Calendar

2026 Calendar

2026 W2RC CALENDAR: WRITING THE 5TH CHAPTER WITH 5 ROUNDS ACROSS 4 CONTINENTS

Five rounds will make up the fifth season of the W2RC, the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship launched in 2022. The Dakar will get the show on the road in January, while the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will wrap up the season for the first time. The convoy will visit four continents, including South America, which is returning to the calendar with the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF.

CURTAIN-RAISER IN SAUDI ARABIA

The traditional opener of the W2RC since 2022, the Dakar, will inaugurate the 2026 season too. The 48^th edition of the legendary rally raid will set out to tame the tracks and deserts of Saudi Arabia from 3 to 17 January in an odyssey that promises to keep fans on the edges of their seats. Next, the convoy will set course for Europe and the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. The event, created specifically for the championship in 2024, made a terrific first impression and will be holding its third edition from 17 to 22 March. The sole European round on the calendar will mark the beginning of spring on the continent, set against the distinctive landscapes of Iberia.

ARGENTINA REDUX

The promoter wished to alternate between the South African Safari Rally, which saw the light of day in South Africa in May 2025, and the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF. A promise made is a promise kept! The Argentinian event, part of the 2023 and 2024 W2RC series, is set to make a triumphant return in 2026. The charismatic South American community will flock to the eagerly anticipated thirteenth edition of the rally between 24 and 29 May. As the third round out of five, it will mark the transition from the first to the second half of the season.

ABU DHABI THE LAST ROUND FOR THE FIRST TIME

As usual since the launch of the series in 2022, the 2026 W2RC will feature the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc. From 28 September to 3 October, Morocco will set the field on the home straight of a season that will culminate in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for the first time! The Emirati round, which has traditionally come right after the Dakar, has been moved to a new slot between 22 and 27 November due to Ramadan falling in February and March. The ADDC will become the third event to serve as the finale, after the Andalucía Rally (2022) and Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc (2023 through 2025).

2027 Calendar

W2RC 2027 : FIVE BANGERS WITH A NEW GROOVE

• The sixth season of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship will retain its five-round format, bringing together the discipline’s iconic events and more recent rallies that have progressively established themselves on the rally-raid scene.
• The championship’s five major events fall into place in a calendar that sees the Dakar open the season, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge return to its position as the second round, the South African Safari Rally make its comeback and the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal continue to build on its momentum, ahead of the Moroccan finale.
• A brand-new scheduling rhythm has been introduced for these five well-established events, carefully designed to create more breathing room between rounds.

THE ESTABLISHED EVENTS RETURN TO THEIR TRADITIONAL SLOTS
The 49th edition of the Dakar, the championship’s traditional curtain-raiser since 2022, will once again set the tone from 9 to 23 January. Exceptionally, the rally will not take place in Saudi Arabia this year, with Portugal and Morocco hosting the opening event comprising a prologue and twelve stages.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge regains its place as the second round of the season. Its 36th edition will take place in the United Arab Emirates from 21 to 26 March.
The Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc will once again serve as the championship finale, from 24 to 29 October, marking its 28th edition.

SOUTH AFRICA AND PORTUGAL AT THE HEART OF THE SEASON
The South African Safari Rally (South Africa – Botswana) takes over after giving way to the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF in Argentina in 2026, continuing the alternation between the two events. The second edition of the South African rally returns to the heart of the calendar, taking place from 14 to 19 June.
The bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, now firmly established in the championship after three consecutive editions, secures its place on the calendar for a fourth year running. The European round (Portugal – Spain) will be held as the fourth event of the season, from 21 to 26 September.

A SENSE OF TIMING
By returning after the Dakar, but slightly later than in the championship’s first four seasons, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge provides an eight-week break following the finish of the Dakar. A welcome recovery period after the most demanding event of the year.
The South African Safari Rally, held seven weeks after the conclusion of the second round, sits naturally on the maritime route to Europe, where the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal will take place three months after the South African event.
Four weeks separate the European round from the championship finale in Morocco—more than double the gap in 2025. Finally, by concluding at the end of October, the championship leaves two full months before the next major appointment: the 2028 Dakar, which will celebrate its 50th edition in Saudi Arabia.