Portimao to Make GTWC Europe Return After 11-Year Absence

The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal will return to the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS calendar for the first time since 2015, SRO Motorsports Group has announced.

Revealed on Friday during the annual press conference ahead of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the Portimao circuit joins the calendar for the European series with a date set for Oct. 17-18.

The track last featured in 2015, when it hosted a round of what was then called the Blancpain Sprint Series.

With the exception of Valencia, which will not feature next year, all circuits that are currently present have been retained.

One notable change involves the pre-season Prologue test in Paul Ricard, which has been pushed back to closer align with the Paul Ricard season opener on April 11-12.

Previously, the Prologue was often held a month prior to the season opener, but will now instead take place on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the race.

After Paul Ricard, the series heads to Brands Hatch, closely followed by the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Prologue and a round in Monza, which are all held in May.

The blue riband 24H Spa takes place in June, followed by Misano, Magny-Cours and the Nürburgring.

Zandvoort has notably had its date changed compared to this year, moving from May to September.

The season will wrap up on the Iberian peninsula, with the newly announced Portimao fixture preceded by a round at Barcelona on Oct. 3-4.

Of note, Friday’s announcement made no mention of which events form part of the Endurance Cup schedule and which will host the Sprint Cup.

In previous years, Paul Ricard, Monza and Nurburgring have traditionally joined the 24H Spa on the Endurance Cup calendar, while the likes of Brands Hatch, Misano, Magny-Cours and Zandvoort have typically been part of the Sprint Cup schedule.

When asked by Sportscar365, an SRO Motorsports Group spokesperson indicated that further clarification on the split between Endurance and Sprint Cup rounds will come in the following weeks.

2026 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Schedule:
April 7-8 – Prologue Test (Paul Ricard)
April 11-12 – Paul Ricard
May 2-3 – Brands Hatch
May 19-20 – Prologue Test (Spa-Francorchamps)
May 30-31 – Monza
June 25-28 – CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa
July 18-19 – Misano
Aug. 1-2 – Magny-Cours
Aug. 29-30 – Nürburgring
Sept. 19-20 – Zandvoort
Oct. 3-4 – Barcelona
Oct. 17-18 – Portimao