2026 European Rally Championship

The 2026 FIA European Rally Championship is due to be the 74th season of the European Rally Championship, a European continental rallying series in rallying organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and WRC Promoter GmbH. The season was also the thirteenth following the merge between the European Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Mikołaj Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk are the reigning European drivers' and co-drivers' champions.

Categories

  • FIA European Championship for Drivers, Co-Drivers and Teams: Main open championship for all current FIA-homologated cars within sporting classes RC2 to RC5, with Rally2 cars the leading contenders. A team may nominate a maximum of three cars (from all categories) for the teams' championship, with the two highest-placed cars counting for points.
  • FIA ERC3 for Drivers and Co-Drivers: Second tier, specifically for the Rally3 class.
  • FIA ERC4 for Drivers and Co-Drivers: Third tier, meant for front-wheel-drive cars. Allows Rally4, Rally5 and Rally6 cars.
  • FIA Junior ERC: For drivers aged 27 and under on 1 January 2026 in Rally4 and Rally5 cars.
  • FIA Master ERC: for drivers over the age of 50 at the start of the season.
  • FIA ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy: For crews driving the Ford Fiesta Rally3. The winner of the trophy will get a funded prize drive with the Ford Fiesta Rally2 at the 2026 Rali Ceredigion.
  • FIA Tyre Suppliers' Trophy: A nominated tyre supplier may score points with the two best placed Rally2 cars registered in ERC.

Calendar

The 2026 season is due to be contested over seven rounds across Central, Northern, Western and Southern Europe.

Round Start date Finish date Rally Rally headquarters Surface Stages Distance Ref.
1 17 April 19 April Andalucía Rally - Sierra Morena - Córdoba World Heritage Site Córdoba, Andalucia, Spain Tarmac 13 203.80 km [1]
2 22 May 24 May Royal Rally of Scandinavia Karlstad, Värmland County, Sweden Gravel TBA TBA
3 3 July 5 July Rally di Roma Capitale Rome, Lazio, Italy Tarmac TBA TBA
4 24 July 26 July Rally Poland Katowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland Tarmac TBA TBA
5 14 August 16 August Barum Czech Rally Zlín Zlín, Zlín Region, Czechia Tarmac TBA TBA
6 4 September 6 September Rali Ceredigion Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales Tarmac TBA TBA
7 23 October 25 October Rally Five Cities North of Portugal Fafe, Braga, Portugal Gravel TBA TBA
Sources:[2][3]

The following round was included on the original calendar published by WRC Promoter GmbH, but was later cancelled:

Start date Finish date Rally Rally headquarters Surface Stages Distance Cancellation reason Ref.
20 March 22 March Rally Hungary Veszprém, Veszprém County, Hungary Gravel N/a N/a Financial issues [4][5]

Calendar changes

  • The Rally Hungary was set to be the season opener, however it was later cancelled reportedly due to financial issues. The Rally Sierra Morena, renamed as Andalucía Rally - Sierra Morena - Córdoba World Heritage Site replaced it as the first round of the season.
  • The Rally di Roma Capitale moved its headquarters from Fiuggi to Rome, ahead of the event joining the WRC in 2027.
  • The Rally Poland also moved its headquarters from Mikołajki to Katowice, which hosted Rally Silesia in 2024. This also marked the event surface changing from gravel to tarmac for the first time since 2004.
  • The Rally Five Cities North of Portugal joined the calendar, replacing the Croatia Rally as the season finale.

References

  1. ^ "Itinerary Andalucía Rally - Sierra Morena - Córdoba World Heritage Site 2026". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Seven up for ERC in 2026". fiaerc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  3. ^ "FIA comfirms 2026 FIA European Rally Championship calendar". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Revved and refreshed 2026 ERC Calendar revealed". fiaerc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 16 October 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  5. ^ "ERC loses its season opener, Rally Hungary". dirtfish.com. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
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