The long-awaited return of Rally Ireland to the World Rally Championship could be drawing to a close as the event may be returning in 2026.
Talks around a comeback of Rally Ireland to the WRC have already taken place and have been promising ahead of a potential return.
Rally Ireland has been absent from the calendar since 2009 when Sebastien Loeb won the event in the Frenchmen’s Citroen C4.
The Irish round of the WRC was only part of the calendar twice in 2007 and 2009, with Loeb winning both events.
Rally Ireland could return to the World Rally Championship in 2026
Rally Ireland was originally scheduled to make a return for the 2025 season, but the event won’t happen next year due to funding issues.
Despite the setback, Motorsport Ireland is still pushing for the event to return after a 15-year absence from the World Rally Championship.
The championship’s event director, Simon Larkin, has also now said that the Irish government is positive about the chances of Rally Ireland making its comeback soon.
Larkin told BlackBook Motorsport: “I’m hoping it’s going to happen. I was in Killarney 10 days ago meeting with the government. They’re pretty confident that we’ll be able to tick that box.”
The return of the highest level of rallying to Ireland would represent a sizeable step forward in the nation’s developing presence in motorsport.
Alongside a potential world rally event, they also have a promising young driver in Alex Dunne. The 18-year-old is currently racing in FIA Formula 3 in 2024 and is also backed by McLaren.
An event in the US is also a possibility in 2026
The 2025 World Rally Championship calendar will be the longest in nearly 20 years with 14 events making up the schedule.
Paraguay, Saudi Arabia and Spain are all joining the calendar, and Larkin is confident that a WRC event in the US is going to take place in 2026, and he said it “will happen.”
Larkin explained that the championship has great connections with multiple venues in the United States. He continued: “We have a great relationship with Tennessee, with Chattanooga [and] with Nashville and there is significant support coming from there.”
There are also ongoing talks with a naming rights partner as the WRC prepares to hold a rally in the United States in two years’ time.