Designed as a bridge between national championships and the ERC and WRC, the FIA ​​European Rally Trophy maintained a 15-round calendar in 2026—the same number of events as the previous year. The trophy retains a scoring system that applies a coefficient based on the number of entries in each category; this means a competitor driving a less competitive car—such as a Rally4 model—can still contend for the overall trophy victory. This has indeed been the case over the last three seasons, with two-wheel-drive car drivers emerging as winners.

The trophy kicked off in mid-April with Portugal's Rali Terra d’Aboboreira, won by Japan's Takumi Matsushita in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, followed by Rúben Rodrigues in an identical car and Armindo Araújo in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Francisco Puertas, driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4, also secured maximum points. Towards the end of May, the Rallye Český Krumlov took place in the Czech Republic; the winner was Dominik Stritesky in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, joined on the podium by Adam Brezik in an identical model and Filip Mares in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

On the final weekend of the same month, Switzerland hosted the Rallye du Chablais, won by Mike Coppens, followed by Florian Gonon and Nicolas Lathion—a podium monopolized by Škoda Fabia RS Rally2s. Yohan Surroca, driving a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4, also claimed maximum points. In mid-June, Croatia hosted the Zagreb Delta Rally, where Matteo Bernini was the top finisher in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. However, the highest points went to Janos Szilagyi and Rene Noller, both driving Peugeot 208 Rally4s.

The most recent rally held was the Rajd Malopolski in Poland earlier this month. The podium was once again composed entirely of drivers in Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars: Jaroslaw Szeja, Lukasz Byskiniewicz, and Adrian Rzeznik. Jakub Ulanowski competed in a Ford Fiesta Rally3. The standings are once again led by German driver Rene Noller, who has accumulated points across three events in a Peugeot 208 Rally4. Rali da Madeira is the sixth event of the year, with the following rallies still to come: Rzeszow (Poland), Rokiskio (Lithuania), Bulgaria, Lazio-Cassino and Sanremo (Italy), Nova Gorica (Slovenia), 3-Stadte and Lausitz (Germany), and Valais (Switzerland).

Standings: 1^st Rene Noller, 154; 2^nd Mike Coppens, 3^rd Takumi Matshushita, 4^thDominik Stritesky, 5^th Jaroslaw Szeja, 6^th Francisco Puertas, 7^th Yoahn Surroca, 8^th Filip Kohn, and 9^th Jakub Ulanowski, 90; 10^th Evren Ocay, 80. A total of 81 drivers are ranked.