World Rally Championship Moves Its Final Round From Saudi Arabia to Italy

The final round of the 2026 World Rally Championship will be held in Italy rather than Saudi Arabia, BBC Sport reported on Thursday, attributing the change to ongoing unrest in the Middle East. The switch moves the season's deciding event back into Europe at short notice.

BBC Sport's report does not name the Italian venue that will host the finale, nor does it set out the terms of the relocation. What it states plainly is the reason: the championship's organisers have judged the Middle East unsuitable for the closing round at this point in the season.

The change lands on a calendar that has spent recent years expanding into the Gulf, and it hands the championship's last weekend of 2026 to a European host instead. For Italy, the consequence is a world-title decider on home ground, arriving through circumstances the sport did not choose.