The FIM and ASO announce the 2026 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship Calendar – fifth W2RC season set for five rounds including Dakar and a return to South America with Desafio Ruta 40.

 

2026 W2RC calendar (details below):

  • January 03-17 Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia
  • March 17-22 BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal
  • May 24-29 Desafio Ruta 40 Argentina
  • September 28 - October 03 Rallye du Maroc Morocco
  • November 22-27 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge United Arab Emirates

Saudi curtain-raiser

The traditional opener of the W2RC since 2022, the Dakar, has the same honour in 2026. The 48th edition of the legendary rally raid will run a clockwise race from said to include less dunes next year with no trek to the vast Empty Quarter, from January 3 to 17.

The W2RC convoy then moves Europe and the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, the event created specifically for the championship in 2024 is the sole European round on the 2025 calendar and will switch to Spring in Iberia from March 17-22.

Argentina Redux

The promoter wished to alternate between the South African Safari Rally, which just happened in May 2025, and the Desafío Ruta 40. The Argentinian event, part of the 2023 and 2024 W2RC series, will return in 2026 with its 13th edition of the rally between 24 and 29 May as the third round out of five.

Abu Dhabi and Maroc change dates

The 2026 W2RC season will feature the Rallye du Maroc but not in its usual position as a) the season finale or b) as the traditional last race before Dakar. Rallye du Maroc will run from September 28 to October 3.

The W2RC season will instead conclude at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for the first time. Traditionally positioned right after the Dakar, ADDC has been moved to a new slot between 22 and 27 November due to Ramadan falling in February and March next year.

David Castera, Motor Sports Director at Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO, the promoter of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship), says: “The rotation we sketched out last year will come into play in 2026, as we head back to Argentina following a jaw-dropping edition of the South African Safari Rally. It was a ringing success.

“We expect the race to return the season after that because we would like to alternate between these two fantastic events.

“ The iconic Dakar, Rallye du Maroc and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge are the foundation of the world championship together with the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, created in 2024. We are really pleased with the calendar for the fifth season, which sets the stage for a gripping championship. The launch of the Stock category will draw new manufacturers such as Toyota and Defender.”

FIM President Jorge Viegas added about the new season: “There is no doubt in my mind that the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship is one of the most competitive championships under the FIM flag.

“I am pleased to see that the quad category will be included in all the rounds except the Dakar Rally, and that the full championship will visit four continents in 2026.

“Each year the series is attracting more teams, which is very positive for the future, and is just one of the reasons that the W2RC is becoming increasingly competitive, which I was able to witness first-hand at the Dakar Rally and the South African Safari Rally this season.”

 

The 2026 season continues with the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal from September 22 to 28 before the Rallye du Maroc from October 10 to 17.