{
  "id": 8189942,
  "title": "WRC final round moved from Saudi Arabia to Italy amid Middle East unrest",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/wrc-final-round-moved-from-saudi-arabia-to-italy-amid-middle-east",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T06:26:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/2026/09/18/wrc-final-round-moved-from-saudi-arabia-to-italy-amid-middle-east-unrest/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The concluding round of the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC) has been relocated from Saudi Arabia to Italy due to ongoing unrest and uncertainty in the Middle East. Originally scheduled for Jeddah from November 11-14, the rally will now conclude in Sardinia from October 1-4. Rally Saudi Arabia will still occur on its initial dates but will now be part of the Middle East Rally Championship rather than the WRC calendar. The FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, stated that the Saudi Arabian organizers had explored every option to keep the event as a WRC round. However, due to the continuous regional developments, the WRC segment of Rally Saudi Arabia will not proceed this year. Despite this decision, the FIA maintains confidence in the rally's future and plans to bring the championship back in 2027. This move adds more uncertainty to the title race, currently led by Great Britain's Elfyn Evans, who is 17 points ahead of Finland's Sami Pajari with 35 points remaining in Sardinia. The decision comes amid various conflicts in the region, including the Israel-Gaza war, Israel's conflict with the United States and Iran, and Saudi Arabia's ongoing confrontation with Houthi rebels in Yemen. In a similar situation, the FIA had earlier cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One races in April, with the Bahrain event subsequently moved to Malaysia, while the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix remain on the calendar.",
  "summary": "The final round of the 2026 World Rally Championship has been moved from Saudi Arabia to Italy because of continuing unrest and uncertainty in the Middle East, with the season shortened to 13 rounds. Rally Saudi Arabia had been scheduled to bring the championship to a conclusion in Jeddah from November 11-14, but the FIA has confirmed the WRC will instead finish with Rally Italia in Sardinia from…",
  "key_points": [
    "2026 WRC final round moved from Saudi Arabia to Italy",
    "Originally scheduled for Jeddah, now in Sardinia",
    "FIA confident in rally's future for 2027"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The relocation of the WRC final round from Saudi Arabia to Italy injects uncertainty into the title race, now favouring drivers competing in Sardinia over those with Middle East commitments.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Island Sri Lanka",
        "title": "Trump administration approves sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/trump-administration-approves-sale-of-f-35-jets-to-saudi-arabia",
        "published": "2026-09-18T03:07:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "WRC final round moved from Saudi Arabia to Italy amid Middle East unrest",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/wrc-final-round-moved-from-saudi-arabia-to-italy-amid-middle-east-8195528",
        "published": "2026-09-18T06:26:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "US approves $24.3bn sale of 48 F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/us-approves-24-3bn-sale-of-48-f-35-jets-to-saudi-arabia",
        "published": "2026-09-18T06:53:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}