The final round of the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC) will be held in Italy instead of Saudi Arabia because of the ongoing unrest in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia had been set to host the 14th and final rally of the season from 11-14 November.

The championship has now been shortened to 13 rounds and will conclude with the Rally Italia in Sardinia from 1-4 October.

Rally Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, which joined the WRC calendar in 2025, will still take place on the planned dates but as part of the Middle East Rally Championship.

The FIA, the global governing body for motor sports, said Saudi Arabia “remained ready to host the event safely” but the decision was due to “ongoing uncertainty in the region and its effect on logistical arrangements”.

In a statement, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “We have worked closely with our partners to explore every possible route that would allow Rally Saudi Arabia to take place as planned.

“These are never easy decisions, particularly after the significant work undertaken by everyone involved in preparing for the event.

“While the WRC element of the event will not take place this year, our confidence in the organisers and in the long-term future of the rally remains unchanged.”

Great Britain’s Elfyn Evans sits at the top of the WRC standings before the final round, 17 points clear of Finland’s Sami Pajari, and is the favourite to take the title with a maximum of 35 points up for grabs across the final round.

The Welshman has finished runner-up in the championship five times, and is looking to join former British winners Colin McRae and Richard Burns in winning the title.

Numerous conflicts are ongoing in the Middle East, including the Israel-Gaza war, with Israel and the United States at war with Iran and Saudi Arabia battling Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The WRC is not the first sporting event to avoid the region, with the FIA cancelling Formula One Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April.

The Bahrain race has since been relocated to Malaysia – to be staged in early October – with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi later in the season are scheduled to go ahead as planned.

In February, tennis players, staff and media were left stranded in Dubai following missile strikes on the United Arab Emirates while in March, an ATP Challenger event in the country was disrupted by drone strikes. The sport’s governing bodies are reportedly considering replacement hosts for events in the region for the 2027 season.

On Wednesday, English golfer Matt Fitzpatrick said he is not “100% comfortable” with prospect of travelling to Dubai for his DP World Tour Championship title defence in November.

When asked if he would be willing to return to Dinamo Zagreb, Jakirovic admitted that his current ambitions are far greater, stating that he intends to take charge of Manchester United and aspires to coach Europe’s elite clubs.

Jakirovic became Hull City’s head coach in June 2025 and led the team back to the Premier League. In the promotion playoff final, Hull City defeated Middlesbrough with a last-minute goal from Oli McBurnie, securing promotion to the top flight.

The English club’s manager frequently gives interviews to Croatian media, and when asked if he would be willing to return to Dinamo Zagreb, Jakirovic admitted that his current ambitions are far greater.

“Me? My goal right now is Manchester United, haha! Anything is possible, and if I could go to Manchester United, I would be in my element. I had a great time at Dinamo Zagreb, and I hold no resentment towards the people there. Some hypocritical faces were eventually exposed… but now I aspire to coach Europe’s elite clubs.”

The Tigers defeated Manchester United 2-0 at home in their season’s league opener, followed by a 1-0 victory over Coventry. With such performances, Sergej Jakirovic won the August Manager of the Month award. After that, Hull City drew 0-0 with Aston Villa and then drew with Chelsea, earning another point.

Speaking about this personal honor, he said: “Just yesterday, I was watching these renowned coaches on TV, and now I can communicate directly with them before and after matches. They are all normal people, and that’s the secret to success.”

“It’s all so surreal. I am incredibly proud of this award. Wake me up—this is like a dream. Just being on the same stage with these excellent coaches is dreamlike, let alone winning an award. None of this would be possible without the players; they are the ones who translate tactical ideas into action. This honor belongs to them as well, and they are as proud as I am.”

Hull City currently has 8 points and ranks fourth in the league, and is one of four unbeaten teams in the Premier League.

Floyd Samba described his Manchester City debut as “mind-blowing” after his brace helped see off Norwich City as the Citizens reached the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

Samba, along with Geronimo Rulli and Allan, all made their debuts for City, and the trio wasted little time in making an impression during a 5-0 thrashing of the Canaries.

Enzo Maresca’s side took the lead in the 29th minute through Samba, who headed into the bottom-left corner after Allan delivered the ball into a dangerous area.

Right before the game yesterday, the day before, I knew there would be an opportunity to get some minutes for the first time with the first team – to make a debut like that is mind-blowing,” Samba said in a post match radio imterview

“I couldn’t believe it myself – but that’s just the beginning. I’ve got a big career ahead of me. It was a great debut. I couldn’t be happier right now.

“Being my first senior debut, you have to expect everything to go well, the intensity, the level of players, everything goes up, and you have to be able to match it and cope with it, and I think I did well with that.

“Coming from the 21’s to first-team training, that’s a big jump – the sessions are more tiring, you have to run more – they demand more of you, and you have to cope with it.

“I spoke to all of them [the first-team players], they’ve all been brilliant with me – before the game, giving me advice, like ‘play your game, be you’ – those words gave me confidence and helped me score those two goals today.

“I can’t wait – recover now, rest, the team goes again – training tomorrow and then Sunderland on the weekend. Everyone has to be prepared for that.”
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City have now progressed from 19 consecutive EFL Cup ties against lower-league opponents, since going out to Brighton on penalties in the 2008-09 second round.

And Fabian Hurzeler’s side will be their opponents in the next round after they came from two goals down to knock out City’s rivals Manchester United on Wednesday.