The World Endurance Championship has unveiled an expanded calendar for 2024 that features two new venues.

The series will visit eight countries across four continents for what will be its 12th season which will include a further influx of manufacturers to the hypercar category.

The Losail International Circuit in Doha will make its debut by staging the prologue and the opening round on March 2. The Qatar 1812, named after the country’s National Day, is expected to last just under 10 hours.

WEC then moves to a second new venue in April for the Six Hours of Imola at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari which replaces Monza as the Italian round.

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, which recently signed a five-year contract extension with the series promoter, stages the third round in May, followed by the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16.

After what will be a 10-year hiatus, WEC returns to Brazil in mid-July for the Six Hours of São Paulo at Interlagos before the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, hosts Lone Star Le Mans on September 1.

The final two races are as per this year’s calendar, with the Fuji International Speedway in Japan staging the penultimate round in mid-September, before concluding in Bahrain on November 2.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “It is always encouraging to see FIA championships growing in strength.

“The announcement of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship is another positive development within the series.

“For 2024, the calendar expands both in the number of races and, more importantly, geographical diversity, bringing WEC to more people.

“Looking at the bigger picture, the evolution of the calendar coincides with the rise of WEC’s profile, and in particular its premier hypercar class.

“This is a testament to the reform of the series’ regulatory foundations carried out jointly by the FIA and the ACO, which has attracted new manufacturers.”