The 2027 Dakar Rally, scheduled for 1 to 15 January, will not be held in Saudi Arabia, the rally’s organiser, A.S.O., and the Saudi Motorsport Company said in a joint statement on Sunday 25 October. The race will still go ahead in a different territory, and Saudi Arabia will host the 50th edition in 2028.
The organisers pointed to recent developments in the region. Motorsport.com reported that Iran-backed Houthi forces carried out attacks on several key areas of Saudi Arabia in October, including Riyadh airport.
What the Statement Said
The two organisations took the decision jointly, and the statement described it as a one-off: “This decision is exceptional and one-off and was taken in close coordination with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), and with the support of the FIA and the FIM.”
On the 2027 race, the statement said: “Dakar 2027 will go ahead. The 2027 edition will take place in a different territory and will be organised by A.S.O. The location will be announced separately in the coming days.”
As of 26 October, no host had been named. The new location is due to be announced separately by A.S.O., and the 2027 race will be the 49th edition of the rally, Motorsport.com reported.
Where the Race Could Go
Morocco is widely expected to host, with a start in Portugal or Spain under consideration, Motorsport.com reported. Al Jazeera said specialist media were reporting Morocco or Spain. Both are reported expectations rather than confirmed choices.
If the rally goes to Morocco, it would be the first Dakar held in Africa since 2007, according to Al Jazeera, and the race would return to “its spiritual home in Africa”, as Motorsport.com put it. The 2008 race was cancelled over security concerns in North Africa, and the event then moved to South America and later to Saudi Arabia.
The race has moved before. The first Dakar, in 1978, ran from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, Motorsport.com reported.
Events Leaving the Region
The organisers had hoped to keep the race in Saudi Arabia for 2027 on a new northern route, Al Jazeera reported.
The Dakar is not the only event to leave Saudi Arabia in 2026. The Jeddah Formula One race was cancelled and the WTA Finals were moved to Indian Wells, according to Al Jazeera, which also reported that the World Rally Championship’s Saudi round in November has been scrapped.
Australia’s Toby Price was among the competitors at the 2026 Dakar, Speedcafe reported.
Back to Saudi Arabia for the 50th
Saudi Arabia has hosted seven consecutive editions of the rally since 2020, according to A.S.O., so the 2027 race would have been its eighth in a row. The statement said: “Saudi Arabia will host Dakar 2028, a landmark edition celebrating the 50th running of the rally.”
That milestone edition will come 50 years after the first Paris to Dakar race in 1978. For 2027, the rally goes ahead in another territory, with A.S.O. due to announce where.
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Sources: Dakar Rally (A.S.O.), “Dakar 2027 will not take place in Saudi Arabia: the rally will return to the Kingdom in 2028 for its 50th edition”, 25 October 2026 (https://www.dakar.com/en/news/2027/dakar-2027-will-not-take-place-in-saudi-arabia-the-rally-will-return-to-the-kingdom-in-2028-for-its-50th-edition/208356); Motorsport.com, “Dakar Rally moves 2027 event out of Saudi Arabia; new location to be announced”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.motorsport.com/dakar/news/dakar-rally-moves-2027-event-out-of-saudi-arabia-new-location-to-be-announced/10868272/); Al Jazeera, “Dakar Rally 2027 moved out of Saudi Arabia amid conflict in Middle East”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/26/dakar-rally-2027-moved-out-of-saudi-arabia-amid-conflict-in-middle-east); Speedcafe, “Dakar Rally abandons Saudi Arabia for 2027”, 26 October 2026 (https://speedcafe.com/dakar-rally-news-2026-saudi-arabia-decision-statement-move-explanation-details-2027/)
Photo: X-raid Team (EKSRX), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A buggy kicks up dust across rocky desert during the prologue of the 2021 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, on 2 January 2021.
