Following the successful inaugural FIA Karting Arrive & Drive World Cup in Malaysia last month, the innovative format will expand next season with new Continental Championships to bring the affordable and accessible events closer to communities around the world. The 2026 calendar which has been approved today will feature a European and an Asia-Pacific Championship, each open to 112 drivers (56 Seniors and 56 Juniors) and comprising three rounds with the winners earning a ticket to the end-of-season 2026 FIA Karting Arrive & Drive World Cup.

An updated sporting format will also raise the tension and excitement of Arrive & Drive qualifying whilst increasing the track time for every driver. By replacing timed qualifying practice with 6- or 8-minute sprint races to determine the qualifying heat grids, each weekend will feature more racing action and provide more opportunity for drivers to prove themselves on a global stage.

14 drivers will form each sprint heat with the first grid assigned randomly and reversed for the second heat. The classification of these sprint heats will then set the grid positions for the following qualifying heats before the grids are set for the finals.

The format introduced for the Arrive & Drive World Cup to maximise track time for all competitors will remain with every driver racing on Sunday across the B Final and Grand Final. The Arrive & Drive Continental Championships will also feature a points system which has been confirmed today to enable the multi-round championships.

Starting from next season, drivers who do not attend the mandatory driver safety briefing of each event will receive penalty points on their digital licence in addition to the existing fine. To protect the fair running of the competition for all participants and to prevent any abusive use or benefit of the suspensive effect of an appeal, a penalty decision will now be binding if it is made before the final phases of each competition, even if an intention of appeal is notified.

Several karting safety advancements have also been approved by World Council. The Impact Data Recorder, successfully introduced earlier this year in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy to provide valuable data and analytics following track incidents and an important tool to inform the safety innovations of the future, will be mandatory in all FIA Karting Championships from 2026 and in all other international Karting events from 2027. ASN's are also encouraged to implement the rollout of the device at a national level which has already generated invaluable data to inform the safety advancements of both karts and circuits.

Following the successful trial of the Anti-Launch device, developed in partnership by the FIA Karting and Safety departments to protect the rear wheels of karts and mitigate the risk of karts becoming airborne following an incident, the technical and homologation regulations will now extend to cover all variants of Mini karts and such equipment.

The FIA Karting Senior Academy Trophy will also expand next season following a successful inaugural season with the number of drivers increasing from 36 to 54 and the age limit raised from 16 to 17. This expansion will open new opportunities for drivers to represent their country whilst supporting their progression in the sport.

Finally, the following tenders have been awarded following approval from the World Council:

. Supply of karts for the 2026 and 2027 FIA Karting Arrive and Drive European Championship (Junior and Senior): OTK Kart Group

. Supply of tyres for the 2026 FIA Karting Arrive and Drive European Championship (Junior and Senior): Vega

. Exhaust silencer for OK and OK-J categories from 2026-2028: ELTO Racing

. Carburettors for KZ and KZ2 categories from 2026-2028: Dell'Orto