IndyCar confirms there will be no race in Mexico in 2026

After months of negotiations and speculation surrounding a possible return of the series to Mexican soil, the possibility has ultimately been ruled out for next year.

The organization issued a statement confirming that an event in Mexico will not be part of its 2026 schedule, citing the FIFA World Cup — which the country will co-host next year between June 11 and July 19 — as the main reason.

“For more than a year, we have been working diligently to bring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez,” said Mark Miles, President and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp.

“While extensive progress was made alongside the venue’s operating group and our potential promoter, ultimately the significant impact of next year’s World Cup proved too challenging to ensure a successful event given the available summer dates.

“While we absolutely want to race in Mexico, we also want to ensure everyone involved feels the conditions are in place to plan a world-class and highly engaging race weekend”.

Miles also emphasized that the goal remains to bring a race to Mexico in the future.

“We will keep working to bring our racing to Mexico and hope the event can be on the schedule as soon as the right opportunity presents itself,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mexican driver Pato O’Ward, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to race in front of his home crowd in IndyCar, supported the decision and made it clear he will continue to push for the series to come to his country.

“No one wants a race in Mexico more than me,” said O’Ward, who drives the No. 5 car for Arrow McLaren. “But we want to create an incredible event that is built to last. That requires the right date and the right year for fans and sponsors to fully get behind our sport. I’m motivated to keep pushing this effort forward and to be part of a future race in my home country.”

Conversations between IndyCar and the local promoter had been ongoing for most of the year, including a visit by series officials to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last month, which fueled speculation about an imminent announcement.

The series last raced at the venue — which also hosts Formula 1 and Formula E — back when IndyCar was divided into IRL and Champ Car, with the latter competing there until 2007.