Series: Dakar 2027
The 2027 Dakar Rally will not take place in Saudi Arabia. The organiser, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), informed teams on Monday 19 October 2026 about a move to Europe and Africa. The Swiss assistance team TimeOut Racing says ASO informed it directly by telephone that morning, citing the security situation as the reason (TimeOut Racing, 19.10.2026). There is no official ASO press release yet. On 20 October 2026, no announcement about the move could be found on the dakar.com news page. Which countries the rally will visit has not yet been officially confirmed.
What ASO told the teams
According to TimeOut Racing, which draws on the phone call with ASO and on later media reports, the new plan looks like this:
- Prologue on Saturday 9 January 2027, in Europe. The prologue is a short special stage before the first stage, mainly used to set the starting order.
- The rally then travels by ferry to Africa, with the first stage on Sunday 10 January 2027.
- Finish on Friday 22 January 2027.
- Prologue plus 12 stages with more than 4,000 kilometres of special stages.
- The format applies to the Dakar Rally and to Dakar Classic.
- The entry deadline is Monday 16 November 2026. There is additional time for payments and administrative formalities.
- The administrative and technical scrutineering in Santa Susanna and Barcelona will not take place as originally planned. ASO intends to announce how and where it will happen instead in a second newsletter.
The Dakar was originally scheduled for 1 to 15 January 2027 in Saudi Arabia. According to TimeOut Racing, the countries, start and finish locations are still awaiting approval from the governments concerned. ASO reportedly plans to present the new route on Monday 26 or Tuesday 27 October 2026.
Bart van der Velden of BAS Dakar, a Dutch team that supports motorcycle riders, also confirmed to Omroep Brabant that teams had been informed by phone: “Nothing has been announced officially yet, but we have been informed” (translated from Dutch). He cited 12 stages and 4,300 kilometres of special stages and expects a start in Spain or Portugal followed by a crossing to Morocco. Whether the rally continues beyond Morocco into the rest of Africa is unclear.
Morocco as main venue, according to media reports
Several Spanish-language media outlets name Morocco as the main country of the 2027 edition. According to MARCA, the organisation told teams the dates and number of stages on 19 October, with a rest day on Saturday 16 January. The Catalan newspaper ARA writes that the route in Morocco is already fixed. Infobae reports 12 stages in the desert around Merzouga and four bivouacs, that is, rider camps. Mundo Deportivo also names Merzouga. According to TimeOut Racing, ASO itself has not yet confirmed the countries.
Start location in Spain or Portugal still open
Where the rally begins in Europe has not been decided. According to MARCA, ASO wants to hold the scrutineering, the prologue and probably the first competition day in a European city, with Spain and Portugal as candidates. ARA also writes that the only open question is whether the first stage takes place in Spain or Portugal. Mundo Deportivo, citing well-informed sources, reports two stages in Portugal and/or Spain, but stresses that nothing is official and no city has been chosen.
The reports differ on the cities. Infobae names Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and Lisbon, saying ASO is negotiating the start with the highest bidder. Somos Dakar brings Madrid into play, but expressly labels the information as unofficial. According to Diariomotor, the choice could depend on institutional support and sponsors.
Discrepancies over kilometres, marathon stage and dates
The reports largely agree on the key data of 9 to 22 January and 12 stages. There are differences in the details:
- Distance: TimeOut Racing, referring to ASO, cites more than 4,000 kilometres of special stages. MARCA, Omroep Brabant and Somos Dakar speak of 4,300 kilometres of special stages. ARA and Mundo Deportivo cite around 4,900 kilometres in total, Infobae around 4,500 kilometres. The reports do not make clear whether the 4,900 kilometres include the liaison sections.
- Marathon stage: According to MARCA and a team source quoted by Somos Dakar, there is no classic marathon stage, but a stage in the “Refugio” format. According to MARCA, this means no mechanical assistance between two days, with riders spending the night in a basic camp in the desert. ARA and Mundo Deportivo, by contrast, speak of a marathon stage. Whether the same format is meant remains open.
- Scrutineering and start: Mundo Deportivo cites scrutineering from 6 to 8 January in Europe. Somos Dakar reports scrutineering from 6 January and a bivouac opening on 5 January. Infobae gives 5 January for scrutineering and a racing period from 8 to 22 January. According to TimeOut Racing, ASO itself named 9 January as the prologue day.
The dispute over the name
The name “Dakar” was an issue until the end. Infobae writes that the crux of the negotiations was that the Saudi side initially did not want to allow the use of the “Dakar” brand for an event in another country. Dakar director David Castera is said to have finally obtained permission, coupled with a commitment to return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 for the 50th edition. The contract runs until 2030. There is no confirmation of this account from ASO or the Saudi side.
An earlier state of play appears at Moto1Pro, also from 19 October: citing sources quoted by the broadcaster RTVE, it spoke of a Morocco variant with only eight stages and a possible replacement name such as “Dakar Series”. MARCA and ARA now consistently report that the rally will officially be called Dakar 2027 and that the 12-stage format remains. According to MARCA, this replaces an initial ASO plan with only eight competition days.
Trigger: attacks in Saudi Arabia
According to Infobae, attacks on the airports of Riyadh and Abha on Saturday 10 October 2026 raised the alert level. The week before, ASO had told teams it was monitoring the situation closely. According to Infobae, rumours followed that factory teams in cars and motorcycles would not travel, and that private teams had also questioned their participation. Somos Dakar writes that in the week before 19 October ASO still told riders it was looking, together with the Saudi organisers, for safer alternatives within the country.
If Africa goes ahead as planned, it would be the first Dakar on the continent since the 2007 edition. In 2008 the rally was cancelled after terror threats, from 2009 it ran in South America and since 2020 in Saudi Arabia (Moto1Pro, Infobae).
Reactions from the motorcycle camp
For privateers and amateurs, it was above all a matter of planning certainty. The Catalan Josep Pedró, who according to ARA is starting in the “Original by Motul” class for the second time, that is, without his own assistance team, told the newspaper: “The most important thing for all riders was safety and certainty.” The certainty of 12 stages, a prologue in Europe and almost 5,000 kilometres reassures him (translated from the English version of ARA).
For Bart van der Velden of BAS Dakar, the main thing was that it remains a full Dakar: “Eight days in Morocco is not a Dakar Rally,” he told Omroep Brabant (translated). According to the broadcaster, debutant Lars van Berkel from Veghel had feared for his first participation. Now he is thrilled, “because it seems to be a bit more like the old Dakar after all” (translated).
According to Infobae, all factory teams are expected at the 2027 edition, including Luciano Benavides, the youngest winner in the motorcycle category, on KTM. There is no official entry list yet.
What happens next
According to TimeOut Racing, ASO plans to present the route on 26 or 27 October 2026, while MARCA and Somos Dakar expect official confirmation at the end of this week or the start of next. Until then, countries, start location, distances and the exact format of the stage without assistance are not official. According to TimeOut Racing, the entry deadline remains 16 November 2026.
Sources and image credits
Text sources
- TimeOut Racing (Sven Syfrig): „Dakar 2027 Moves to Europe and Africa: Dates and Format“, 19.10.2026, timeout-racing.com
- Omroep Brabant: „Dakar Rally keert terug naar Afrika: Brabantse deelnemers dolblij“, 19.10.2026, omroepbrabant.nl
- MARCA: „El Dakar 2027 afina su plan: 12 etapas, en Marruecos y con prólogo en Europa“, 19.10.2026, marca.com
- ARA: „It is now definitive: the Dakar flees from Saudi Arabia and changes dates“, 19.10.2026, en.ara.cat
- Infobae: „La historia detrás del retorno del Rally Dakar a África luego de 20 años“, 19.10.2026, infobae.com
- Mundo Deportivo: „Más detalles del Dakar 2027: etapas entre España y Portugal antes de ir a Marruecos“, 19.10.2026, mundodeportivo.com
- Somos Dakar: „Extraoficial: el Rally Dakar 2027 cambia de fecha y recorrido“, 19.10.2026, somosdakar.com
- Diariomotor: „El Rally Dakar prepara su regreso a África para salvar una edición 2027 que podría pasar por España“, 19.10.2026, diariomotor.com
- Moto1Pro: „El Dakar 2027 podría trasladarse a Marruecos con un recorrido de ocho etapas“, 19.10.2026, moto1pro.com
- Dakar (A.S.O.): news page, viewed on 20.10.2026, dakar.com
Image credits
- Rider at the Rallye du Maroc 2026 (according to the file name Ricky Brabec, stage 3); photographer not named; original source: Moto1Pro, published on 19.10.2026; no licence information given in the source.
- Archive image: rally motorcycle on a dune against the light; photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez; original source: MARCA, published on 19.10.2026; date and location of the photo not given; no licence information given in the source.