Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) will feature a six-round calendar across Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Saudi Arabia. The final round coincides with the FIA World Rally Championship finale in Saudi Arabia.
A new Qualifying Stage, trialled in Qatar, will determine the starting order for leg one, with the slowest Rally2 vehicle starting first. A mandatory Shakedown stage has also been introduced at each event.
Each event runs over three days and follows FIA’s Regional Rally Sporting Regulations. In addition to the overall championship, there are categories for FIA MERC2, MERC3, MERC4, Junior (under 26), and Master (over 50), with drivers and co-drivers scoring points in these classes.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Candido Carrera enter 2026 as defending champions. Al-Attiyah holds a record 91 MERC wins and 20 regional titles. Other notable competitors include former FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Lebanese driver Roger Feghali.
The 2026 schedule:
- Oman International Rally (January 22-24)
- Qatar International Rally (February 4-7)
- Jordan Rally (May 14-16)
- Rally of Lebanon (September 11-13)
- Cyprus Rally (October 9-11)
- Rally Saudi Arabia (November 12-15)