Paraguay is set to become the 38th country to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), when it joins the calendar in 2025. The announcement was made on June 22 by President Santiago Peña during the Ceremonial Start of the Petrobras Rally Transchaco 2024, the third round of the Paraguayan national championship.
“Paraguay is big, and the world is in the process of discovering us. Hosting world-class events such as the WRC is yet another way to show the world our greatness,” said Peña.
Paraguay has a rich rallying heritage, with prominent figures in Paraguayan rallying including Gustavo Saba, who was a regular competitor in Argentinian rounds of the WRC during the 2010s, and more recently, Fabrizio Zaldivar, an established WRC2 competitor. Diego Dominguez is also a strong contender in the Junior WRC and WRC3 categories.
WRC senior event director Simon Larkin expressed his enthusiasm for the new addition: “We have been in discussions with Paraguay for a number of years, and I am incredibly pleased to see this agreement finalized. There is no questioning the nation’s passion for rallying, and we cannot wait to showcase Paraguay’s spectacular scenery to the world.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said, “Welcoming Paraguay to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2025 is a fantastic opportunity for the series and all its stakeholders to explore new horizons. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Hugo R Mersan Galli, chairman of the Touring y Automóvil Club Paraguayo, and his team for their efforts in developing our sport; to the organisers of Rally Paraguay; and to President Santiago Peña for his invaluable support.”
The rally will be based in the touristic southern city of Encarnacion on the Paraná River and is expected to attract fans from Argentina and across South America. The stages will take place throughout the Itapúa region, which annually hosts a round of the FIA CODASUR South American Rally Championship on red gravel roads running parallel to the Paraná River.
Exact dates for the event will be confirmed in due course, pending approval from the World Motor Sport Council.
