14 rounds make up 2025 FIA World Rally Championship calendar, including three new events in the Canary Islands, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia.
The start of the season has a familiar look and feel about it with Monte Carlo, Sweden and Safari Rally in Kenya getting the year off to a spectacular start with three distinctly varied surfaces; the unpredictable Monte which can vary from dry tarmac to black ice, while snow levels in Sweden are as unpredictable but having moved north to Umea, there was enough of the white stuff for a thoroughbred winter rally.
Kenya can also go anywhere on the weather charts, but the stunning African scenery and wildlife make Safari a unique albeit very demanding event.
The first of the new events, the Spanish Rally Islas Canarias (Canary Islands) is very popular amongst the FIA European Rally Championship contingent offering largely smooth tarmac and beautiful scenery before heading to a few of the older, established and favourite events: Portugal, Sardegna Rally Italia and the tough-as-nails Rally Greece.
The summer will see just two fast and furious rallies next year with Estonia returning the calendar and the famous and popular Rally Finland.
Its then off to South America for back to back rallies – debutant Rally de Paraguay and rally-mad Chile just ten days later. There’s a month’s break after the South American events to say farewell to Europe for another season with Central European Rally before two long-haul events round out the season.
Japan in the first week of November followed by the final debut event of the season in Saudi Arabia. In late November where each of the three days will provide its own distinct terrain.
And that leaves just two months until the start of the 2026 season in Monte Carlo in late January…
“This is a hugely exciting calendar which perfectly blends our traditional rallies with three exciting new challenges, two of which are outside of Europe, highlighting once again the global appeal of our championship,” commented WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel.
He continued: “From the ice in the French Alps, knee-deep snow in Sweden, blinding dust in Kenya and Sardinia, high-speed gravel rollercoasters in Finland and Estonia and finally deserts in Saudi Arabia – the variety we are offering in 2025 is unrivalled.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “It is fantastic to see such a full calendar of events for the 2025 WRC season. Alongside classic locations fans know and love, the introduction of new rallies in Spain, Paraguay, and Saudi Arabia adds even more excitement and reflects the global diversity of competitors and rally fans alike.”
The full calendar is:
01 Rallye Monte-Carlo 23 – 26 January
02 Rally Sweden 13 – 16 February
03 Safari Rally Kenya 20 – 23 March
04 Rally Islas Canarias 24 – 27 April
05 Vodafone Rally de Portugal 15 – 18 May
06 Rally Italia Sardegna 05 – 08 June
07 EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 26 – 29 June
08 Delfi Rally Estonia 17 – 20 July
09 Secto Rally Finland 31 July – 03 August
10 Rally del Paraguay 28 – 31 August
11 Rally Chile Bio Bío 11 – 14 September
12 Central European Rally 16 – 19 October
13 FORUM8 Rally Japan 06 – 09 November
14 Rally Saudi Arabia 27 – 30 November
