WRC Expands to 15 Rounds in 2027 With U.S. and U.K. Returns

The FIA World Rally Championship will expand to 15 rounds in 2027, bringing the series back to the United States and United Kingdom while moving Rally d’Italia to Rome. The FIA confirmed the calendar on October 8 after approval by the World Motor Sport Council.

Rally US returns after nearly four decades

Rally US is scheduled for August 26–29, 2027. It will be the championship’s first U.S. round since 1988 and follows a candidate event held in Kentucky and Tennessee in June 2026.

The FIA uses candidate events to assess sporting, safety and operational readiness before adding a rally to the world championship. That makes the U.S. date more than a promotional stop: organizers had to demonstrate that the proposed event could meet championship standards.

Scotland and Rome join the calendar

Rally Scotland will run September 30–October 3 from a base in Aberdeen, returning the WRC to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2019. Motorsport UK developed the event following its own candidate program.

Rally d’Italia will move into the world championship from the European Rally Championship and is scheduled for July 8–11. The tarmac event will combine stages in the Lazio region with a high-profile setting in Rome.

The full season spans five continents

The season opens with Rallye Monte-Carlo on January 21–24, followed by Sweden and Kenya. Croatia, the Canary Islands and Japan form three consecutive tarmac rounds before the summer gravel events. After the U.S. and Scotland, the championship goes to Paraguay and Chile, then concludes in Saudi Arabia on November 25–28.

The FIA says the 15 rallies cover five continents and 16 countries. The difference between the rally count and country count reflects events whose routes or identity extend across more than one national setting.

A new technical era begins with WRC27

The expanded calendar coincides with the WRC27 technical rules. Manufacturers and independent tuners will be able to design and homologate cars, and the FIA has capped the price of a ready-to-compete car in tarmac specification at €345,000. The goal is to reduce costs and broaden participation.

Ford has separately confirmed a full factory return from 2028, with its new WRC27-based Rally1 car due to compete in 2029. Toyota and independent projects are also committed to the new framework.

For more racing coverage, see Chiefs Review’s previews of the 2026 Nürburgring NLS finale and Corvette Racing’s 2027 IMSA GTD PRO lineup.

Sources and image credit

Primary source: FIA calendar announcement, October 8, 2026. Featured image: official FIA 2027 WRC calendar graphic supplied with the announcement.