Rally Finland celebrates its 75th edition with an itinerary that features significant changes compared to last year. Iconic stages like Ruuhimäki, Myhinpää and Ouninpohja are absent from the rally, with Himos returning as the only stage on Sunday. It's the first time Rally Finland will not include any roads used in the Ouninpohja stage since 2010.

Rally Estonia features a shorter format, with the rally proper starting on Friday afternoon. The organisers have still managed to exceed the 300 competitive kilometer mark, with mostly identical stages to last year.

Τhe Acropolis Rally returns to the Peloponnese for its 70th running, with the rally's base being in Loutraki. Most of the rally's route is new, with only one stage remaining unchanged compared to 2025. The event organisers will make use of a ferry boat to take the cars from Corinth to Itea on Thursday night.

Rally Japan plays host to the last tarmac rally of the 2026 WRC Season and the Rally1 era, featuring twisty and technical stages in the region of Aichi. This year's route has seen some minor changes compared to the previous edition.

In what is set to be the last edition of Rally Portugal in Matosinhos for the time being, the 2026 edition of the event features an itinerary with similar locations as last year, reshuffled between different days compared to 2025. Two "proper" stages will be run on Thursday as a direct response to the drivers' comments from last year's Friday leg. 

The 2026 edition of Rally Islas Canarias marks the 50th running of the event. The island rally features high-speed stages on a smooth tarmac surface, and it's the closest thing the championship has to circuit racing. Extreme weather conditions a few weeks before the event forced the organisers to change the itinerary slightly.

The Croatia Rally returns to the WRC calendar, and sees its route change. The event is now based in the Grobnik Circuit close to Rijeka, not Zagreb. Instead, Friday takes place entirely in Istria, using stages last used before the event's inclusion in the WRC. There are no shared stages between the 2025 ERC edition and this year's event.

The WRC's only round in Africa sees a revamped, shortened itinerary for 2026. In order to shave off some lengthy liasion sections, the Ceremonial Start in Nairobi has been dropped, as has the twin-car SSS in Kasarani. Most of the rally's stages have been shortened, including Sleeping Warrior. At 350.84km this is the shortest edition of the event since 2021. 

Rally Sweden is the only true snow rally of the WRC calendar. This year's itinerary features no new stages, but still, 35% of the route is new compared to 2025 thanks to stages being run in the opposite direction.

The 2026 WRC season opener features an exciting new itinerary, with over 70% of the route being new for this year. The event makes its way back to Monte-Carlo from Gap on Saturday now instead of Sunday, with the day capped off by a run of a Super Special in Monaco, which uses parts of the Grand Prix Circuit.