2026 World Endurance Championship calendar revealed at Le Mans

The FIA and ACO have unveiled the 2026 World Endurance Championship calendar on the eve of this week’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

All eight circuits from the current campaign have been retained as part of a largely unaltered schedule for WEC’s 14th season since its relaunch in 2012.

The most notable change is the later-than-usual start to the campaign, with the Qatar season opener being pushed back to 28 March to accommodate Ramadan.

For comparison, the 2024 season began a full month earlier on 28 February at the Losail International Circuit.

As in previous years, the Qatar curtain-raiser will be preceded by the traditional Prologue pre-season test, scheduled for 22-23 March.

Europe will again host back-to-back spring events, with Imola (Italy) returning in April followed by Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) in May.

The centrepiece of the calendar, the 94th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, is set for 13-14 June.

For the second consecutive year, Le Mans will clash with a Formula 1 race, as the rebranded Barcelona Grand Prix is slated for the same weekend.

The WEC then heads to South America for a mid-July visit to Interlagos, while the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas will be held on 6 September.

Japan's Fuji Speedway will host the 100th WEC race on 27th September, with the season once again concluding under the lights in Bahrain on 7 November.

Five of the eight races on the calendar will be contested over six hours. The exceptions are the two Middle Eastern events—Qatar, held over 1812km or a maximum of 10 hours, and Bahrain, run over eight hours—as well as the 24-hour Le Mans classic at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Despite ongoing speculation, Silverstone is not included on the 2026 schedule. Discussions about a British round had intensified following the circuit’s addition to this year’s European Le Mans Series calendar, but the WEC has opted to stick with eight races for another season. A return to the UK is now expected no earlier than 2027. Silverstone last hosted a WEC event in September 2019.

2025 WEC calendar: