The World Rally Championship (WRC) will feature 15 rounds in 2027, with the calendar highlighted by the return of the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the addition of a new Italian round.
The biggest newcomer is Rally USA, with the championship returning to the United States for the first time since 1988.
The United Kingdom will also return, as previously announced. The event will be based not in Wales, but in Scotland. Organised from Aberdeen, it will be the first British WRC round since 2019.
Rally Rome will also make the step up from the European Rally Championship (ERC) to the WRC. The asphalt event will feature stages in the Lazio region, with Rome providing the backdrop, and will replace Rally Sardinia as Italy’s WRC round.
Second half of the season features seven consecutive gravel rallies
The remainder of the calendar features a number of familiar names. The season will begin, as usual, with Rallye Monte-Carlo from 21 to 24 January, followed by Rally Sweden and Safari Rally Kenya. Three consecutive asphalt rallies will then take place in Croatia, the Canary Islands and Japan.
After Japan, the championship returns to Europe for the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Rally Rome will then host the eighth of the 15 rounds and the final asphalt event of the season.
The remaining seven rounds will all be held on gravel. The gravel season begins with a double-header in Estonia and Finland, with just three days between the finish in Estonia and the start in Finland.
The two other new additions will also be held back-to-back, with the USA followed by Scotland, before the championship heads to South America for the rallies in Paraguay and Chile. (Article continues after the photo.)
Paraguay and Chile will therefore again be held back-to-back, as they were this year, but changes to the calendar mean both events will take place almost two months later than in 2026.
Rally Saudi Arabia, which was cancelled from the 2026 season, will bring the championship to a close from 25 to 28 November.
The notable omission from the calendar is the hugely popular Rally Portugal. The Portuguese organisers have said they are already in discussion with the new owners of WRC Promoter with a view to returning to the calendar in 2028.
2027 will be a pivotal year for the World Rally Championship, with the technical regulations undergoing a major overhaul. The WRC27 regulations introduce a constructors’ championship, aim to reduce costs and make participation more attractive to both manufacturers and independent constructors.
WRC 2027 calendar
Photos: Toyota GAZOO Racing, M-Sport
