The 2027 Dakar Rally will move to a new territory due to the ongoing conflict between the United States/Israel and Iran.
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The event organizers announced the news and said that the long-running off-road race would not head to Saudi Arabia from Jan. 1-15 as originally planned. Instead, the event will move for one year before returning to Saudi Arabia in 2028 for a 50th anniversary celebration.
Now, the 2027 Dakar Rally will take place in Morocco, Spain, and Portugal. The new dates will be Jan. 9-23, 2027.
The Dakar Rally is a long-running off-road endurance event that tests competitors across multiple classes as they race on unprepared tracks. Instead of paved roads, they take on sand, mud, rocks, camel grass, and other terrains.
The rally's various competitive categories allow for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and UTVs.
👇 Dakar 2027 official route
🗓️ 9th - 23rd January 2027
🚩 Loulé/Faro - Marrakech 🏁
🗺️ 7,824 km (4,341 km of SS)🔜 #Dakar2027 pic.twitter.com/gi4Ltw9luv
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) October 30, 2026
"Faced with a difficult situation that has led to its exceptional relocation for the 2027 edition, the Dakar is benefiting from a form of solidarity inherited from its history, particularly from Portugal and Morocco, which have agreed to open their territories to the event once again," a release from the Dakar Rally stated.
"The long-standing ties forged with these countries have been maintained by the wider rally-raid community, which has continued to gather there, notably for the W2RC rounds held in recent years."
The 49th edition of the Dakar Rally will begin at the 30,000-seat Algarve Stadium in Portugal. Competitors will then travel southeast through parts of Spain before heading into Africa for the first time in 20 years. They will use an overnight Mediterranean crossing to reach Nador, Morocco.
The Dakar Rally will then continue with a trip through northeast Morocco and then a trip south along the Atlas Mountains. They will race through unexplored deserts while pushing toward Smara and Dakhla. The competitors will then begin the trek back north while navigating the difficult terrain yet again.
The 49th edition of this challenging rally will task the competitors with completing 4,341 kilometers (2,697 miles) of special stages, split between 350-500 kilometers each day.
"The relocated 49th edition of the Dakar will meet the sporting standards that have always made it the most demanding rally-raid event," said Dakar director David Castera. "Despite the short timeframe we have had to work with, we have designed a true Dakar.
"The ACP (Automovel Club de Portugal) is supporting us in Portugal, having established its round of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship as a cornerstone of the season since 2024. And in Morocco, our expertise across the entire territory, combined with the operational capabilities of our internal teams, allows us to go far beyond the formats previously offered in the country: competitors will discover the Kingdom from one end to the other.
"We will explore all its distinctive features through a route of unprecedented scale. Here too, the country's expertise in hosting major international events, as well as the quality of its infrastructure, will be invaluable in enabling us to offer everyone a truly first-class Dakar."
