WRC reveals partial 2022 calendar including nine events
Nine events have been revealed on a partial 2022 World Rally Championship calendar released following Thursday’s FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting.


Dates for the opening two events have been confirmed to give teams a firm timeframe to prepare their all-new cars as the WRC prepares to launch its new Rally1 regulations, which will feature Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford running hybrid machines.
The 2022 campaign, which could extend to 13 events, will once again kick off at Monte Carlo from 20-23 January, followed by a trip to Sweden as crews tackle the only all-snow event on 24-27 February.
A further seven events have been confirmed on the calendar: Portugal, Italy, Kenya, Spain, Japan, Estonia and Greece. Dates and the order of events are yet to be announced.
Kenya’s Safari Rally recently confirmed its immediate future, until at least 2023, on the WRC calendar following its successful return to the bill after a 19-year hiatus.
INSIGHT: The Good, the Bad and a Dazzle of zebras - WRC Safari
There are also up to four more spots yet to be claimed on the 2022 calendar. Rallies currently absent from the schedule that feature on this year’s calendar include Croatia, Finland, Arctic Rally Finland and Belgium (Ypres Rally).
Autosport understands there is still an active bid to bring the WRC back to Great Britain built around a potential Tarmac event in Northern Ireland, after Rally GB was dropped from this year’s calendar.
However, the chances of it being included on the 2022 schedule are unclear at this point.
Speaking to Autosport prior to last month’s Safari Rally, FIA rally director Yves Matton said that, if a decent proposal was on the table, then the WRC would consider returning to the UK.
“I can only tell you there are still some people in GB who are pushing for it and trying to have an event in the calendar,” said Matton.
“We also think that GB is part of the history of motorsport and rallying and for sure if there is a good project on the table and they could be part of the calendar.”

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Matton also suggested the WRC could look to potentially add more flyaway events to the calendar in the back end of 2022, which could give the likes of New Zealand and Australia a chance to join the roster.
Motorsport Australia announced this week that it is pushing to return to the bill in 2023.
"It will be difficult in the first part of 2022 but our target before the crisis was to go to a 50/50 calendar between Europe and overseas and now we can expect in 2022 that it will be possible to start to reach the target," Matton said.
"For sure we will see overseas events for next year but it will be more in the second part of the year.”
The US is also in the frame for a spot on the 2023 WRC schedule, the series hoping to dip its toe in the water with a non-championship event there next year.
It has also been confirmed that WRC Promoter has secured the commercial rights to promote the FIA European Rally Championship and its support series within the ERC framework.
In March, the FIA outlined a five-tier sporting pyramid for rallying around the WRC and ERC.
It features the Rally2 class (formerly R5) as the second level as well as additional entry-level fifth rung.
“We have a high level of organisational, promotional and broadcast experience in our team and look forward with great confidence to working alongside the FIA to develop the ERC as an integral part of the Rally Pyramid,” said WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel.
"We see strong growth potential in ERC, focused around Europe’s key markets. Our goal is to further cultivate its own identity, whilst at the same time ensuring it fits hand and glove with the WRC’s structure.”
Partial 2022 WRC calendar:
Event |
Surface |
Date |
Monte Carlo |
Mixed |
23 Jan |
Sweden |
Snow |
27 Feb |
Portugal |
Gravel |
TBA |
Italy |
Gravel |
TBA |
Kenya |
Gravel |
TBA |
Japan |
Tarmac |
TBA |
Spain |
Tarmac |
TBA |
Estonia |
Gravel |
TBA |
Greece |
Gravel |
TBA |
Related video

Breen to join Hyundai WRC line-up for Rally Ypres
Toyota won't "completely stop development" and switch focus to 2022 WRC car

Latest news
Foyt changes IndyCar number amid "symbolic references" debacle
AJ Foyt Racing has changed the number of Benjamin Pedersen's 2023 IndyCar entry from #88 to #55, after finding its two cars' numbers held "certain ideological and symbolic references".
Taylor: Reset button will be "worn out" but better than limp mode in Daytona 24
Ricky Taylor has zero worries over the pace of the new Acura ARX-06, but believes the new GTP cars will encounter several sensor issues over the course of the Daytona 24 Hours.
WEC assessing Sebring alternative for US round from 2024
The World Endurance Championship has admitted that it is examining alternatives to Sebring for the US round of the series from 2024.
Wehrlein hails "perfect" Porsche strategy, efficiency en route to Diriyah FE win
Pascal Wehrlein reckoned that Porsche's Diriyah E-Prix strategy and efficiency worked "perfectly" en route to claiming his second Formula E victory.
How fired-up Ogier became the WRC's ultimate Monte master
He may only be contesting a part-time campaign in the World Rally Championship these days, but Sebastien Ogier underlined that he's lost none of his speed in the 2023 season opener. Storming to yet another victory on the Monte Carlo Rally, the eight-time world champion rewrote the history books again as Toyota served notice of its intentions with a crushing 1-2
How Lancia pulled off its famous Monte Carlo giantkilling
Audi should have been invincible in the snowy conditions that typically greeted the World Rally Championship paddock in Monte Carlo. But unexpectedly warm weather for the 1983 season opener, combined with some left-field thinking from the Lancia crew turned the tables. Forty years on, team boss Cesare Fiorio reflects on a smash and grab
Why M-Sport has pinned all its efforts on a WRC reunion
M-Sport had a disastrous 2022 with its Rally1 Ford Pumas following Sebastien Loeb’s first-time-out win on the Monte. But now things are looking up with 2019 world champion Ott Tanak leading its attack, and the Cumbrian operation has optimism that it can challenge for a first title since Sebastien Ogier's departure at the end of 2018
The contenders seeking to take Rovanpera's WRC crown
As Kalle Rovanpera begins his World Rally Championship title defence in Monte Carlo, the Finn knows he has a target on his back. But who is best placed to knock the Toyota ace off his perch?
Why Rovanpera is anticipating a fight to defend his WRC title
Question: what could be harder than becoming the youngest-ever World Rally champion? Answer: becoming the youngest-ever two-time World Rally champion. That's quite the challenge facing Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera in 2022, particularly against rejuvenated opposition in the second year of the WRC's hybrid regulations
From F1 to WRC: Why Hyundai's new boss could be an inspired signing
OPINION: New Hyundai WRC team boss Cyril Abiteboul admits he’s got a lot to learn as he leads the marque's efforts to dethrone Toyota. But could his Formula 1 experience and evident strengths mean he turns out to be an inspired choice?
The ultimate rally car project the WRC is glad COVID killed
Toyota was unstoppable in the 2021 World Rally Championship, with an excellent 75% strike rate from 12 rallies. But in a scary proposition for its rivals, the Japanese marque had built a car for the final year of the previous regulations set which it believes was much faster and could feasibly have crushed the opposition completely. Here the story of its mothballed world-beater
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.