MotoGP returns to Brazil after 22 years in 22-race 2026 calendar

MotoGP has confirmed a 22-round 2026 calendar spanning five continents, and the headline is a homecoming: Brazil rejoins the championship for the first time since 2004. The Brazilian Grand Prix takes the round-two slot on 20-22 March at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiania, secured under a five-year agreement that runs through 2030. That length matters for the events economy around it: a multi-year contract gives promoters, hospitality operators and travel partners a stable South American fixture to build on rather than a one-off.

The season bookends are set at the extremes of the globe and the calendar. Racing opens in Thailand at Buriram in late February, runs through a long European stretch, and closes at Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo in late November. For anyone planning trackside operations, the structural news is the removal of triple-header weekends, a direct response to rider and crew workload concerns and a meaningful shift in how race-team and freight logistics get scheduled across a season.

Several fixtures move. Silverstone shifts from May to August, repositioning one of the calendar's marquee European dates into high summer. Austria's Red Bull Ring slides to a later September date. Argentina drops off the 2026 schedule entirely, with a planned 2027 return at a Buenos Aires venue rather than its previous Termas de Rio Hondo home.

There is a technical full-stop attached to all of this. 2026 is the final season of the 1000cc era. From 2027, MotoGP moves to 850cc machinery alongside aerodynamic restrictions, fully sustainable fuel and a ban on ride-height devices, making next year the last chance to see the current generation of bikes at full bore.

Full round-by-round details are on the official MotoGP announcement.