Dakar 2027 leaves Saudi Arabia, returns for 2028 edition
The newsroomUpdated on October 25, 20263 minDakar 2027: ASO and SMC confirm the rally will not run in Saudi Arabia from 1 to 15 January. The new location is due to be announced in the coming days.
Key point
Dakar 2027 will not be held in Saudi Arabia: ASO will run the 49th edition from 1 to 15 January in a different territory, and the rally returns to the Kingdom in 2028 for its 50th.
Dakar 2027 will not be held in Saudi Arabia. Organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and the Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) announced it jointly on Sunday 25 October 2026, and the FIA confirms it. The 49th edition is still planned for 1 to 15 January 2027, but in a different territory that ASO will reveal “in the coming days”. The rally returns to the Kingdom in 2028 for its 50th edition.
What was announced
- No Saudi Dakar in 2027: the event, which had run in the Kingdom without a break since 2020, takes a pause there.
- A different territory: ASO will organise the 2027 edition elsewhere. The location is not yet official. Autosport says Morocco is widely expected, without confirmation, and that a prologue in Portugal or Spain is reportedly being considered before the crossing of the Alboran Sea.
- Dates unchanged: 1 to 15 January 2027.
- Competitors: ASO is in direct contact with teams, riders and partners to support them through the transition.
Why?
The statement cites “recent developments in the region” and calls the decision exceptional and one-off. It was taken in coordination with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), with the support of the FIA and the FIM. Autosport links the choice to the Middle East conflict and to attacks attributed to Houthi rebels that hit several Saudi areas earlier in October, including Riyadh airport.
2028: the 50th edition in Saudi Arabia
The FIA, SMC, ASO and SAMF reaffirm their shared commitment to developing motor sport in the Kingdom. Dakar 2028, the fiftieth, will be run there, and ASO and SMC are already preparing it.
A rally used to moving
The Dakar has had several homes. The first rally, in 1978, ran from Paris to Dakar in Senegal. Africa hosted it for decades, until 2009, before it moved to South America and then to Saudi Arabia.
What now?
The coming days will show where Dakar 2027 is run: route, stages and logistics are still to be defined. For the bike, quad, car, SSV and truck teams, the destination shapes the whole preparation schedule up to 1 January.
Frequently asked questions
Will Dakar 2027 go ahead?
Yes. The edition is still planned for 1 to 15 January 2027, but in a different territory from Saudi Arabia, to be named in the coming days.
Will the Dakar return to Saudi Arabia?
Yes. The 50th edition in 2028 is planned for the Kingdom, and ASO and SMC are already working on it.
Why the change?
The statement cites “recent developments in the region” and calls it an exceptional, one-off decision. Autosport links it to the conflict in the Middle East.
Sources
- FIA — Dakar 2027 will not take place in Saudi Arabia
- Autosport — Dakar moves 2027 event out of Saudi Arabia
Written by the Karrazmotorsport newsroom, proofread before publication. For settings, always refer to your vehicle's manual. Our charter.
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