Motor racing’s World Rally Championship (WRC), the rally classification’s elite series, has confirmed that it will return to the US next year, through the revelation of its 2027 calendar.
The 15-race season, expanded from 13 events in the recent 2026 campaign, will bring both the US and the UK back into the fold after long absences, while returning to more familiar locations.
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The first five legs of the season will remain the same as the 2026 season.
It will begin on January 21 with the traditional opener, the Monte-Carlo Rally in Monaco, which has kicked off every WRC campaign since 1973, bar a three-race period from 2009 to 2011 when it was staged on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge circuit instead.
From there, the series will move on to Sweden (February 18 to 21), Kenya (March 18 to 21), Croatia (April 8 to 11), and then Spain (May 6 to 9).
The Japanese stage (June 3 to 6) then moves up to the sixth slot on the calendar.
A European swing will follow the Japan race, with Greece (June 24 to 27) followed by a relocated event in Italy (July 8-11), which is now in the Lazio region near Rome, an iconic location that the WRC says will bring “new opportunities."
Stalwart races in Estonia (July 22 to 25), and Finland (July 29 to August 1) will follow before the two new additions to the calendar.
The US Rally will return to the WRC circuit for the first time since 1988 when it takes place from August 26 to 29.
Commercially, WRC claims that the return of the event validates the series’ international growth strategy and provides a prominent platform for US-based sponsors and partners such as Ford, one of the series’ manufacturers.
Following that will be the UK event, hosted in Scotland from September 30 through October 3, which returns for the first time since 2019.
After that will be a South American double-header in Paraguay (October 21 to 24) and Chile (November 4 to 7), before the season-ending event in Saudi Arabia (November 25 to 28.
Saudi Arabia was supposed to end the 2026 campaign, but the ongoing conflict in the Middle East region, sparked by the US and Israel’s strikes against Iran earlier this year, meant that WRC instead ended with the Italy rally.
On the new additions, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA motorsport governing body, commented: “The 2027 FIA World Rally Championship calendar reflects the strong momentum behind the WRC, with new events in the United Kingdom and Italy strengthening the Championship in countries with a proud rallying heritage, while the United States gives us an exciting opportunity to grow in a country where interest in rallying continues to rise.
“With the introduction of the WRC27 technical regulations, a new promoter thanks to the deal of the century that will bring long-term investment and ambition to the championship, and a strong global calendar, the future of rallying is extremely bright.”
The 2027 edition will be the first under the WRC’s new promotional agreement, after August saw French automotive group Cosmobilis and private credit investor Park Square Capital secure commercial rights to the series, alongside the European Rally Championships, in a landmark deal with the sport’s FIA governing body.
The long-term agreement comes after the pair acquired Munich-based WRC Promoter, which has held commercial rights to the WRC since 2013.
With the announcement of the 2027 calendar, WRC Promoter chief executive Eric Boullier said: “2027 represents the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the World Rally Championship, and this calendar reflects our ambition to build a stronger, more accessible and truly global championship.
“Returning to the United States and United Kingdom, alongside bringing the WRC to an iconic destination such as Rome, creates tremendous opportunities for our manufacturers, commercial partners and fans.
“Combined with the introduction of new technical regulations, we have a unique opportunity to shape the future of the WRC, attract new investment and bring the excitement of rallying to more people around the world.”
