WRC Croatia Rally 2026: The spectacle returns to the world championship calendar with a base in Kvarner

After a one-year hiatus, the WRC Croatia Rally returns to the FIA ​​World Rally Championship calendar with the biggest change yet - moving the headquarters from the continent. to Kvarner, combining top-notch motorsport with the coast and mountainous hinterland.

The new hosts bring attractive routes, strong international interest and even greater global visibility to the popular sporting event.

Huge reach

Croatia is hosting one of the official World Rally Championship competitions for the fifth time, which will be held from 9 to 12 April 2026. After four editions held in Zagreb and the surrounding counties, the WRC moves to the western part of our beautiful country for the first time.

The WRC Croatia Rally has extremely strong international media visibility, with television broadcasts and digital content available in more than 160 countries As part of the WRC calendar, the competition has a large global reach and significantly contributes to the promotion of Croatia as a sports and tourist destination.

Over the past four years, WRC has been watched live by more than a million viewers in Croatia, while television broadcasts and recordings have reached almost 100 million viewers in more than 160 countries per season. It is estimated that individual editions of the rally attract between 350.000 and 400.000 visitors along the track and in the service park.

By moving the competition to Kvarner, Istria and Lika, the competition gains a new dimension and further confirms its status as one of the most important sporting events in Croatia.

This is an asphalt rally that Croatia has been organizing since 2021, with the exception of 2025 when the European Rally Championship was held, and the competition brings together the world's best drivers, teams and car manufacturers.

Speed ​​tests go through demanding and attractive stocks which, starting this year, connect the coast, hinterland and mountainous areas, further highlighting the diversity of the Croatian landscape and the attractiveness of the entire competition. 

"This year we are celebrating 120 years of the Croatian Auto and Karting Association, which further confirms the rich tradition of motoring in this region. The race will be run through four counties. The ceremonial start is on Thursday, April 9, in Rijeka on Korzo. After the shakedown in Grobinština, on Friday we will run special stages in Istria, on Saturday in Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Karlovac counties, and on Sunday we will finish in Senj with a live stage at the Nehaj Fortress. The finish and trophy award ceremony will take place in Opatija. Although this is the fifth year of the project, the excitement is still the same as the first time and I am extremely pleased that we managed to realize this story", he said Daniel Shashkin, President of the Organizing Committee of the WRC Croatia Rally.

The event lasts four days, and the program begins with the so-called Shakedown as a test drive before the official start of the competition. The ceremonial start that officially begins the WRC Croatia Rally will be held on Korzo in Rijeka on Thursday, April 9, while the service park, a central location for technical support and vehicle maintenance, will be located in Grobnik from Wednesday, April 8 to April 12.

The ceremonial finish and announcement of the winner will take place in Opatija, which will symbolically end the rally on the Kvarner coast.

Mayor of Rijeka Iva Rincic She pointed out that 2026 is particularly significant because for the first time the WRC base is moving to Kvarner, making Rijeka and the entire region take on the role of the center of a global sporting event that is followed by the whole world.

She also emphasized that the race will showcase impressive images of Učka, Kvarner and Gorski Kotar, landscapes that form the ideal backdrop for some of the most attractive special stages on the WRC calendar.

"Such world events are extremely important for our region and the development of tourism. It is also interesting to recall the Rijeka 'Alfa' 6C 2300 Aerodinamica Spider, a racing car created in 1935 in the garage of the Jankovitz brothers near Korzo. This impressive car in terms of design and technology was presented today at the Rijeka City Museum and confirms that Rijeka has always been close to super-fast cars. With the return of the WRC, motoring is returning to the area where it began almost a hundred years ago", she said is the mayor.

The President of the Organizing Committee of the race, Danijel Šaškin, explained that the special stages of the WRC Croatia Rally 2026 will be held in the area of ​​four counties.

The competition begins on Thursday with a final test in Grobinšćina in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. On Friday, four special stages will be held in Istria, while on Saturday, two stages are scheduled in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Karlovac County. Sunday's program includes a special stage near Novi Vinodolski, followed by the final in Lika-Senj County with the final in Senj. A special attraction will be the "live stage" at the Nehaj Fortress. The ceremonial start will take place on Thursday, April 9, on the Korzo in Rijeka, while the finish line and the awarding of trophies to all crews that finish the rally will be on Sunday, April 12, in Opatija by the fountain.

Šaškin also recalled the rich automotive tradition of this region, pointing out that the stretch from Preluk and Grobnik to the Učka Utrka has been driven for more than a hundred years, and mentioning the historic drive from 1902, when cars arrived from Nice to Opatija.

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As part of the event, the signing of the Agreement on the hosting of the competition was held, which was signed by the director of the Kvarner Tourist Board Irena Peršić Živadinov and the mayors of Rijeka, Opatija and Senj - Iva Rinčić, Fernando Kirigin and Željko Tomljanović.

Prefect of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Ivica Lukanović He emphasized that the WRC is an example of excellence that elevates a community above the average and expressed his satisfaction that a world-class event has been brought to Croatia through joint efforts at the regional level. He pointed out that the four counties involved now have the privilege of hosting one of the largest sporting events in the world.

Director of the Kvarner Tourist Board Irena Persic Zivadinov stressed the importance of promoting Kvarner as a tourist destination during such a major pre-season sporting event, while the mayor of Opatija Fernando Kirigin recalled the long automotive tradition of Opatija, from the legendary Preluk track to the Opatija Rally and modern competitions, expressing satisfaction that the ceremonial finish of the WRC will be held in Opatija.

Mayor of Senj Zeljko Tomljanovic He thanked the organizers for recognizing the potential of Senj and enabling it to host a prestigious international competition.

The conference presented key innovations for this year's edition, including a completely new itinerary with fast coastal roads and technically demanding mountain sections of Kvarner, Istria and Gorski Kotar. 

The press conference on the occasion of the announcement of the WRC Croatia Rally 2026 was also attended by Marin Frčko, Vice President of the WRC Croatia Rally 2026 Organizing Committee, Deputy Prefect of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Robert Matić, Vedran Vivoda, Deputy Mayor of Rijeka, Iva Erceg, Head of the Rijeka Administrative Department for Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Vice Nekić, President of the Senj City Council, Nada Prodan Mraković, Head of Tourism of the Istrian County, and Alessandra Ban, Head of Tourism and Entrepreneurship of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

The organizers said that the new coastal edition of the rally further strengthens Croatia's international recognition and connects top sports, tourism and local communities, creating one of the most memorable asphalt rallies in the world.

The WRC Croatia Rally traditionally attracts between 60 and 80 crews, including all the leading factory teams - Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hyundai Motorsport and M-Sport Ford. The competition is run in several categories, including Rally1, Rally2, Rally3 and FIA Junior WRC. The current world champions, the most famous names in world rallying and the best domestic crews are expected to take part.

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