Gran Turismo World Series

Did You Know?

• The World Series races are usually streamed live from Dock10 studios on YouTube and Twitch under the official Gran Turismo and PlayStation channels.
• As of 2025, 66 countries across five regions are eligible to participate in the Nations Cup series.

History

Polyphony Digital announced a partnership with the FIA in June 2014 to enhance realism in virtual motorsport, allowing FIA-certified content and an online championship in Gran Turismo 6 in 2015. In 2016, the FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships (FIA GTC) were formed. The series launched in Gran Turismo Sport after its release, with test seasons from 2017 to 2018 and the first official season in 2018. The first World Tour at Nürburgring saw Giorgio Mangano win the Nations Cup event and Philippe Nicolay, Matthew Thomas, and Anthony Duval (BMW) win the Manufacturer Series event. Igor Fraga became the inaugural Nations Cup champion in 2018, and Kanata Kawakami, Vincent Rigaud, and Tyrell Meadows became the inaugural Manufacturer Series champions. Champions were honored at the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony. In 2019, Polyphony Digital and Toyota Gazoo Racing introduced the Toyota GR Supra GT Cup, later renamed the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup; it concluded in April 2025. The 2021 format shifted to online-only due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Valerio Gallo became the final Gran Turismo Sport champion.

Format

Each season begins with a World Tour event featuring top drivers from the prior season; the winner gains direct access to the World Final. The Online Series, a qualification phase, follows and is divided into four stages of ten rounds each. After each stage, another World Tour event is held with top players from that stage. Selected players must be over 18 and sign an application form. The Online Series lasts five to seven months. Live Events then begin: the Nations Cup includes the top 90 players (30 per region) by points across all stages, with three regional live events; the top 10 from each region enter the World Final. The Manufacturer Series includes the top 48 players (three per region) and 16 manufacturers by points; the top players and manufacturers compete in the World Final. The 2020 World Finals were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards

The Nations Cup and Manufacturers Cup trophies are laser-scanned reproductions of Umberto Boccioni's 1913 bronze sculpture Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, chosen for representing the surprise and fascination of machines. Players receive a plaque for participation; top three finishers in any series get a gold plaque and a trophy. Formerly, a TAG Heuer watch was awarded until the partnership ended in 2020; that year Sony Alpha photography equipment was given, followed by BBS wheels in 2021.

Champions

As of 2025, there have been eight Nations Cup champions and eighteen Manufacturers Cup champions, plus five Toyota GR GT Cup champions. Takuma Miyazono holds five individual titles: one Toyota GR GT Cup, two Nations Cup, and two Manufacturers Cup. Coque López, Takuma Miyazono, and José Serrano each have two Nations Cup titles; López became the first repeat champion in 2023. Six drivers have two Manufacturers Cup titles: Igor Fraga and Tomoaki Yamanaka (Toyota), Takuma Miyazono and Daniel Solis (Subaru), and Kanata Kawakami and Coque López (Lexus). Miyazono completed a treble in 2020. All Manufacturers Cup winners from 2018 to 2024 were Japanese manufacturers; Porsche became the first non-Japanese winner in 2025. Igor Fraga, Mikail Hizal, Takuma Miyazono, Coque López, and José Serrano have won both the Nations Cup and Manufacturers Cup.