2026 SBK calendar: Estoril may be dropped; Miguel Oliveira also sounds the alarm

The circuit is in decay and the FIM offers no guarantees: the penultimate Superbike round of the year is on the line.

The WorldSBK calendar is often a subject of debate, especially since Phillip Island is the only non-European round. As for the 2026 season, attention must be paid to the round slated to take place at the Estoril Circuit on the weekend of October 9–10, which is now considered at risk.

Jorge Viegas, current FIM president and former head of the Portuguese motorcycling federation, told Público that holding the Superbike event is far from guaranteed. Due to a lack of maintenance, the B Grandstand could also be closed to the public, after Grandstand A had already been shut in 2025 for safety reasons following storm damage. More than 50 scheduled track activity days for 2026 have been canceled because of the deterioration of the Estoril circuit and its infrastructure.

It remains to be seen whether there will be time to save the WorldSBK date planned for October. Tickets are on sale and, of course, a cancellation would trigger refunds. There is some concern, and Miguel Oliveira, the Portuguese rider who will compete in the championship from 2026, expressed his disappointment on social media about the Estoril circuit’s situation: “When we don’t take care of what is ours, we risk losing what we are proud of. Estoril cannot be just a memory.”

Last October, Nuno Piteira Lopes, deputy mayor of Cascais, made statements that seemed encouraging for the future: “In 2026 it will be thirty years since the last Grand Prix held at Estoril. At that time we will usher in a new era for this legendary circuit, with the Municipality taking over management of the venue and being fully prepared to make the necessary improvements to the facility, together with private partners.”

The reference was to F1, which local politicians would like to bring back to Portugal in the coming years. We will see whether there is a chance to complete some works to ensure the regular running of the 2026 Superbike event. The calendar already includes another Portuguese round, in Portimão on the weekend of March 27–29, but the hope is to confirm Estoril as well. A cancellation would necessitate finding a replacement venue, which is never simple.

While MotoGP finds it easier to secure circuits ready to host Grands Prix—given the greater interest and higher revenues the championship guarantees—the situation is different for Superbike. For several years there has also been the issue of not having a second non-European round on the calendar. The only one is Phillip Island, which will also open the 2026 season.

Now that Liberty Media has taken the reins of WorldSBK, there is hope that at least one more stop outside Europe will be added. Since 2024 there has only been Australia; in 2023 there was also Indonesia, and in 2022 Argentina as well. We’ll see if the calendar becomes more truly “world” in the future. Returning to race in the Americas and Asia would be important for all the brands on the grid.