Fans planning a trip around one of rallying's classic events will have to wait a little longer. The Automóvel Club de Portugal announced on Tuesday, September 29 that the Vodafone Rally de Portugal will not appear on the 2027 World Rally Championship calendar — a late change that caught organisers off guard.
The Portuguese round had originally been pencilled in for May 13 to 16, 2027. But on the final day of preparations for next season's schedule, the WRC promoter reshuffled the calendar in the name of making the championship "as geographically diverse and intercontinental as possible". Portugal lost its slot in the process.
That's a sharp U-turn. As recently as May 2025, the ACP and the WRC promoter had confirmed Portugal would host a round for three more seasons: 2026, 2027 and 2028. The country has featured in the championship since its very first season in 1973, and its gravel stages through northern and central Portugal are among the most storied in the sport.
There's a decent chance the break is only for one year. The ACP says preliminary conversations have already happened about bringing the rally back for 2028. The 2026 edition ran from May 7 to 10 as the sixth round of a 14-event championship, and further details on the 2027 calendar's new geographic spread are still to come.
For travellers, the rally is more than a sporting fixture — it's a reason to visit in late spring. The base towns and gravel routes draw thousands of fans who camp along the stages, fill local hotels and turn parts of the interior into a travelling festival. If you had a 2027 trip in mind around the event dates, it's worth holding off until a replacement round or a 2028 return is confirmed, and watching the ACP's announcements.
If you simply want the rally experience, the 2026 and any future editions are best enjoyed by pairing the stages with the region itself: the roads around Arganil, Fafe and the northern interior are superb for a driving holiday in their own right, and May weather in Portugal is reliably pleasant before the summer heat. Motorsport fans who also love wine country could combine a rally weekend with the Douro Valley, a few hours north.
The full 2027 WRC calendar should reveal which new destinations benefited from the reshuffle — and whether Portugal's half-century run on the championship resumes the following year.
