BBC to show WRC from 2027

Finally, a reason to pay your licence fee - rallying returns to the Beeb for the first time in yonks

By Matt Bird / Friday, 18 September 2026 / Loading comments

Hands up who first watched (and loved) the World Rally Championship because of BBC coverage. Must be a fair few of us. In a pre-internet age and without anything like the car content of today, it was the most exciting thing on four (then five) channels, iconic cars and legendary drivers spectacularly duking it out across the globe for WRC glory. Probably it influenced a few later car-buying decisions as well, but that’s a discussion for another day.

The news this Friday afternoon is that the BBC will be back showing the World Rally Championship as soon as next year. A new three-year deal will see every round of the 2027, 2028 and 2029 seasons shown on the national broadcaster. Proper coverage, too: every single round will get an hour-long highlights package, plus five stages and the Power Stage live from each event. Expect an abundance of social media snippets and iPlayer shorts as well. The timing could hardly be better, with a UK round of the WRC - Rally Scotland - back on the calendar next year, the first such event since 2019.

So while exact dates for next year’s rounds are still to be confirmed, you’ll be able to watch coverage of every single one on the BBC. Which sounds like good news to us: you don't need another subscription, app, or service you’re only signing up to for one programme. For 2027, the WRC will be accessible and watchable on the BBC, just like Strictly, Doctor Who and Match of the Day (they’re all still running for now, at least). Surely a great move for reconnecting the sport with a UK audience that may have drifted away from rallying in recent years - doubly so if Elfyn Evans is the incumbent world champion - and introducing the next generation to the joys of special stages, pacenotes, and absolutely massive jumps.

Éric Boullier, CEO of WRC Promoter, said: “Our partnership with the BBC marks an important step in our strategy to grow the WRC’s reach and visibility in the UK. The BBC is one of the country’s most trusted and influential media organisations, and its powerful combination of television, digital and social platforms gives us a unique opportunity to reconnect with existing rally fans while introducing the championship to a new generation. With Rally Scotland joining the calendar next year, the timing could not be better to strengthen the WRC’s presence in such an important and historic market for rallying.”