The Portuguese round had already been pencilled in for 13 to 16 May next year.

But the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) announced on Tuesday that changes made by the WRC promoter during the final stages of preparing next season’s calendar have left Portugal without a round in 2027.

The reason given is a push to make the championship more geographically diverse and international.

For Portugal, it is an unexpected reversal.

In May 2025, the WRC announced that an agreement between the promoter and ACP had secured Rally de Portugal’s place on the calendar for three more seasons, covering 2026, 2027 and 2028.

At the time, ACP president Carlos Barbosa described the agreement as good news not only for the organisers and fans, but also for the municipalities and local economies that benefit from the rally.

Just over a year later, the 2027 event is off the calendar.

Talks already underway for 2028

The absence may only last one year.

ACP says it has already begun discussions with the WRC promoter about bringing Rally de Portugal back to the World Championship in 2028.

No agreement for that return has yet been announced.

Portugal has a long history with the championship. Rally de Portugal was first held in 1967 and formed part of the inaugural WRC season in 1973.

It disappeared from the World Championship between 2002 and 2006 before returning in 2007. After another year away in 2008, it returned in 2009 and has remained a regular fixture ever since, with the exception of 2020 when the Portuguese round was cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The rally has also been voted the world’s best rally five times.

Its popularity extends well beyond motorsport. The event brings large crowds into the areas along its route, filling hotels and restaurants and generating business for towns that might otherwise see far fewer visitors.

The decision is already causing disappointment in some of those areas, particularly in the north and centre of Portugal.

There may also be significant changes elsewhere on the 2027 WRC calendar. The final schedule has yet to be formally announced, but reports suggest new rounds in Scotland and the United States could be among the additions as organisers try to give the championship a broader geographical spread.

For Portuguese rally fans, however, the important part is already clear.

There will be no Rally de Portugal in the World Rally Championship next year. After being told only last year that the event was secure until 2028, attention now turns to whether its absence really will last for just one season.

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