A historic moment for Paraguayan motorsport took place, with the arrival of 18 cars at the country’s main airport. These vehicles will compete in the Rally of Paraguay 2025. A Qatar Airways flight from Europe landed at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, carrying 18 cars for the World Rally Championship. The event featuring top teams and drivers will take place in the Itapúa department from 28 to 31 August, 2025.
Ten of these cars belong to Rally1, the FIA’s premier hybrid car category for the World Championship. They will navigate the various stages, traversing the distinctive red earth and lush vegetation of Itapúa.
Top teams and drivers
The Rally of Paraguay 2025 will feature four world champions, and prominent Paraguayan drivers, promising a thrilling spectacle for motorsport fans. Encarnación and the technical roads of Itapúa will host the world’s best drivers, who will compete over 333 kilometres of special gravel stages, renowned for the region’s iconic red earth.
The Finnish-based Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team arrives with a star-studded lineup. Sébastien Ogier, a multiple world champion, Kalle Rovanperä, the 2022 world champion, Elfyn Evans, a regular podium contender, Takamoto Katsuta, a rising Japanese driver, and Sami Pajari, a promising Finnish driver representing the secondary team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2.
Also competing are Thierry Neuville, the current world champion, and Ott Tänak, the 2019 champion. The British team M-Sport Ford WRT completes the Rally1 class with its Puma Rally1 cars, driven by Grégoire Munster, a young Luxembourgish talent, and Joshua McErlean, an Irish driver. The Rally1 class will be the highest level of competition at the event.
Rally2, and Paraguayan competitors
In the Rally2 category, notable figures include Oliver Solberg, son of champion Petter Solberg, Gus Greensmith, a British driver with top-class experience; and Yohan Rossel, a Frenchman with multiple WRC2 victories.
Paraguay will not only host the event, but also be a key participant. Among the local drivers competing in this historic edition are Diego Domínguez Jr., the current WRC3 champion; Fabrizio Zaldívar, two-time FIA-Codasur champion; and Agustín Alonso, the latest Paraguayan National champion.
Furthermore, the country will debut in the Rally3 category with six Ford Fiesta Rally3 units and in the RC4 class with three Peugeot 208 vehicles, a model widely used in the global front-wheel-drive sector.
The FIA American Congress 2025
Leading up to the Rally, the FIA, global governing body for motorsport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, hosts the FIA American Congress 2025 in Paraguay. Held in Asunción, and opened by Paraguyan President Santiago Peña and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the congress is a flagship event on the international mobility and motorsport calendar.
Bringing together delegates from 33 countries across the Americas and hosted by the Touring y Automóvil Club Paraguayo (TACPy). Spanning three days until Wednesday 27 August, 2025, the Congress is focussing on key themes including road safety and education, innovation in mobility and automotive technology, and the continued growth of motorsport in the region.
“A historic milestone”
“Here in Paraguay, and across the Americas, mobility and motorsport are evolving rapidly,” FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said. “Major infrastructure projects are connecting regions and boosting trade, and this week marks a historic milestone for South American motorsport with the Rally del Paraguay joining the FIA WRC calendar for the very first time. “
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña said: “We are no longer the best hidden treasure of the continent, but a giant that is re-emerging with full force: people proud of their roots, its heroic history and convinced of its inevitable future of greatness. Over the next few days you will be able to experience the legendary hospitality of Paraguay, a country full of caring people.”
