Dakar 2027 will not be held in Saudi Arabia. The 49th edition is scheduled to run from 1 to 15 January 2027 in a different territory, with the destination due to be announced separately in the coming days. Morocco is expected to become the host, but that choice has not been confirmed as final.

Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) and Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) have jointly decided to move the event after recent developments in the region. The decision was taken in close coordination with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), with support from the FIA and FIM. Dakar organisers describe the change as an exceptional, one-off measure, while stressing that the 2027 rally itself will go ahead.

The change comes amid heightened tensions across the Middle East. Recent attacks claimed by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement targeted Saudi-owned Aramco oil and gas facilities as well as locations in Riyadh, while the UK Foreign Office subsequently revised its travel advice for parts of Saudi Arabia. The FIA also cancelled the World Rally Championship round planned for Jeddah in November. Those developments provide the wider context for Dakar’s temporary departure from the Kingdom.

A.S.O. will organise the 2027 event in its new territory and is already in direct contact with competitors, teams and partners to help them manage the transition. The location change therefore affects the host country, not the planned January dates or the running of the rally itself.

Saudi Arabia is planned to return in 2028

Saudi Arabia is set to host Dakar again in 2028, when the rally reaches its 50th running. The Kingdom has staged seven consecutive editions since 2020, welcoming competitors on routes that have highlighted the country’s geographical diversity and made it an integral part of Dakar’s recent identity.

A.S.O., SMC and SAMF have reaffirmed their long-term partnership, their intention to continue developing motorsport in the Kingdom and their shared plan to make the 2028 anniversary edition an exceptional event. Dakar will consequently spend one year outside Saudi Arabia before the planned landmark return.