Morocco was dropped from the schedule while new rallies were introduced in Quebec and New Zealand.
Due to internal politics within the company, Lancia failed to mount a significant effort to capture a fourth consecutive Championship.
Instead, corporate partner Fiat led the fight against Ford, ultimately triumphing in a tightly contested battle that lasted most of the year.
Scoring was modified in 1977 to a more complex system including points both for overall and group placement.
A total of 20 events were part of this series, including all rallies of the WRC, the five coefficient 4 rallies from the European Championship and four FIA Special Events.