Rome’s plan to host a round of the World Rally Championship next year has reached a milestone following the completion of a constructive candidate event last week.
The WRC announced plans to switch the location of its Italian round for 2027 last year, with the asphalt-based Rally di Roma Capitale set to take over from the gravel stages of Sardinia.
Sardinia has hosted the WRC every year, barring 2009, since the event moved from Sanremo on the mainland in 2004. Italy has also been represented in the WRC by Rally Monza in 2020 and 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions were in place.
Rome has held a round of the European Rally Championship schedule since 2017, through the Rally di Roma Capitale event, with organisers eager to elevate the rally to WRC status.
A delegation from the FIA was sent to last week’s ERC edition of Rally di Roma Capitale, won by WRC2 star Roberto Dapra, to assess the event’s viability to step up to the WRC.
A candidate event (test rally) must be held and deemed a success by the FIA before a final decision is made as to whether the event meets the required criteria and can be included on future WRC calendars.
Yohan Rossel
Photo by: ERC
Rome is one of three new rallies proposed for the 2027 calendar with the USA and Great Britain, via Rally Scotland, hoping to receive final approval from the FIA.
The world motor sport governing body visited the site proposed for the USA round in Tennessee and Kentucky last month, while a delegation will head to Scotland to attend the Grampian Forest Rally, which will act as Rally Scotland’s candidate event in August.
Last week’s Rally Di Roma Capitale featured a revised route featuring new asphalt stages near Rome and a new service park located in the capital city. The FIA noted “the strength of its promotional platform” offered by the event’s super special stage that runs alongside the famous Colosseum.
An FIA report read: “Returning to the ERC for the ninth time, the 2026 edition served as an important live-event assessment of Rally di Roma Capitale’s ability to step up to the FIA World Rally Championship, showcasing the continued development of the event through a redesigned route, new landmark locations in central Rome and fresh special stages held in the shadow of the city’s iconic Colosseum.
“Across the three-day event, FIA delegates worked closely with local officials and organisers involved in the delivery of the rally to assess Rally di Roma Capitale’s preparedness for a potential step up to the FIA World Rally Championship.
“A central feature of the 2026 event noted by the delegation was the strength of its promotional platform, including activity in the heart of Rome and a special stage around the grounds of the Colosseum.
Rally Italy 2025
Photo by: M-Sport
“The delivery of rallying in such an iconic location, combined with the scale of fan engagement and city-centre visibility, demonstrated the event’s potential to bring the FIA World Rally Championship in front of new audiences.”
The FIA will now analyse all of its findings in the coming weeks to determine if the rally can be included in next year’s calendar, which is likely to be announced later this summer.
“This is another exciting moment for fans, reflecting a year of growth for the championship in 2026, with candidate events held in the United States, the United Kingdom and now in the historic capital of Italy,” said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“There is global momentum behind rallying, across both growth and heritage markets, highlighting our commitment to bringing the championship to new audiences around the world.
“I would like to thank our Member Club, the Automobile Club d’Italia, WRC Promoter, the local organisers and all those who have worked together to support this process.
“With the candidate event now complete, our focus turns to finalising our reports and sharing our learnings with the local organisers.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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