WRC title to be settled in Sardinia after Saudi finale is dropped

The World Rally Championship will crown its 2026 champion in Sardinia, not Saudi Arabia.

The final round has been switched from Jeddah to Italy because of ongoing unrest in the Middle East, organisers confirmed. It means the title race ends a month early and a round short.

Jeddah was due to host the 14th and last rally of the season on 11-14 November. That date is now off the WRC calendar, according to BBC Sport. The season will instead finish with Rally Italia on the gravel tracks of Sardinia on 1-4 October, cutting the championship to 13 rounds.

The rally championship is a series of separate events on closed roads, from gravel and snow to tarmac. Drivers and co-drivers score points at each round, and the highest total at the end of the year wins.

The FIA, world motorsport's governing body, said Saudi Arabia remained ready to host the event safely. It attributed the move to ongoing uncertainty in the region and the effect on logistical arrangements.

The decision followed pressure from the teams. Toyota and Hyundai had told the FIA and WRC Promoter they were unable to travel to Rally Saudi Arabia as the situation stood, DirtFish reported on 4 September.

That leaves a straight fight for the drivers' crown. Elfyn Evans goes into Sardinia 17 points clear of Sami Pajari. With a maximum of 35 points available across the final weekend, both can still win it.

Rally Saudi Arabia only joined the WRC in Jeddah in 2025. It was announced as part of a 10-year agreement to bring the championship to the country, Reuters reported at the time. The rally will still run on its planned November dates, but as a Middle East Rally Championship event rather than a WRC round.

For fans, this means a very different test to settle the year. Sardinia is fast, narrow and rough on tyres. Jeddah would have been new territory. Now local knowledge, dust and rock-strewn stages will decide who lifts the trophy.