The 2026 World Rally Championship will finish one round earlier than planned after the FIA and WRC Promoter confirmed that Rally Saudi Arabia will no longer form part of this year’s WRC calendar.
Rally Italia Sardegna, running from 1–4 October, will therefore become the 13th and final round of the season. The change turns an already tight title fight into a single-event showdown, with Welshman Elfyn Evans carrying a 17-point championship lead into Sardinia.
Saudi Arabia removed from the 2026 WRC calendar
The FIA confirmed on Thursday that ongoing regional developments and their effect on logistical arrangements mean the WRC element of Rally Saudi Arabia cannot proceed in 2026.
The governing body and WRC Promoter said they had worked with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, the local organising team and championship stakeholders in an effort to keep the event on the calendar.
Importantly, the announcement does not mean Rally Saudi Arabia itself has been cancelled. The event is still due to run from 11–14 November as part of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, but it will no longer count towards the World Rally Championship.
The revised WRC calendar will comprise 13 rounds across four continents. The change remains subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Sardinia is now the championship decider
For the title contenders, the consequences are immediate. There is no longer a second opportunity in Saudi Arabia to recover lost ground.
Evans heads to Sardinia leading the drivers’ championship on 230 points. Sami Pajari sits second on 213, while Oliver Solberg is third on 209. That leaves Pajari 17 points behind Evans and Solberg 21 points adrift, according to the official FIA championship standings.
With a maximum of 35 points available from the final rally under the current scoring system, all three remain in contention. But the shortened calendar has dramatically compressed the battle: every stage, every Sunday point and every Power Stage position in Sardinia now carries championship-level consequences.
The arithmetic has done the job already. Sardinia is now the only place left to settle it.
Elfyn Evans has another shot at the title
For Evans, Sardinia represents another opportunity to finally convert years of front-running WRC form into a first drivers’ world championship.
The Welshman has finished runner-up in the championship five times, repeatedly putting himself within reach of rallying’s biggest prize without taking the crown. This time he arrives at the finale as the championship leader rather than the hunter.
Evans has built his 2026 campaign around consistency as much as outright victories. Wins in Sweden and Japan have been backed by enough points across a demanding season to keep the Toyota driver at the top of the standings after Rally Chile.
Pajari’s breakthrough season has kept the pressure firmly on, however. The Finn’s victories in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay helped transform him into a genuine championship challenger, while Solberg’s Rally Chile victory kept his own title hopes alive heading into the final round.
That leaves Evans with an advantage, but certainly not enough of one to approach Sardinia conservatively from the opening stage. The revised calendar has removed an entire rally from the equation, not the threat posed by the two drivers behind him.
A chance to join McRae and Burns
The British motorsport significance is considerable. If Evans secures the championship, he would become Britain’s third WRC drivers’ world champion.
Colin McRae became Britain’s first when he won the title in 1995, before Richard Burns claimed the championship in 2001. Evans now has the opportunity to add his name to that short list 25 years after Burns’ triumph.
It would also end Evans’ run of near misses. Five runner-up finishes underline both how consistently he has operated at the sharp end of the championship and how difficult the final step has proved.
One rally, three title contenders
Sardinia’s gravel stages were already set to play an important role in the championship. They now carry the full weight of deciding it.
The WRC Promoter’s announcement describes Sardinia’s demanding gravel roads as the setting for the conclusion of the title fight. The character of the rally means the contenders will have to balance outright pace against the risk of punctures, damage and lost time.
Evans starts with the points advantage. Pajari and Solberg start with a simple requirement to take points away from him. What had been a two-rally endgame has become four days in Sardinia with nowhere left to recover afterwards.
Tech Torque Verdict
Removing Rally Saudi Arabia from the WRC calendar fundamentally changes the shape of the 2026 championship finish. Instead of Sardinia setting up a November finale, it now has to settle everything.
For Evans, the equation is clearer but the pressure is greater. He has a 17-point cushion over Pajari, a 21-point advantage over Solberg and one rally remaining to turn another championship challenge into the title that has eluded him.
After five runner-up finishes, there will be no Saudi Arabia safety net this time. The 2026 World Rally Championship ends in Sardinia.
