Barcelona and Monza have been confirmed as the hosts of the final two events of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship, after an updated calendar was released today following a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council last week.
The resumption of the conflict in the Middle East has led championship organisers to make the decision to replace the Qatar 1812KM and 8 Hours of Bahrain, the former of which had already been postponed from its initial March date, with a pair of European events to conclude the eight-round season.
This plan was outlined to teams at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo earlier this month, with it now having been made official.
The 6 Hours of Barcelona will take place on the 18th October 2026. It will be the first time that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has hosted a FIA WEC round, although it was the venue of the pre-season Prologue test in 2019/20.
The Spanish circuit is familiar to both organisers Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) and several of the teams, however, having been a regular fixture on the European Le Mans Series schedule since 2019.
Barcelona will then be followed up by the 6 Hours of Monza, the season finale, on 8th November 2026. The ‘Temple of Speed’ is returning to the calendar for the first time since 2023, with Italy becoming the first nation to host FIA WEC rounds at two different circuit in the same season. Notably, there will be no post-season Rookie Test after the finale.
A statement from the FIA WEC reads: “The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign will conclude with a pair of European races in Spain and Italy, after ongoing regional developments affecting freight and travel arrangements obliged the cancellation of the planned events in Qatar and Bahrain.
“The final two rounds, originally scheduled to take place in Qatar and Bahrain, will instead be held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona will take place over the weekend of 16-18 October and the season finale in Monza will be held on 6-8 November.”
With six-hour races replacing longer, 1.5x championship points affairs, the amount of points still available in the drivers’ championships has reduced from 130 to 104, making it more difficult for those chasing the current leaders to stage a comeback.
Similarly, only 176 points are now up for grabs in the Hypercar manufacturers’ world championship, as opposed to the 220 previously still on the table.
The 2026 FIA WEC season continues with the six-hour Lone Star Le Mans event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on 4th to 6th September 2026.
Revised 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship Calendar (remaining):
- Round 5: Lone Star Le Mans, Circuit of the Americas, USA (4th/6th Sep)
- Round 6: 6 Hours of Fuji, Fuji Speedway, Japan (25th/27th Sep)
- Round 7: 6 Hours of Barcelona, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain (16th/18th Oct)
- Round 8: 6 Hours of Monza, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy (6th/8th Nov)
