Saudi Arabia Dropped from World Rally Championship as South Africa Investigates Nine Women’s Deaths
Two major developments reported on 17 September 2026 concern international sport and public safety. Saudi Arabia has been dropped from the 2026 World Rally Championship calendar, while police in South Africa are investigating the deaths of nine women whose bodies were found around Johannesburg over the past two months.
Saudi Arabia removed from 2026 WRC calendar
The final round of the World Rally Championship will no longer take place in Saudi Arabia. The FIA, motorsport’s global governing body, has moved the championship finale to Italy because of continuing uncertainty and logistical concerns linked to unrest in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia had been scheduled to host the 14th and final WRC round from 11 to 14 November. The championship will now end with Rally Italia in Sardinia from 1 to 4 October, reducing the season from 14 rounds to 13.
The FIA said Saudi Arabia remained prepared to stage the event safely. However, it concluded that the wider regional situation could affect the practical arrangements needed to run an international rally.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the organisation had examined possible ways to keep the rally on the calendar. He also said confidence in the organisers and the rally’s longer-term future had not changed.
Saudi rally will still go ahead in another championship
The cancellation affects the WRC event, not the entire Saudi Arabia rally. The rally in Jeddah is still expected to run on the planned November dates, but it will count toward the Middle East Rally Championship instead.
The event remains scheduled as a motorsport competition, but it will no longer award points in the 2026 World Rally Championship.
| WRC schedule change | Original plan | Revised plan |
|---|---|---|
| Final round | Saudi Arabia, 11–14 November | Rally Italia in Sardinia, 1–4 October |
| Number of championship rounds | 14 | 13 |
| Saudi event | WRC round | Middle East Rally Championship event |
Saudi Arabia joined the WRC calendar in 2025.
Evans leads shortened championship
Great Britain’s Elfyn Evans enters the final round at the top of the drivers’ standings. He leads Finland’s Sami Pajari by 17 points, with a maximum of 35 points available in the final rally.
That makes Evans the favourite to win the title, although the championship is not mathematically settled. A strong result for Pajari, combined with a poor performance from Evans, could still alter the outcome.
Evans has finished second in the championship five times. A title this season would place him alongside former British champions Colin McRae and Richard Burns.
South Africa investigates deaths of nine women
South African police have found the body of a ninth woman in and around Kempton Park, on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The discoveries have prompted public anxiety that the deaths could be connected.
Police said all nine victims were women in their 20s or 30s. The bodies were reportedly found naked or partly clothed, and some showed similar bruising. The first body was discovered on 17 July, naked and restrained with cable ties.
Three of the bodies were found in the Kempton Park area this week. The first five were discovered in or near Kempton Park, while the others were found at locations between roughly 25 and 35 kilometres away.
Police imposed a lockdown in Kempton Park as the investigation continued.
Police have not confirmed a serial killer
The similarities between the cases led police to issue a public warning, but investigators have not established that a single offender was responsible.
Fred Kekana, the police commissioner for Gauteng province, said investigators were considering every possibility, including multiple suspects or separate perpetrators.
Police are comparing the evidence, timelines, locations, victim profiles and circumstances of each death. Officials have said it is too early to describe the killings as the work of a serial killer.
Similarities between the cases have prompted a coordinated investigation, but they do not by themselves prove that the cases have a common perpetrator.
What is known and what remains unclear
The investigation has established a troubling pattern, but many key questions remain unanswered.
| Established from the report | Not yet established |
|---|---|
| Nine women have been found dead over roughly two months | Whether the deaths were committed by one person |
| The victims were in their 20s or 30s | Whether all nine cases are connected |
| The bodies were found in or around Johannesburg | The cause of death in every case |
| Several victims were naked or partially clothed | The motive |
| Some bodies showed similar bruising | Whether any suspect has been charged |
| Police are comparing evidence across the cases | Whether the deaths are linked to one organised group |
The public warning and the lockdown show the seriousness with which authorities are treating the situation. They do not resolve whether the deaths form one series of killings or represent separate crimes.
Sources
- BBC Sport, “Saudi Arabia dropped from World Rally Championship,” published 17 September 2026: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/articles/cx980q97n765o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
Meta: Saudi Arabia is removed from the 2026 WRC calendar, while South African police investigate the deaths of nine women near Johannesburg.
