According to the Rally Guide published by the organisers, this year’s 59th edition of the event, which will take place between May 7th and 10th, will have three special stages on Thursday, unlike in recent years when a city stage was included.
In 2026, the super special stage remains in Figueira da Foz, closing the first day, Thursday, May 7th, which starts two hours earlier, as the start ceremony is scheduled for 3 PM.
The ‘shakedown’, the test section drivers can use for final adjustments, has also been brought forward and will take place this year on Wednesday the 6th in the afternoon at Baltar.
The nerve centre of the event remains at Exponor, in Matosinhos, with stages planned in Águeda, Albergaria-a-Velha, Amarante, Arganil, Cabeceiras de Basto, Coimbra, Fafe, Felgueiras, Figueira da Foz, Góis, Lousã, Lousada, Matosinhos, Mortágua, Paredes, Sever do Vouga, and Vieira do Minho.
Following complaints from several drivers about the length of Friday’s race day, which in 2025 had 10 timed stages, the organisation has changed the format this year, bringing forward two of these stages to Thursday.
In total, the 59th edition of the Rally of Portugal will have 23 timed special stages, one less than the 2025 edition.
The ‘power stage’ (the final stage that awards 15 extra points to the five fastest drivers) remains in Fafe, starting at 1:05 PM on Sunday, May 10th.
When questioned by Lusa about the Rally of Portugal route, the president of the ACP (Automobile Club of Portugal), Carlos Barbosa, said that “not everything is yet defined,” as negotiations with the municipalities are still ongoing.
The final version should only be known “within two weeks.”
Frenchman Sébastien Ogier won the 2025 edition of the Rally of Portugal, cementing his name at the top of the list of the most victorious drivers ever in the Portuguese round of the World Rally Championship, with seven wins, before winning the world title for the second time.
The Rally of Portugal will be the fifth of 14 events in the season, which has already begun with the Monte Carlo Rally.
