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The 2026 World Endurance Championship season was all set to begin under the lights in the desert, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry—especially in the face of war. So instead, it'll now fire up in the heart of Italy. On Tuesday, the WEC announced the postponement of the season-opening Qatar 1812km race following the escalating conflict in the Middle East, with April's 6 Hours of Imola now serving as the launching point for the 2026 campaign.
The WEC had planned to kick the season off off starting on March 26th and running through the 28th at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar, but missile and drone strikes in the region as a result of the U.S.-Israel military operation against Iran now make it an unsafe situation. Retaliatory strikes have since hit several Gulf states, including Qatar, prompting championship organizers and governing bodies to act.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday and first noted bySportsCar365, the FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest confirmed the event will be rescheduled for the second half of the season. A new date has yet to be finalized. “The safety and well-being of our community will always be the FIA’s first priority,” said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, noting that the organization continues to monitor developments across the region.
Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO, echoed the sentiment. “At times like these, sporting interests are clearly secondary,” he said. “A decision has been quickly taken that the event cannot proceed at the present time.” The revised calendar now places Imola’s six-hour race, set for April 17–19 in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, as the season opener. It’s a logistical pivot, but one that comes with ripple effects.
The championship has not confirmed whether its traditional pre-season Prologue test, initially expected to take place in Qatar, will shift to Imola or be canceled outright. Complicating matters even more, the European Le Mans Series is scheduled to open its own season at Barcelona the weekend prior, sharing much of the same operational personnel as WEC events.
It's plausible the WEC might try to reschedule the Qatar 1812km for the weekend before or after the 8 Hours of Bahrain; that takes place November 5th through 7th, and it would allow teams to stay nearby without having to make an additional trip to the Middle East at a different part of the season. For now, all we can be sure of is that world endurance racing starts in Italy, not Qatar, this season.
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