– Porsche Carrera World Cup contested in Barcelona from 5 to 8 March 2026
– International motorsport festival with the outgoing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
– Up to 100 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars expected on the Carrera World Cup grid
The Porsche Carrera World Cup is back. Fifteen years after the inaugural gathering of 911 GT3 Cup cars from around the world, the second edition will be held on the first weekend of March 2026. From its 2011 debut on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Porsche Carrera World Cup now heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a highly anticipated return.
The Carrera World Cup gives Porsche’s exemplary one-make racing ecosystem a global stage, bringing together teams, drivers, and fans from all five continents for a truly special motorsport festival. Eligible to compete are drivers from the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as well as nearly 40 national and regional Carrera Cups and Porsche Sports Cups, all driving the 375 kW (510 PS) 911 GT3 Cup, model generation 992.1. The Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer expects up to 100 participants. The four-day event features 15 races including qualifying sessions and follows an innovative competition format.
The Carrera World Cup last took place 14 years ago
In 2011, 98 drivers from 25 nations competed at the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife in their 911-based race cars as part of the Nürburgring 24-hour event, creating a truly unique spectacle. Porsche aims to match that level of participation from 5 to 8 March 2026 at the Spanish Grand Prix circuit. There is no shortage of eligible cars: since production began at the end of 2020, Porsche Motorsport has built a total of 1,130 units of the current 911 GT3 Cup (992.1). In Barcelona, the cars will compete with race ABS and traction control. From the next season onwards, its extensively revised successor will take over. The 382 kW (520 PS) strong 911 Cup, based on the 992.2 generation, will make its debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and selected Carrera Cups.
Event for the global Porsche Motorsport family
« The Carrera World Cup showcases the huge power and passion of the global Porsche motorsport community. As one of the leading providers in customer racing, we want to bring this fantastic community together and celebrate it, » states Michael Dreiser, Director Sales Porsche Motorsport. « The 911 GT3 Cup has been among the most widely produced race cars since the early 1990s, and we want to celebrate that before the newest generation takes over. In Barcelona, up to 100 competitors will go head-to-head for a unique trophy that was last awarded in 2011. Back then, almost 100 Cup 911 cars competed on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I’m now looking forward to an extraordinary Porsche festival in Barcelona. »
Compared with the Eifel circuit, the 4.657-kilometre Formula 1 layout in Barcelona is too short to allow all one-make series cars to start simultaneously. For this reason, Porsche Motorsport is implementing an unusual format, inspired by sim racing competitions in which the Porsche Coanda Esports factory team participates. The entry list will be divided into four groups of up to 30 cars each, with drivers competing in 
three distinct classes. In the Pro category, primarily young, up-and-coming talents with FIA Gold or Silver ratings pit themselves against each other on their path to a professional career. The Pro-Am class is reserved for Bronze-rated drivers over 30, while the “Michelin Class’ is open to Bronze drivers over 45 years of age.
Each group will contest three 30-minute sprint races plus one lap including qualifying. Drivers will score points within their classes, which will determine who continues: the top 50 percent from each group advance to one of two semifinal races. The process is then repeated, ultimately deciding the 30 drivers who will compete in the final.
Holger Eckhardt,