Gran Turismo World Series 2026 Nations Cup Exhibition 2

Exhibition 2 of the Nations Cup in the Gran Turismo World Series 2026 runs from Saturday 19 September to Saturday 17 October. It's four rounds, each with a Qualifying and a Final, and the variety across them is the most interesting thing about this one. You go from Gr.3 at Interlagos to hypercars at Fuji, then a field of 1950s classics at Sardegna, before finishing with the fastest car in the game at Deep Forest.

That is a proper test of range rather than a specialist's championship, and it should make for four genuinely different weekends.

Round 1: Gr.3 at Autódromo de Interlagos, 19 September

The opener heads to Interlagos for 20 laps of Gr.3, but with a twist. This is a specified-car round, so you pick from the Audi R8 LMS Evo '19, Ferrari 296 GT3 '23, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 '15, McLaren 650S GT3 '15 or Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) '22. BoP and tuning are locked, and settings are limited to brake balance.

The multipliers are where it gets serious. Race fuel runs at 2x and tyre wear at 5x over 20 laps, with one mandatory pit stop. Racing Mediums are the base compound with intermediates and wets available, which suggests weather could be a factor. Qualifying is a 10-minute window with fuel and wear switched off.

Twenty laps of Interlagos at 5x wear is going to punish anyone who abuses their tyres early. The Senna S eats front tyres and there is nowhere to hide on a lap this short, so managing degradation across a long opening stint will matter as much as raw pace.

Round 2: Hypercars at Fuji International Speedway, 26 September

Round 2 is the headline for a lot of people. Gr.1 at Fuji, 27 laps, in the current crop of Le Mans Hypercars and LMDh machinery: the Ferrari 499P '23, Porsche 963 '24, Toyota GR010 Hybrid '21, Peugeot 9X8 '25 and BMW M Hybrid V8 '25.

Four of those five only arrived in GT7 with the June update, so this is the first World Series round to properly showcase them. Race fuel sits at 1x but tyre wear is at 3x, and notably there is no mandatory pit stop, so strategy is yours to decide. Racing Mediums and Softs are both available alongside intermediates and wets.

Twenty-seven laps of Fuji with 3x wear and a free hand on strategy is a lovely bit of race design. The long straight makes slipstream and track position matter, while the technical final sector will show up anyone running worn rubber. Expect the field to split on tyre choice, and expect that to decide the result.

Round 3: 1950s Classics at Sardegna Road Track A, 10 October

This is the curveball, and it is the round I am most curious about. Ten laps of Sardegna Road Track A in a field of pre-war and 1950s machinery, on Sports Hard tyres, with fuel consumption and tyre wear both switched off entirely.

The car list is wonderful: the Aston Martin DB3S '53, Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta '38, Chevrolet Corvette C1 '58, Jaguar D-type '54, Ferrari 500 Mondial Pinin Farina Coupé '54, both Porsche 356 A variants, the Porsche 550 Spyder '55, Maserati A6GCS/53 Spyder '54, three Mercedes-Benz 300 SL variants and the Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer '29.

With no fuel or tyre management and fixed car settings, this is pure driving. No strategy to hide behind, no BoP debate, just skinny tyres, period handling and ten laps of a coastal circuit that punishes mistakes. It is also going to look fantastic, which never hurts a broadcast round.

Round 4: Red Bull X2019 at Deep Forest Reverse, 17 October

The finale is the fastest car in the game at one of the most loved circuits, run backwards. Thirty-five laps of Deep Forest Raceway Reverse in either the Red Bull X2019 Competition or the 25th Anniversary version.

Race fuel is at 2x and tyre wear at 5x, with a required tyre rule: you must use Racing Hards, Mediums and Softs across the race. That forces a multi-stop strategy and means compound sequencing becomes a real decision rather than an afterthought. Interestingly, minimum pit stops is set to off, so the requirement comes from the tyre rule itself rather than a stop count.

If this combination feels familiar, it should. Deep Forest Reverse in the X2019 ran as an Online Time Trial back in August as the World Series replica combo for the Tokyo round, so anyone who put laps into that has a head start here. Thirty-five laps at that speed with three compounds to work through is going to be relentless.

How Entry and Points Work

Each round runs at multiple times so you can pick a slot that suits you, and entry opens 15 minutes before the start. The GT1 League has three evening slots at 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00 BST. The GT2 and GT3 Leagues get far more flexibility, with five morning slots from 9:00 to 13:00 and five evening slots from 18:00 to 22:00.

The points system has one rule that catches people out every season: you can enter multiple slots in a round, but only the points from the last race you entered count. A great result early followed by a bad one later means the bad one sticks. Pick your slot and commit to it.

Scores from all four rounds combine at the end of Round 4. Ties are broken by highest individual points across all rounds, then highest points in a single round, then Driver Rating, then Sportsmanship Rating, and finally by whoever started playing GT7 earlier according to their PSN record.

There is also a points adjustment coming in for top-tier GT1 matchmaking, effective from this exhibition, with more adjustments planned for future competitions.

The Credit Rewards

This is what makes the championship worth entering even if you are not realistically chasing a top ranking. The Points Ranking Rewards bonus pays out in-game credits based on final position, distributed at the end of the season and collected from Sport mode.

In the GT1 League, Gold for the top 5% pays 4 million credits at regional level, 2 million domestically and 1 million for local rankings. Silver covers the top 25% at 2 million regional down to 500,000 local, and Bronze covers the top 75% at 1 million regional down to 250,000 local. The GT2 and GT3 Leagues run at half those figures across the board.

The key number there is Bronze at top 75%. Three quarters of the field gets paid, so simply entering all four rounds and finishing respectably guarantees a meaningful payout. For most players that is a better reason to take part than the ranking itself.

Final Thoughts

This is a well-designed championship. Four rounds, four completely different disciplines, and none of them repeating what the others ask of you. The Gr.3 opener is a tyre management test, Fuji is a strategy round in brand-new machinery, Sardegna is pure driving with all the aids stripped away, and the X2019 finale is flat-out speed with a forced three-compound strategy.

Round 3 is the one we would not miss. A field of 1950s classics with no fuel or tyre management is the closest the World Series gets to a pure driving contest, and it is going to be a joy to watch.

Let us know which round you are most looking forward to, and whether you will be entering.