The World Endurance Championship will finish its 2026 season in Europe after cancelling the Qatar and Bahrain rounds, confirming a contingency plan that has been circulating in the paddock since the Sao Paulo weekend.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host an inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona on 16-18 October, with a 6 Hours of Monza closing the year on 6-8 November. The switch was approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council via an e-vote and follows the earlier postponement of the Qatar 1812km from its original March date.
The reason is the security situation in the region and its knock-on effects on freight and travel. The FIA was blunt about the priority order.
"The FIA has worked closely with our partners in Qatar and Bahrain in recent months to explore every option to preserve both events this season," FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said. "But due to the ongoing situation in the region, the safety of our teams, colleagues, and motorsport fans remains our highest priority. These are never easy decisions, but protecting the wellbeing of our motorsport community will always come first."
WEC CEO Frederic Lequien pointed to logistics as the forcing factor on timing. "A few weeks ago, we were optimistic about being able to race at both venues, but unfortunately, the present situation obliges us to switch to an alternative plan," he said. "Logistically, it was imperative to take this decision now to allow manufacturers, teams and the FIA WEC organisation to make all necessary arrangements."
ACO President Pierre Fillon was careful to frame the move as temporary. "We are deeply disappointed that we will not be able to race in Qatar and Bahrain this year," he said. "These countries have become important members of the FIA World Endurance Championship family, and I want to be very clear – we are fully committed to returning to both venues in 2027 as scheduled."
The affected promoters accepted the call publicly. "We fully respect the decision taken by the FIA WEC to call off this year's Qatar 1812km," Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation and Lusail International Circuit President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai said. "Our commitment to this partnership remains as strong as ever."
Bahrain International Circuit Chief Executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa struck a similar note. "Whilst we are naturally disappointed not to be hosting the pinnacle of world endurance racing in 2026, we support the decision, which is in the best interests of all involved," he said.
The championship consequences are not cosmetic. As Sportscar365 reported, Barcelona and Monza will be run as regular-distance races and will not carry the 1.5x points multiplier both Middle East events were scheduled to award. That flattens the end of the season considerably: a title contender needing a big swing in the final two rounds now has far less leverage to work with than the calendar promised in March.
There are practical casualties too. The Barcelona weekend clashes with the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale at Portimao, which Sportscar365 understands will move to a Saturday evening slot so drivers can contest both. The end-of-season rookie test, traditionally held the day after the Bahrain finale, was not mentioned in Tuesday's announcement and is understood to be unlikely to proceed.
For Barcelona, this is a first WEC visit, though the venue has hosted the European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup in recent years. Monza returns for the first time since 2023, adding to a sportscar history stretching back more than 60 years that includes wins for John Surtees, Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx, plus Toyota and Alpine victories in its 2021-23 run.
The 2027 calendar, announced on 12 June, is unaffected — Qatar and Bahrain remain on it.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/wec-drops-qatar-and-bahrain-barcelona-and-monza-close-2026). Visit for full coverage.*