The organisers of the Dakar Rally have announced that the event will no longer take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027, due to “recent developments in the region,” following conflicts between the Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

“The 2027 Dakar Rally will take place. The 2027 edition will be held in a different territory and will be organised by the ASO. The location will be announced separately in the coming days. The ASO is in direct contact with competitors, teams and partners to support them in this transition,” the statement read.

From Portugal to Morocco

The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the company responsible for organising, among other events, the Dakar Rally and the Tour de France cycling race, confirmed that the 2027 edition will move to another location.

A source close to the event revealed to Lusa that Portugal and Morocco are in the running to host it, although details of the route and competition programme are yet to be released.

Several locations are currently being considered, including Spain, but the start and prologue in the Algarve, with stages in Morocco, are also being discussed, Diário de Notícias reports.

Marking the 50th edition

The organisers have confirmed that the Dakar Rally will return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 to mark the event’s 50th edition.

“Saudi Arabia will host the Dakar Rally in 2028, in a historic edition that will mark the 50th edition of the rally. The two organisations are already working together to make this milestone an exceptional moment for the Dakar and the Kingdom, with a shared commitment to once again holding an emblematic and world-class event, according to the highest quality standards,” the statement reads.

Returning to Portugal

Lisbon hosted the start of the 2006 and 2007 editions, but the planned third consecutive start from Lisbon was cancelled on 4 January 2008, on the eve of the competition, due to security threats in Mauritania, RTP Notícias reports.

Following the cancellation, the race moved to South America in 2009, with routes passing through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay over 11 editions, before settling in Saudi Arabia in 2020.

Should the proposed relocation to Portugal and Morocco go ahead, it would mark the return to the European and African territories where the race originated.

Created by Frenchman Thierry Sabine, the Dakar Rally was first held in 1979, linking Paris to the Senegalese capital, with different routes in later editions, including Paris–Cape Town in 1992, Granada–Dakar in 1995, and Dakar–Cairo in 2000.


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