The World Rally Championship will expand to 15 rounds in 2027, with the United States and the United Kingdom returning to the schedule as the series begins a new Rally1 era.
It will be the first 15-round WRC season since 2008 and reflects growing demand from organisers to join the championship.
Three new locations have been added for 2027. Scotland will bring the WRC back to the UK for the first time since 2019, the United States returns after an absence dating back to 1988, and Italy’s round moves from Sardinia to the asphalt roads around Rome.
Safari Rally Kenya has also retained its place despite uncertainty over the event’s future, while Portugal drops off the calendar for 2027.
USA Returns After Nearly Four Decades
The WRC’s return to the United States is one of the biggest additions to the 2027 calendar.
The new gravel event will be based around Knoxville, Tennessee, with stages also running into Kentucky. The USA had been targeted for a return for several years and came close to joining the 2026 calendar before missing out.
Its 2027 inclusion gives the championship a foothold in a market the WRC has identified as strategically important for future growth.
Scotland Brings the WRC Back to the UK
The championship will also return to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2019.
Scotland has agreed a three-year deal, with the gravel rally scheduled for the end of September and beginning of October. The move restores the UK to the WRC after a long absence and adds another historic rallying market to the calendar.
Rome Replaces Sardinia as Italy’s WRC Round
Italy’s place on the calendar remains, but the character of the event changes completely. The championship will leave Sardinia’s gravel stages and move to the mainland, with Rally di Roma Capitale stepping up from the European Rally Championship.
The event will run on asphalt and moves into a summer slot in July. That creates a clear shift in the Italian round, both in surface and setting.
Safari Rally Kenya Stays
Safari Rally Kenya has retained its place despite concerns over the event’s financial and promotional structure. The 2026 edition had been the final rally under the previous agreement, while responsibility for future promotion and funding was expected to move further towards the private sector. That transition had created uncertainty over whether the rally could remain on the calendar.
A solution has now been reached, allowing Safari Rally Kenya to keep its March date.
Portugal Drops Off for 2027
Portugal is the most notable omission.
Despite organisers indicating that a potential date had been identified, the event will not feature in the 2027 championship. A return in 2028 remains possible.
Calendar Structure Changes Significantly
Monte Carlo will once again open the season, followed by Rally Sweden and Safari Rally Kenya.
The championship then moves into a run of three consecutive asphalt events in Croatia, the Canary Islands and Japan.
Acropolis Rally Greece follows in June before the final asphalt event of the season in Rome. From there, the championship switches entirely to gravel for the remaining seven rounds.
Estonia and Finland will run back-to-back, followed by the new USA round, Scotland, Paraguay, Chile and the season finale in Saudi Arabia.
That gives the second half of the season a very different rhythm, with seven consecutive gravel rallies stretching from July to late November.
2027 FIA World Rally Championship Calendar
1. Rallye Monte-Carlo (Mixed surface) — 21–24 January
2. Rally Sweden (Snow) — 18–21 February
3. Safari Rally Kenya (Gravel) — 18–21 March
4. Croatia Rally (Tarmac) — 8–11 April
5. Rally Islas Canarias (Tarmac) — 6–9 May
6. Rally Japan (Tarmac) — 3–6 June
7. Acropolis Rally Greece (Gravel) — 24–27 June
8. Rally d’Italia (Tarmac) — 8–11 July
9. Rally Estonia (Gravel) — 22–25 July
10. Rally Finland (Gravel) — 29 July–1 August
11. Rally US (Gravel) — 26–29 August
12. Rally Scotland (Gravel) — 30 September–3 October
13. Rally del Paraguay (Gravel) — 21–24 October
14. Rally Chile Biobío (Gravel) — 4–7 November
15. Rally Saudi Arabia (Gravel) — 25–28 November
The 2027 season will therefore open with familiar WRC landmarks but develop into one of the championship’s most varied calendars in years.
The return of the USA and UK adds two high-profile markets, Rome gives Italy a completely new format, and Kenya’s retention preserves one of the championship’s most recognisable events.
Combined with the incoming Rally1 regulations, the 15-round schedule gives the WRC a broader global footprint as it enters a new technical cycle.
