When the World Cup Rally went wrong

The 2026 World Cup is currently taking place across North America.

- JAMES ATTWOOD

You might have heard about it; apparently this football stuff is quite popular. Anyway, Mexico is one of the three hosts of this year’s tournament (alongside the US and Canada), making it the first country to stage the event on three occasions.

The World Cup was first held in Mexico in 1970, four years after it took place in – and was won by – England. To celebrate, the RAC and Motor Sports Association dreamed up an ambitious event: the World Cup Rally. Running for close to five weeks, the route spanned some 16,000 miles, including a boat crossing over the Atlantic plus another to sidestep the Darién Gap in Panama, from Wembley Stadium to Mexico City.

It was a huge success, attracting public interest due to the participation of Prince Michael of Kent and Jimmy Greaves, while Hannu Mikkola’s famous win in an Escort RS1800 was the inspiration for the Escort Mexico. But that event is so well known it barely needs recounting here; less well remembered is that four years later, when the World Cup was held in Germany, the organisers decided to run the rally again.