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The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 2026 calendar currently comprises eight races, two of which are planned to take place in Bahrain and Qatar—nations located roughly 50 miles apart. However, due to escalating regional tensions involving Iran, these events are facing potential delays that could result in their removal from the schedule, effectively cutting a quarter of the season. Fortunately, the championship organisers appear to have a well-prepared contingency plan ready to be implemented.

As reported by Racer, WEC officials are developing an alternative schedule that would see the Bahrain and Qatar rounds replaced by events at Italy’s legendary Monza circuit and Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Under this plan, the Spanish race would be held on October 18, followed by the Monza round taking over the season finale slot on November 7. Both races are expected to run for six hours each, a shorter format compared to the longer-distance endurance events typically staged in the Persian Gulf region.

A return to Monza would mark WEC’s comeback to the historic venue that last hosted a championship round in 2023, before the Italian leg moved to Imola. Meanwhile, the Barcelona event would represent the first-ever official WEC race at the Catalan circuit, although the track previously hosted pre-season testing for the championship back in 2019.

While the inclusion of additional European events would add variety to the schedule, the shift in race distances could influence the championship standings. By maintaining two additional races on the calendar, the total pool of available points would remain higher than in a scenario where the Middle Eastern rounds were cancelled. However, since both Monza and Barcelona are expected to feature standard six-hour formats, the extra points typically awarded for longer endurance races would not apply.

In essence, this revised calendar would preserve two more race opportunities compared to a season with cancellations, while still offering one fewer race than the initially proposed 2026 WEC plan. This change could have a significant effect on the championship battles, particularly the manufacturers’ title currently led by Toyota, the reigning 2026 Le Mans winners.