hankook.[16]

Rally1 entries eligible to score manufacturer points
Manufacturer Entrant Car No. Driver name Co-driver name Rounds
Ford M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Puma Rally1 55 Josh McErlean Eoin Treacy 1–4
95 Jon Armstrong Shane Byrne 1–4
Hyundai Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 N Rally1 4 Esapekka Lappi Enni Mälkönen 2–3
6 Dani Sordo Cándido Carrera TBA
11 Thierry Neuville Martijn Wydaeghe 1–4
16 Adrien Fourmaux Alexandre Coria 1–4
20 Hayden Paddon John Kennard 1, 4
Toyota Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1 Sébastien Ogier Vincent Landais 1, 3
18 Takamoto Katsuta Aaron Johnston 2, 4
33 Elfyn Evans Scott Martin 1–4
99 Oliver Solberg Elliott Edmondson 1–4
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 5 Sami Pajari Marko Salminen 1–4
Sources:[17][18][19][20]

The following crews entered in Rally1 cars as privateers or under arrangement with the manufacturers.

Rally1 entries ineligible to score manufacturer points
Manufacturer Entrant Car No. Driver name Co-driver name Rounds
Ford M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Puma Rally1 13 Grégoire Munster Louis Louka 1
22 Mārtiņš Sesks Renārs Francis 2
Toyota Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 18 Takamoto Katsuta Aaron Johnston 1, 3
37 Lorenzo Bertelli Simone Scattolin 2
Sources:[17][18][19][20]

In detail

M-Sport kept the crew of Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy.[21] Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne would step up from the European Rally Championship to complete a full Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy lineup for the team, replacing Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka in the second full-time seat.[22] Munster was later confirmed to contest the season opener in a third Rally1 car with the team.[23] Mārtiņš Sesks would continue to run a partial program with the team, contesting seven events during the season.[24]

Esapekka Lappi (left), Dani Sordo (middle) and Hayden Paddon (right) to return to the top tier for part-time campaigns.

Hyundai maintained the services of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe, and of Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria for entry in all rallies.[25] A third car will be shared by crews led by drivers Esapekka Lappi, Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon.[26] Paddon is set to make his first appearance in the premium level of the championship since the 2018 Rally Australia.[27] Lappi and Sordo are also due to return after their previous partial campaigns with the team in 2024.[28] Ott Tänak announced his indefinite break from the championship following the end of the 2025 season.[29]

Toyota retained Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin as their full-time competitor, while Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen, as well as Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston were also retained.[30] Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais would continue to run a partial program to contest ten rallies with the team.[31] Kalle Rovanperä announced that he would leave the championship to pursue a career in open-wheel racing, having signed a contract with Toyota Gazoo Racing to compete in the Super Formula Championship.[32] However, he did not rule out a return to rallying in the future.[33] His seat at Toyota was filled by Oliver Solberg, who is under contract to run his first full-time season in the class, having previously run on a part-time basis for Hyundai in 2022.[34]

Regulation changes

Following the wide criticism of lengthy itinerary, a minimum of 10 rest hours was introduced into the event.[35] Engines are also allowed to change after the start of a rally, but in doing so, crews would incur a 60-minute time penalty.[36]

Season report

Opening rounds

The season opener was held under complicated weather conditions, which caught out several crews, including both M-Sport crews of McErlean and Treacy, and of Armstrong and Byrne, meaning M-Sport ended their 24-year point-scoring finish.[37] The rally was won by Solberg and Edmondson in their first rally of their first full-time season in the top-tier.[38] Toyota continued their dominance in the following round, locking a 1–2–3–4 at the end of the rally, with Evans and Martin winning the event.[39] Katsuta and Johnston took their maiden victory at the Safari Rally Kenya.[40]

Results and standings

Season summary

Round Event Winning driver Winning co-driver Winning entrant Winning time Report Ref.
1 Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Oliver Solberg Elliott Edmondson Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 4:24:59.0 Report [41][42]
2 Rally Sweden Elfyn Evans Scott Martin Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 2:35:53.1 Report [43][44]
3 Safari Rally Kenya Takamoto Katsuta Aaron Johnston Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 3:16:05.6 Report [45][46]
4 Croatia Rally Report
5 Rally Islas Canarias Report
6 Rally de Portugal Report
7 Rally Japan Report
8 Acropolis Rally Greece Report
9 Rally Estonia Report
10 Rally Finland Report
11 Rally del Paraguay Report
12 Rally Chile Report
13 Rally Italia Sardegna Report
14 Rally Saudi Arabia Report

Scoring system

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers in each event.[47] In the manufacturers' championship, teams are eligible to nominate three crews to score points, but these points are only awarded to the top two classified finishers representing a manufacturer and driving a 2025-specification Rally1 car. There are also five bonus points awarded to the winners in an accumulated standings across all Sunday stages, four points for second place, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. The same points scale is awarded to the five fastest crews of the Power Stage as well.[48]

Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Overall 25 17 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1
Sunday 5 4 3 2 1 N/a
Power Stage 5 4 3 2 1 N/a

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers

The driver who records a points-scoring classification would be taken into account for the championship regardless of the categories.

Pos. Driver MON
 SWE
 KEN
 CRO
 ESP
 POR
 JPN
 GRE
 EST
 FIN
 PAR
 CHL
 ITA
 SAU
 Points
1 Elfyn Evans 217+4+5 125+5+4 130+3+3 66
2 Oliver Solberg 125+1+4 412+3+2 101+5+5 58
3 Takamoto Katsuta 76+0+0 217+4+3 125+0+0 55
4 Adrien Fourmaux 412+3+2 510+1+0 217+1+1 47
5 Sami Pajari Ret0+0+0 315+2+0 315+0+0 32
6 Sébastien Ogier 315+0+3 110+4+4 26
7 Thierry Neuville 510+0+0 76+0+5 120+2+2 25
8 Esapekka Lappi 68+0+1 412+0+0 21
9 Robert Virves 510+0+0 10
10 Léo Rossel 68+0+0 8
11 Gus Greensmith 68+0+0 8
12 Fabrizio Zaldivar 76+0+0 6
13 Yohan Rossel 180+5+1 6
14 Jon Armstrong Ret0+0+0 84+0+0 150+0+0 4
15 Roberto Daprà 84+0+0 4
16 Andreas Mikkelsen 84+0+0 4
17 Josh McErlean Ret0+0+0 92+0+0 Ret0+0+0 2
18 Arthur Pelamourgues 92+0+0 2
19 Diego Domínguez Jr. 92+0+0 2
20 Matteo Fontana 310+2+0 160+0+0 2
21 Eric Camilli 101+0+0 1
22 Roope Korhonen 101+0+0 1
– Hayden Paddon 110+0+0 –
– Dani Sordo –
Pos. Driver MON
 SWE
 KEN
 CRO
 ESP
 POR
 JPN
 GRE
 EST
 FIN
 PAR
 CHL
 ITA
 SAU
 Points
Sources:[49][50]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Top 10 finish
Blue Non-top 10 finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Notes:
Main script – Final position
Text below – Points scored from overall, Sunday and the Power Stage

FIA World Rally Championship for Co-Drivers

The co-driver who records a points-scoring classification would be taken into account for the championship regardless of the categories.

Pos. Co-driver MON
 SWE
 KEN
 CRO
 ESP
 POR
 JPN
 GRE
 EST
 FIN
 PAR
 CHL
 ITA
 SAU
 Points
1 Scott Martin 217+4+5 125+5+4 130+3+3 66
2 Elliott Edmondson 125+1+4 412+3+2 101+5+5 58
3 Aaron Johnston 76+0+0 217+4+3 125+0+0 55
4 Alexandre Coria 412+3+2 510+1+0 217+1+1 47
5 Marko Salminen Ret0+0+0 315+2+0 315+0+0 32
6 Vincent Landais 315+0+3 110+4+4 26
7 Martijn Wydaeghe 510+0+0 76+0+5 120+2+2 25
8 Enni Mälkönen 68+0+1 412+0+0 21
9 Jakko Viilo 510+0+0 10
10 Guillaume Mercoiret 68+0+0 8
11 Jonas Andersson 68+0+0 8
12 Marcelo Der Ohannesian 76+0+0 6
13 Arnaud Dunand 180+5+1 6
14 Shane Byrne Ret0+0+0 84+0+0 150+0+0 4
15 Luca Guglielmetti 84+0+0 4
16 Jørn Listerud 84+0+0 4
17 Eoin Treacy Ret0+0+0 92+0+0 Ret0+0+0 2
18 Bastien Pouget 92+0+0 2
19 Alessandro Arnaboldi 310+2+0 160+0+0 2
20 Thibault de la Haye 101+0+0 1
21 Anssi Viinikka 101+0+0 1
– John Kennard 110+0+0 –
– Cándido Carrera –
Pos. Co-driver MON
 SWE
 KEN
 CRO
 ESP
 POR
 JPN
 GRE
 EST
 FIN
 PAR
 CHL
 ITA
 SAU
 Points
Sources:[49][50]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Top 10 finish
Blue Non-top 10 finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Notes:
Main script – Final position
Text below – Points scored from overall, Sunday and the Power Stage

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers

Only the best two results of each manufacturer in the respective overall classification by the end of each rally, accumulated position of all Sunday stages and Power Stage at each rally are taken into account for the championship.

Pos. Manufacturer MON
 SWE
 KEN
 CRO
 ESP
 POR
 JPN
 GRE
 EST
 FIN
 PAR
 CHL
 ITA
 SAU
 Points
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 125+4+3 125+5+4 412+5+5 157
217+5+5 217+4+3 510+4+4
NC0+0+0 NC0+0+0 NC0+0+0
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 315+4+2 412+2+0 125+2+1 114
412+2+0 510+0+1 315+0+0
NC0+0+0 NC0+1+5 NC0+3+2
3 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Ret0+0+0 315+3+0 217+0+0 35
4 M-Sport Ford WRT Ret0+0+0 68+0+0 68+1+0 23
Ret0+0+0 76+0+0 Ret0+0+0
Pos. Manufacturer MON
 SWE
 KEN
 CRO
 ESP
 POR
 JPN
 GRE
 EST
 FIN
 PAR
 CHL
 ITA
 SAU
 Points
Sources:[49][50]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Top 10 finish
Blue Non-top 10 finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Notes:
Main script – Final position
Text below – Points scored from overall, Sunday and the Power Stage

Notes

  1. ^ The Monte Carlo Rally is run on a tarmac and snow surface.

References

  1. ^ "Itinerary Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Itinerary Rally Sweden 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Itinerary Safari Rally Kenya 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Itinerary Croatia Rally 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Itinerary Rally Islas Canarias – Rally of Spain 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Itinerary Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Itinerary EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Itinerary Secto Rally Finland 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  9. ^ "2026 FIA World Rally Championship calendar revealed". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  10. ^ "FIA World Motor Sport Council approves 2026 WRC Calendar". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  11. ^ Howard, Tom (15 November 2024). "Croatia strikes new deal to rejoin WRC in 2026". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  12. ^ Heinonen, Toni (12 December 2025). "Croatia's WRC rally set for a complete overhaul". rallyjournal.com. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  13. ^ Barry, Luke (31 July 2025). "WRC 2026 calendar confirmed". DirtFish. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  14. ^ "A New Chapter for EKO Acropolis Rally Greece: Loutraki to host the 2026 edition". Acropolis Rally. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  15. ^ Howard, Tom (31 July 2025). "Hyundai's WRC future confirmed for 2026 season". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  16. ^ Bowen, James (6 December 2023). "Hankook to become WRC tire supplier from 2025". DirtFish. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Entry list Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  18. ^ a b "Entry list Rally Sweden 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  19. ^ a b "Entry list Safari Rally Kenya 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  20. ^ a b "Entry list Croatia Rally 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Armstrong steps up to Rally1 as M-Sport confirms 2026 line-up". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  22. ^ Barry, Luke (17 December 2025). "Armstrong gets Rally1 call up at M-Sport for 2026". DirtFish. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  23. ^ Barry, Luke (19 December 2025). "Munster gets Rally1 drive for Monte Carlo". DirtFish. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  24. ^ Barry, Luke (16 January 2026). "Sesks remains in WRC with M-Sport in 2026". DirtFish. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  25. ^ "Paddon back in WRC as Hyundai confirm five-driver 2026 line-up". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  26. ^ Barry, Luke (5 December 2025). "Paddon, Lappi, Sordo trio replace Tänak at Hyundai". DirtFish. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  27. ^ Evans, David (5 December 2025). "How Paddon's "unheard of" WRC return happened". DirtFish. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  28. ^ Howard, Tom (5 December 2025). "Hayden Paddon, Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo join Hyundai 2026 WRC line-up". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  29. ^ "Tänak announces indefinite break from WRC". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 9 November 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  30. ^ "Solberg steps up as Toyota confirms five-car 2026 line-up". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 10 November 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  31. ^ Barry, Luke (29 November 2025). "Ogier confirms he'll do 10 WRC rounds in 2026". DirtFish. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  32. ^ "Kalle Rovanperä takes on exciting new challenge with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in 2026". Toyota Gazoo Racing. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  33. ^ Howard, Tom (9 October 2025). "The motivation behind Rovanpera's switch from rally to single-seaters". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  34. ^ Barry, Luke (10 November 2025). "Solberg earns full-time Rally1 seat with Toyota". DirtFish. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  35. ^ Howard, Tom (25 November 2025). "Rest periods will be mandatory in the 2026 WRC season". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  36. ^ Barry, Luke (25 November 2025). "WRC to introduce mandatory rest hours in 2026". DirtFish. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  37. ^ Barry, Luke (26 January 2025). "M-Sport's 24-year points-scoring run ends in Monte Carlo". DirtFish. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  38. ^ "Pelamourgues Powers to WRC3 Glory". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 26 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  39. ^ "Evans takes charge as Rally Sweden battle intensifies". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 15 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  40. ^ "Katsuta makes history with maiden WRC victory at Safari Rally Kenya". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  41. ^ Howard, Tom (25 January 2026). "WRC Monte Carlo: Solberg dominates 'proper Monte' to claim sensational win". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  42. ^ "Final results Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  43. ^ Howard, Tom (15 February 2026). "WRC Sweden: Evans storms to victory as Toyota scores 1–2–3–4". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  44. ^ "Final results Rally Sweden 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  45. ^ Howard, Tom (15 March 2026). "WRC Safari Rally Kenya: Katsuta scores maiden WRC win in brutal Safari". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  46. ^ "Final results Safari Rally Kenya 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  47. ^ Howard, Tom (12 December 2024). "FIA reveals 2027 WRC regulations, new points system for 2025". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  48. ^ Evans, David (12 December 2024). "WRC points system revamped for 2025". DirtFish. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  49. ^ a b c "Standings". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  50. ^ a b c "Results & Standings". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
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