The 2026 World Endurance Championship will conclude in Europe, with the planned events in the Middle East replaced by new races in Barcelona and Monza.

Following visits to Austin and Fuji in September, the championship was supposed to head to the Gulf in September, with the rescheduled Qatar 1812km race set for 24 October to be followed by the traditional Bahrain finale on 7 November.

However, the ceasefire agreed between Iran and the US/Israel collapsed this month, with both sides resuming attacks in the region and commercial ships continuing to avoid the Strait of Hormuz over fear of missile strikes. The situation posed a particular challenge for the WEC, which relies heavily on sea freight to transport its equipment.

As a result, series promoters the FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest have opted to abandon the financially-lucrative Middle East leg in favour of finishing the season closer to the its core European fanbase. 

As part of the updated calendar, the WEC will make its maiden visit to Spain this year, with the 6 Hours of Barcelona scheduled on 18 October, a week before the now-cancelled Qatar 1812km. Before being cancelled outright, the 10-hour fixture at the Lusail International Circuit had already been postponed from March to October after the outbreak of the Iran War forced the WEC to delay the start of the season.

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez

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The 2026 campaign will now conclude in Italy, with the 6-hour Monza event taking place on 8 November - the same weekend originally earmarked for the Bahrain finale. No mention was made about the rookie test, which traditionally takes place a day after the season finale.

Monza previously hosted three WEC races between 2021-23, before Imola took over as the Italian round of the championship.

Frédéric Lequien, CEO, FIA WEC, said: “We have been closely monitoring developments in the Middle East over recent months. A few weeks ago, we were optimistic about being able to race in Qatar and Bahrain, but unfortunately, the present situation obliges us to switch to an alternative plan. 

“We have duly resolved to replace those two end-of-season rounds with Barcelona and Monza. Logistically, it was imperative to take this decision now to allow manufacturers, teams and the FIA WEC organisation to make all necessary arrangements. 

“I would like to warmly thank Qatar and Bahrain for their understanding in these times. We have been in constant dialogue with both tracks and their national federations, and are proud of the close, long-standing relationships we have built in the Middle East. They are hugely important and well-established events in FIA WEC, and will remain so for many years to come.” 

Crucially, both Barcelona and Monza will offer a maximum of 25 points to the race winner, as per the standard scoring system for six-hour events. Had the calendar remained unchanged, the winning crew would have been eligible for 38 points as part of the bonus-point system used for longer races.

This would make it harder for teams to claw back any deficit in the championship fight. The calendar change is also likely to have a detrimental impact on Toyota, which has been unbeaten in Bahrain in the last nine years.

The last WEC campaign to conclude in Europe was the 2018-19 'superseason', which featured two editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours. 

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