The Gran Turismo World Series 2026, the championship that aims to crown the best Gran Turismo player in the world, is beginning to take shape as the new season approaches. The organizers have revealed new details about the live events and the official calendar, confirming that Milan and Tokyo will be two of the year’s key host cities.
Following Round 1 in Abu Dhabi on March 28, the Italian capital of fashion and design will host Round 2 on May 23, while Tokyo will stage the World Finals on December 5 and 6, becoming the host of the championship’s final showdown for the first time. For now, Round 3 does not yet have a confirmed location and will be announced at a later date.
Provisional Gran Turismo World Series 2026 Schedule
The current roadmap for the championship is as follows:
- Round 1 – Abu Dhabi: March 28
- Round 2 – Milan: May 23
- Round 3 – To be announced (TBA)
- World Finals – Tokyo: December 5–6
This schedule further reinforces the global nature of the championship, once again relying on major international capitals to host its live events.
Online Qualifiers Begin on January 14
The road to the live events starts with the Online Qualifiers, which kick off on January 14. The first competition to take place will be the Manufacturers Cup, whose qualifiers will run across six rounds from January 14 to January 31. This will be followed by the Nations Cup, also consisting of six rounds, scheduled from February 11 to February 28.
These qualifiers will be decisive in determining which drivers and manufacturers advance to the championship’s live stages.
Manufacturers Cup: Qualified Brands and Tournament Structure
In the Manufacturers Cup, a total of 12 manufacturers will earn a place in the GT World Series live events. This group includes the official partners for the 2026 season, Toyota and Mazda, along with the highest-ranked manufacturers in the GT1 League Global Manufacturer Ranking once the Online Qualifiers conclude.
Rounds 1 through 3 of the Manufacturers Cup will consist of individual races, in which the top-ranked drivers from each region’s GT1 League will represent their respective automotive brands. In this format, the leading competitor from the Americas region will race in Round 1 in Abu Dhabi, the top driver from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa will compete in Milan during Round 2, and the representative from Asia-Oceania will take part in Round 3.
Nations Cup: Seeded Drivers and Regional Quotas
The Nations Cup, meanwhile, will bring together 12 of the world’s best drivers in an individual championship that combines experience with recent performance. Three of those spots are reserved for the top players from the 2025 Series Points Ranking, who enter the competition directly as seeded drivers.
The drivers entering the 2026 season as seeds are:
- Jose Serrano (Spain)
- Takuma Miyazono (Japan)
- Pol Urra (Spain)
The remaining nine slots will be allocated to the highest-ranked drivers from each region in the GT1 League Online Qualifiers, in accordance with the following regional caps:
- Europe / Middle East / Africa: 4
- North America: 1
- Central & South America: 2
- Asia: 1
- Oceania: 1
In this way, the Nations Cup once again emphasizes a balance between regions while ensuring the presence of the most consistent competitors on the global stage.
A Key Season for Gran Turismo
With the confirmation of new host cities, the imminent start of the Online Qualifiers, and a format that maintains a high level of competitive intensity, the Gran Turismo World Series 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most significant editions in recent years. For additional details about the championship, the organizers direct fans to the official Gran Turismo World Series 2026 Overview page, where updates will be published as the season progresses.
You can purchase Gran Turismo 7 by clicking here for the PS4 version and here for the PlayStation 5 and PS4 versions. Additionally, there’s the 25th Anniversary Edition available for PS5 and PS4.
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