IMSA has announced the 2026 IMSA Esports Global Championship, which will feature a five-round calendar beginning in late September, between the final two rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, along with the qualifying procedures for the championship season.
Qualifying for the 2026 IMSA Esports Global Championship begins on Aug. 24, just over a month before the opening round of the season.
The qualifying process is open to all iRacing members through the iRacing Time Attack platform. Registration opens Monday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. ET and closes Friday, Aug. 28, at 7:59 p.m. ET.
Once registration closes, the Time Attack session will run from Aug. 28-31. Qualifying will take place at a virtual WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and will be open to both the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes.
The fastest eligible teams in both GTP and GTD will be invited to participate in the Car Shootout, which will determine each team’s manufacturer affiliation for the championship. The Car Shootout is scheduled for Sept. 12-13, with five sessions offered each day.
Teams can earn invitations to the 2026 season in one of three ways: by winning a 2025 IMSA Esports Global Championship class title, by winning a 2026 VCO Grand Slam Broadcast Split in either GTP or GTD, or by advancing through the public iRacing pre-qualifying process.
Two provisional entries have already been secured by the reigning class champions: BMW M Team Redline in GTP and Coanda Esports in GTD.
Teams may accept up to two invitations earned through VCO Grand Slam Broadcast Split victories across the GTP and GTD classes. If a team earns more than two invitations, it must select which two to accept. Grid-and-Go.com eSports and Verstappen Sim Racing have already secured spots in the 2026 field by winning top-split special events.
Each race will also feature one wild-card entry, bringing the total field to 52 teams for every round.
Eligible GTP manufacturers include the BMW M Hybrid V8, Cadillac V-Series.R, Porsche 963 and Acura ARX-06.
The GTD class features the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, BMW M4 GT3, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Ferrari 296 GT3, Ford Mustang GT3, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO and Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Notably, the Acura ARX-06 and Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO will continue competing in the IMSA Esports Global Championship despite both models being phased out of real-world IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition following the 2026 season.
The championship opens Sept. 27 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta before heading to Sebring International Raceway on Oct. 11. Watkins Glen International hosts Round 3 on Oct. 25, followed by WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Nov. 8. The season concludes Nov. 22 at the historic Daytona International Speedway.
