WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2026

Rally de Portugal – WRC
Start: Thursday 7 May at 16.00
Sébastien Ogier top 2 (1.85)
Stake: 4/10 units

• Sébastien Ogier has seven wins in this race before and also won last year.
• Toyota is the best car and Ogier one of the best drivers.
• Coming with confidence after victory in the Canary Islands last round.

The sixth round of the season, Rally Portugal, offers demanding gravel stages, iconic sections and huge crowds. The race in the Porto region finishes as usual in Fafe, and the conditions quickly develop from dusty roads to deep ruts and rocks, making starting position and tire choice crucial. Toyota are clear favorites after a dominant start to the season, while Hyundai is hoping the gravel races provide a long-awaited turning point. Weather and punctures can quickly turn everything around here, but I think Ogier, who has won here seven times before, will fight at the top again and I predict he will finish top 2.

Vodafone Rally de Portugal

The sixth round of the season, Rally Portugal, is as always one of the most iconic races of the year. The classic gravel roads in the north of the country offer a unique combination of high speed, technical sections and brutal conditions that put both drivers and cars to the test.

The rally, based in the Porto region and finishing in Fafe, is known for its huge crowds and legendary stages such as Amarante and the spectacular Powerstage finish with the Fafe jump. The loose gravel roads evolve rapidly throughout the weekend, from dusty and fast to deep ruts and rocky surfaces, making tyre choice and starting position crucial.

Last year's edition provides a clear indication of what to expect. In 2025, Sébastien Ogier took another victory after an intense duel with Ott Tänak. The Frenchman secured his seventh Portuguese triumph after taking the lead and controlling the race towards the end, while Tänak, who had dominated much of the start, had to settle for second place. Kalle Rovanperä completed the podium for Toyota.

This year's race will once again feature Toyota as the benchmark, but Portugal is notoriously unpredictable. Small mistakes can have big consequences, and weather conditions often play a decisive role, from scorching heat to sudden rain showers that make the roads extremely slippery. And as we saw last year, Hyundai was on par with Toyota on several occasions, so they will be looking forward to coming here again after a somewhat disappointing season so far.

With close duels, demanding stages and passionate fans along the route, everything is set for another dramatic chapter in the 2026 World Rally Championship.

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team

Hyundai enters the 2026 gravel season with a clear goal of turning around a difficult start to the season. Toyota has dominated the first few rounds, and Hyundai has struggled, especially on asphalt. Now the team hopes that the transition to gravel can provide a turning point.

The ambitions are clear: a minimum podium finish. The team believes they have improved both the speed and reliability of their Hyundai i20 N Rally1, and testing has given them optimism ahead of Portugal. At the same time, expectations are realistic, the competitors have also developed, and starting position and weather could be decisive factors.

Portugal marks the start of the European gravel season and could be a key indicator for the rest of the year for Hyundai.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Toyota has dominated the start of the 2026 season as they did all of last year, winning all five of the first races, including an impressive 1-2-3-4 finish at the final round, and is now leading the manufacturers’ championship. Toyota has also won the last six editions of Rally Portugal, underlining their mastery of this particular surface.

Drivers like Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg make up a strong and broad line-up. In addition, they have Katsuta who comes into the race as the world championship leader, and Pajari who has four consecutive podiums before this race. With proven speed, solid reliability and good experience from Portugal, Toyota goes in as clear favorites. And if you look at the starting order, the two fastest drivers of the day, Solberg and Ogier, may have a very favorable starting position on the first day of the race.

This year like last year?

I think a Toyota will win the race, and although a lot can happen with punctures and technical problems, I think the victory is between Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg. Both Katsuta and Pajari are fast drivers, but if Ogier, Evans and Solberg stay on the road and the punctures don't happen, they have proven to be the fastest of the Toyota drivers every time.

But we could easily get some surprises from Neuville, Fourmaux or Sordo if things go as they did last year, because their starting positions are also favorable, and Sordo drove the Portuguese championship last year, so he is more familiar with the roads in Portugal than most. I have been unlucky and partly inept with the choices this year, as driver errors have ruined the tips several times, but I'll try again with a tip that I think should work.

If there are no punctures, I think experience, starting position and notorious speed will decide, and I'm betting Sébastien Ogier will be top 2. With a slightly higher risk, he can be tipped to win at 2.65. After all, he has seven wins here already.

Some games are also posted on our odds list which you can find here.

The rally can be followed here from Thursday.