Dakar Rally 2027 to return to Africa for first time in nearly 20 years

Enduro21 can confirm that the 2027 Dakar Rally will move from Saudi Arabia to Europe and North Africa, returning to its heartland with a full two-week format, in the face of growing security concerns in the Middle East.

The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) has now made contact with teams to confirm that the upcoming rally raid will start in Europe before crossing to Africa by ferry, bringing the event back to the continent for the first time in almost two decades.

In a marked departure from the usual New Year’s Day start, the prologue is scheduled for roughly a week later on January 9, with the finish on January 22. The revised event will feature 12 stages, a rest day and a demanding marathon stage, with roughly 4900 kilometres of total route planned.

The final details, including the European start and the African start and finish locations, are still awaiting official confirmation. Spain or Portugal are being considered for the opening prologue, while the Moroccan route is understood to have been finalised – though we have not received final confirmation from ASO to validate this.

The move follows weeks of uncertainty over whether the Dakar could safely take place in Saudi Arabia, where the escalating conflict involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels has raised concerns over the safety of competitors, teams and spectators.

The security situation has continued to escalate, and at the time of writing this, the UK government has just confirmed that RAF Typhoon jets will carry out defensive missions over the country amid ongoing Houthi missile and drone attacks.

ASO had been working on alternative plans as the security situation developed, including the possibility of a shortened Morocco-based event we previously reported, or a revived route in the north of Saudi Arabia to avoid the ensuing conflict near the southern border.

The Dakar name will also be retained, despite commercial commitments linked to the event’s former host country’s contractual agreement.

The new plans will also affect the event’s administrative and technical scrutineering, which was due to take place in Santa Susanna and Barcelona in its originally planned format. ASO is expected to provide further details on the revised arrangements in a subsequent communication. The same changes will apply to the Dakar Classic.

Registration is currently scheduled to close on November 16, plus additional time allowed for payments and administrative procedures. ASO is expected to announce the new route on October 26 or 27, although the exact timing remains subject to confirmation.