With just under a fortnight to go before scrutineering, the Monte Carlo Rally has delivered an early surprise — and a welcome one. Organisers have confirmed an expanded entry list for the 94th running of the event, opening the season-opening round of the 2026 World Rally Championship to 66 crews instead of the originally planned 60.
The decision follows months of behind-the-scenes planning, particularly around capacity at the Gap Fontreyne service park. Confident they could cope with the extra logistical strain, organisers opted to give every applicant a green light — a move likely to earn them goodwill across the paddock, from factory teams to privateers.
The published entry list underlines just how competitive this year’s rally promises to be. Heading the field are reigning world champions Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais, back in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Although Ogier is not contesting the full championship, the local favourite will once again be the man to beat as he hunts a record-extending 11th Monte Carlo victory.
The Rally1 line-up is stacked. Eleven top-tier cars from Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford will tackle the Alpine stages, setting up a heavyweight contest from the opening kilometres. Toyota arrive in force with five entries, including Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, while Hyundai counter with a trio led by Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe — already twice winners on these roads. Adrien Fourmaux, third overall last year, returns with growing expectations, while M-Sport’s Grégoire Munster faces the unusual challenge of backing up a Dakar Rally appearance with Monte Carlo just days later.
Further down the order, the WRC2 class is shaping up to be one of the rally’s most compelling storylines. Twenty-five crews will contest the category, bolstered by the headline-grabbing return of Lancia to international rallying. The Italian marque enters the Ypsilon HF in WRC2, reviving a name that carries serious weight in Monte Carlo folklore.
Several proven contenders are expected to fight for class honours, including Yohan Rossel, Nikolay Gryazin and Chris Ingram, while last year’s podium finisher Léo Rossel will again be one to watch in a rally where tyre choice, experience and nerve often matter more than outright speed.
In total, the 2026 Monte Carlo Rally will feature crews from 22 countries, spread across nine manufacturers and multiple FIA categories — a reminder that, nearly a century on, the sport’s most iconic winter rally still pulls like few others. When the cars roll out between 22 and 25 January, the season will begin not quietly, but at full volume.
Image courtesy of ACM
