Major blow as huge Cardiff event removed from Principality Stadium

A long-running event that has attracted thousands to the Welsh capital has been pulled by organisers

It was announced today that FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff will be withdrawn from next season’s calendar after being hosted at the stadium for 23 years.

The then Millennium Stadium first hosted the event in 2001 and it’s always proven hugely popular with fans flooding into the city each year for the weekend event.

However, organisers Warner Bros. Discovery Sports issued a statement which stated the event is no longer economically viable and that two rounds of the 10 round speedway event will now be hosted in Manchester replacing the Cardiff leg.

The statement read: ‘Following three years of investment to stage the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff, sadly this particular event is no longer viable within a complex economic landscape impacting the event and its contributing stakeholders, when faced with ever-increasing costs and declining attendances. The decision has been made in close consultation with the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).

‘There will still be 10 rounds across the 2025 season as WBD Sports and the FIM announce today that an exciting double-header will be staged in Manchester on June 13-14, ensuring British speedway fans can still enjoy two live rounds next year at the National Speedway Stadium.’

Jean-Baptiste Ley, Motorsport Events Director at WBD Sports, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank all our partners who have helped us to stage a fantastic sporting event at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in recent years. I would also like to place on record that Warner Bros. Discovery Sports remains committed to delivering an action-packed, engaging 2025 FIM Speedway GP series that can be enjoyed by millions of fans.

“In 2024, we had record numbers of fans watching the FIM Speedway GP series on our platforms and a host of sold-out events, as well as staging racing in front of nearly 50,000 fans at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw (Poland), the world’s biggest speedway attendance in 2024.

“In 2025, we are incredibly excited to bring the FIM Speedway GP series to the iconic National Speedway Stadium in Manchester, a true heartland of the sport, meaning British fans can still watch their favourite riders live and in-person next season as part of an exciting double-header.

He added: “The difficult but necessary decision to replace Cardiff on the 2025 calendar, made in close consultation with the FIM, has not been taken lightly. However, a combination of logistical challenges, rising costs impacting the event and its contributing stakeholders, and declining attendances have prevented us from positioning Cardiff as an event that met commercial, or spectator attendance targets post-Covid.

“It is a decision we have made for commercial reasons and a move that ensures the long-term sustainability of the series.

“We will continue to deliver on our plans to capitalise on the popularity of speedway elsewhere and we support the sustained expansion of the sport at all levels of the SGP pyramid – ensuring we provide an even more compelling product for fans while helping the sport to grow even further.”