18 September 2026 / By David Ferguson
The decision of the World Rally Championship to come to Scotland this year has led to a new three-year agreement being struck with the BBC to broadcast the whole FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) – including four days of action from Aberdeenshire.
The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) has announced a deal with the BBC to screen live coverage of all 14 rounds of the WRC to audiences from 2027 through to 2029, which will include live coverage of stages, including all four days of Rally Scotland, as well as four one-hour highlights shows and highlights and content across the BBC platforms.
The coverage will be delivered as a collaboration between BBC Scotland, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland, “combining expertise, talent and shared resources from across the Nations”.
Audiences can follow all the action on BBC iPlayer
The BBC statement adds: “The agreement will see the BBC provide comprehensive coverage of all WRC rounds each season, including live stages from every rally, the decisive Power Stage, highlights programmes, and extensive coverage of Rally Scotland.
“Audiences will be able to follow all the action on BBC iPlayer. Digital rights are also included, enabling content to be shared across other BBC platforms.”
Coverage each season will include:
- Five live stages plus the Power Stage on all WRC rounds
- Fourteen 60-minute highlights programmes
- Extensive live coverage of Rally Scotland across all four days of competition
- Digital clips, highlights and additional content across BBC platforms
Rally Scotland the key to bringing BBC back on board
While the new Rally Scotland, which will take place towards the end of the series next year around the Grampian forests, is spoken of as ‘part’ of the deal, the reality is that it was the key to bringing free-to-air broadcast coverage of rallying back to British TV screens. The BBC returning to rallying would not have happened without a UK rally event to hang it on.
The BBC deal is the same length of time as the agreement for a WRC round to be held in Scotland – as the WRC comes back to the UK for the first time since 2019.
It also fits in nicely to the BBC’s ‘Across the UK’ strategy which promised to double its spending to £100m with BBC coverage and jobs spread across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
It remains to be seen if the WRC will stick with Scotland beyond that, but they now have a fresh incentive – stay in the UK and the BBC may stay with you, which would be huge for the promotion of rallying over the next decade as the BBC is the largest and most trusted global news brand.
Rhuanedd Richards, Director of BBC Nations, said: “This is a fantastic addition to our sports portfolio with teams across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland coming together to bring audiences one of the world’s most thrilling motorsport championships. The World Rally Championship combines elite sporting competition with dramatic locations and compelling stories, making it a natural fit for the BBC.
“The return of Rally Scotland to the WRC calendar is particularly exciting and we look forward to capturing all the thrills and excitement for audiences when it kicks off next year. “
‘BBC will strengthen market for rallying’
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.”
Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK, the organisation behind Rally Scotland, said: “Bringing the World Rally Championship back to the UK is a major moment for our sport, and this BBC agreement gives it the national platform it deserves. Free-to-air coverage will help us reach long-standing fans, welcome new audiences and show why the WRC’s return in 2027 is such an important step for British motorsport.
Dates for the 2027 FIA World Rally Championship will be confirmed shortly by the FIA.
