From 1–4 October, the FIA World Rally Championship returns to the Coral Coast for the tenth time. The event organised by the Automobile Club d’Italia will be the penultimate round of the season and the final European stop. Alghero will host the rally headquarters, with the Service Park on Lungomare Barcellona. Fans will also have the last chance to see Rally1 cars in action in Europe.

Alghero (SS), 11 February 2025 – The 2026 edition of Rally Italia Sardegna will take place from 1 to 4 October, with Alghero as the event base. Organised by the Automobile Club d’Italia with the support of the Regione Sardegna, the rally will be the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship and the final European event on the calendar.

It will mark the return of WRC to the Riviera del Corallo at such an advanced point in the season, following the 2020 edition also run in autumn in the Catalan city under Covid restrictions. This year, the move back to Alghero comes as part of the rotation with Olbia, which hosted last year’s edition.

The 23rd running of the event will also represent a symbolic milestone for Alghero, which will host Rally Italia Sardegna for the tenth time as rally headquarters. A tradition that began in 2014 and has grown over the years, with a striking setting: the finish ceremony beneath the bastions and the Service Park just steps from the sea on Lungomare Barcellona.

The autumn slot will be the fourth in the rally’s history. The inaugural 2004 edition was held in Olbia on the very same dates, followed by 2012 and, again, 2020. A return that echoes key chapters of Italian rallying tradition, while offering a fresh and evocative view of Sardinia.

The 2026 route will therefore be subject to a targeted revision, retaining the rally’s most representative sections on the island while meeting the logistical requirements linked to the Alghero base. The special stages could prove decisive in the title fight, in a technical context made more demanding by autumn conditions and potentially variable weather. For fans, it will also be the last opportunity to see Rally1 cars in action in Europe, as from 2027 the championship’s technical regulations will introduce a new top-category car concept.

Full details of the sporting programme and the accompanying events will be announced in the coming weeks via the official website rallyitaliasardegna.com and the rally’s official channels.