The date for the 2017 Le Mans race was confirmed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council in a press conference of the sport's organiser, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), at the Musée des 24 Heures du Mans on 16 June 2016. It was the 85th running of the event, and the third of nine scheduled rounds of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. The race was scheduled to avoid conflicting with other major motorsport events, as was the case in the edition when it clashed with the European Grand Prix.