FIA WEC 2026 season to finish in Europe, Barcelona and Monza replace Middle East circuits
- Owen Bradley
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
The 2026 World Endurance Championship will now finish in Europe, with the Barcelona and Monza circuits replacing Qatar and Bahrain, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The finalised calendar, announced on the 28th July, sees Barcelona replace Qatar, with the race in Spain taking place on the 18th October. Monza replaces Bahrain as the final race of the season, the race in Italy taking place on the 8th November.
This announcement comes shortly after Formula One revealed that they will be racing at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, also replacing Bahrain, despite being called the 'Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia'.
With temperatures and climate changing in Europe around the winter months, either or even both of these races could potentially be affected by wet weather and cold temperatures. The final race of the WEC being held in Italy also ties the 2026 season together nicely, as pre-season testing and the opening race of the year was also held at the Imola circuit in Italy.
The Barcelona and Monza rounds will be six hour, regular WEC races, instead of the planned eight-hour races that would have taken place in Qatar and Bahrain, which would also have featured 1.5x points. Instead, the FIA and WEC have opted for regular rules and a normal race distance to close out the championship campaign.
Barcelona will be making its' official WEC championship debut, only having previously held a prologue in the 2019/20 season. Monza, on the other hand, returns to the calendar for the first time since 2023, a race which was won by Toyota.
The Barcelona round is currently set to clash with the GT World Challenge finale in Portugal. With multiple drivers racing in both championships, the GTWC may move their race to an earlier time slot on Saturday to allow the drivers to get to both races, according to Sportscar365.
The ACO President, Pierre Fillon, revealed: "We are navigating an exceptionally complex period in the Middle East. We are deeply disappointed that we will not be able to race in Qatar and Bahrain this year. In the meantime, I would like to thank Barcelona and Monza for their responsiveness and for welcoming the World Championship at such short notice. I have no doubt that both circuits will provide an outstanding stage for endurance racing."
The next round in the WEC Championship takes place in Texas, USA, for the Lone Star Le Mans race on the 6th September.
The shift in the 2026 FIA WEC calendar highlights how vital logistical and foundational adjustments are to keeping a high-performance series running smoothly, much like the infrastructure NorKab provides for essential systems.