WRC
Route Preview: EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2026
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece enters a new chapter this week as the WRC returns to one of its most punishing gravel classics for 17 stages and 323.31 competitive kilometres from 25 - 28 June.
Round eight of the season marks the rally’s move south from Lamia to Loutraki, the seaside resort on the Gulf of Corinth which last hosted the event in 2013. The change brings a heavily revised route spanning Attica, the Peloponnese and Central Greece, with approximately three quarters of the competitive distance new for 2026 and only Stiri carried over in identical form from last year.
The Acropolis has never been defined by distance alone. Rough gravel, rocks, dust and extreme summer heat have long made Greece one of the WRC’s great car-breakers, and the move back to a June date in 2025 restored high temperatures as a major factor for crews, tyres and machinery.
Action begins on Thursday morning with a 3.34km shakedown near Loutraki before the rally heads to Athens for the opening EKO Super Special Stage at The Ellinikon Sports Park. The 1.86km asphalt test uses a dual-layout format, with two cars running in parallel in front of spectators.
From there, the rally takes on one of its most distinctive logistical features. After the Athens opener, cars and crews transfer from the Port of Corinth to Itea by ferry, with the ship also acting as parc fermé before Friday’s first full day of gravel competition.
That opening leg is the longest of the rally at 129.22km and immediately gives the event its classic Acropolis flavour. Bauxites returns for the first time since 2022 to open Friday morning, bringing crews onto one of the rally’s most historic names and onto roads partly linked to last year’s Karoutes stage.
Parnassos Mt follows with 22.28km of rhythm changes, using roads with links to the old Drosohori test before moving into newer terrain. Stiri, the only stage unchanged from 2025, is then tackled twice, mixing faster wind farm roads with rougher, rockier and narrower sections later in the stage.
Elikon Mt, effectively a revised version of Livadia with a new start, adds another layer of rough gravel and quarry roads before the day ends on Thiva. With six stages and no shortage of surface changes, Friday should quickly reveal who has the car, tyre management and road position to fight at the front.
© WRC
Saturday moves the rally deeper into the Peloponnese for 108.23km of competition and a set of stages that blend returning names with new Acropolis territory. Ghymno is back for the first time since 2013, run in reverse and extended at the finish, with narrow, technical roads, big drops and a rapid downhill section before a hairpin-heavy final stretch.
Kolines is a brand-new stage for the WRC and brings the Acropolis back to Arkadia for the first time since 1985. Running through the Skiritida forest, it is expected to mix sandy gravel, slower technical sections and faster open roads, while Menalo Mt adds a more flowing profile and is repeated later in the day.
Kefalari also returns for the first time since 2013, completing a varied Saturday route. Its narrow, technical opening and exposed drops will leave little room for error before faster and more open sections later in the stage. With Ghymno and Menalo Mt both repeated, the afternoon passes could become especially rough as bedrock and ruts begin to appear.
Sunday is short in stage count but not in difficulty. The final leg totals 84.00km and pairs two runs of Aghii Theodori with two passes of Loutraki, the latter forming the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.
At 25.39km, Aghii Theodori is the longest stage of the event and appears in a heavily revised format. Narrow, rough and technical roads are mixed with faster flowing sections, concrete patches, bedrock and stretches linked to the Kineta roads used in previous Acropolis editions.
Loutraki then brings the rally to its conclusion. The 16.61km stage starts on technical roads before opening into faster, rougher gravel and includes sections linked to last year’s Aghii Theodori test. Its second pass will decide the Wolf Power Stage bonus points and could still have a major say in the overall result.
Spectators planning to attend EKO Acropolis Rally Greece can find official stage access information, parking details, Google Maps navigation links and safety guidance via the event’s spectator maps section.
Special Stage Comparative
Special Stage
New
Used in 2025
Used in 2024
SD
Shakedown
3.34 (100%)
SSS1
EKO SSS
1.86 (100%)
SS2
Bauxites
22.97 (100%)
SS3
Parnassos Mt.
22.28 (100%)
SS4/6
Stiri
24.18 (100%)
SS5
Elikon Mt.
17.80 (100%)
SS7
Thiva
17.81 (100%)
SS8/12
Ghymno
19.60 (100%)
SS9
Kolines
21.30 (100%)
SS10/13
Menalo Mt.
14.79 (100%)
SS11
Kefalari
18.17 (100%)
SS14/16
Aghii Theodori
22.89 (90.7%)
2.35 (9.3%)
SS15/17
Loutraki
2.99 (18.2%)
13.46 (82.7%)
Event Totals
242.73 (75.1%)
79.98km (24.9%)
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