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The WRC element of Rally Saudi Arabia has been removed from the 2026 championship because of regional uncertainty and its effect on logistics. Rally Italia Sardegna, from 1 to 4 October, is now the 13th and final round, subject to FIA World Motor Sport Council approval.
Photograph: Rally Saudi Arabia event materialThe 2026 World Rally Championship will finish in Sardinia. The FIA and WRC Promoter have confirmed that the WRC element of Rally Saudi Arabia will not proceed this year, leaving Rally Italia Sardegna as the 13th and final round from 1 to 4 October.
The decision is about the championship element of the Saudi event. Rally Saudi Arabia will still run from 12 to 15 November as part of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. The official statement says ongoing uncertainty in the region and its effect on logistical arrangements made it necessary to remove the WRC element, while also stressing that Saudi Arabia remains a valued partner and a possible WRC destination in 2027.
The change cuts the maximum points still available from 70 to 35. Elfyn Evans therefore arrives in Sardinia with a 17 point advantage over Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari. Oliver Solberg is third, 21 points behind Evans, which keeps the title picture open while moving the centre of pressure onto one gravel weekend.
The numbers are simple, though the driving question is more complicated. Evans needs to protect a lead on roads that punish a crew which loses rhythm. Pajari must turn his recent speed into a complete final round. Solberg remains close enough to make every stage result matter, particularly if the points leaders encounter trouble.
Rally Italia Sardegna was already one of the championship’s most demanding gravel events. The roads around Alghero combine narrow technical sections with rough edges, loose stones and a surface that changes as the field passes. The revised calendar gives those roads the role of season finale, so tyre calls, road order and Saturday service work will carry the weight that would previously have been shared with Jeddah.
Toyota has already secured its sixth consecutive manufacturers title, which changes the team’s wider calculation without reducing the importance of the drivers’ fight. The manufacturer can celebrate one achievement while asking its crews to manage three very different personal objectives at the final round.
The Saudi event is still scheduled as a Middle East Rally Championship rally in November. That preserves the local and regional sporting programme and gives the organisers a route towards the planned return of the WRC element. The distinction matters for fans reading old calendars or programme graphics. Saudi remains a rally date. It is no longer the 2026 WRC finale.
ViPeople will treat the Sardinia event as the championship’s next and final WRC round, and will keep the Saudi MERC event in the calendar only with its separate status. The official FIA and WRC notices remain the authority if the World Motor Sport Council changes the calendar approval position.
A 17 point lead can look comfortable until the rally is reduced to one event and 35 points. Evans has the advantage earned across the season. Pajari has the momentum of a driver who has repeatedly converted speed into results. Solberg has the recent victory that revived his own charge. Sardinia will decide which of those three stories reaches the final control with the strongest shape.
