A capacity 26-car entry list has been registered for the first season of the new FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) in 2018, after the entry deadline passed at the end of January.

Three teams, Comtoyou Racing, Boutsen Ginion Racing and the Hyundai-supported BRC Racing Team, have already revealed their plans to enter the WTCR in 2018. In addition, DG Sport Compétition have publicly declared their intention to enter a pair of new Peugeot 308 TCR cars.

The official entry list will be published in due course, with a mixture of youth and experience, as 55-year-old tin-top veteran Gabriele Tarquini has already been revealed as part of BRC’s line-up.

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“Last December, after the meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, the WTCR announcement generated more than 1000 articles around the world,” said Head of Eurosport Events François Ribeiro. “From that moment we were left in no doubt that the expectations of the new series were very high.

“Whilst we only had two months to put the grid together and during a period after most companies’ budgets were already closed for 2018, Eurosport Events and the FIA had a clear objective to target quality over quantity.

“We are therefore glad that WTCR will deliver a grid of very high sporting quality to touring car fans around the world: the best of WTCC and TCR International under the same umbrella, including a great mix of touring car champions.

“We will now work on filling the two wildcard entry slots available at each of the 10 WTCR events, thereby building additional interest in the all-new series and promoting strong domestic talent.”

Eurosport Events have also yet to reveal the venue for the tenth event in 2018, with a race set to take place on either the 21-22 July or 6-7 October.