Dakar Rally 2027 relocates to Portugal and Morocco from Saudi Arabia

Paris: Portugal and Morocco will host the 2027 Dakar Rally, as the event relocated from Saudi Arabia due to security reasons, organisers said on Friday.

The 49th edition of the Dakar Rally, ​initially scheduled to run from January 1 to January 15, will now ​take place from January 9 to January 23, subject to approval by the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC).

The event will kick off the 2027 FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championships. This first round will consist of a prologue followed by twelve stages, from January 9 to 23, between Loule-Faro in Portugal and Marrakech in Morocco.

The Algarve will host the prologue and the first special stage. Morocco will host eleven stages and a rest day in Agadir.

The race will stop at six different bivouacs along the 7,824 km route, including 4,341 km of special stages.

"The relocated 49th edition of the Dakar will meet the sporting standards that have always made it the most demanding rally-raid event. Despite the short timeframe we have had to work with, we have designed a true Dakar," said Race Director David Castera.

The competition will begin in Portugal on January 9 with the prologue, followed by the first special stage the next day. The leg will continue with a transfer to the ferry terminal for Nador, Morocco. The Mediterranean crossing will take place overnight.

Upon arrival on the African continent on January 11, the competitors will transfer to the first Moroccan bivouac in Bouarfa. From the Oriental region, in northeastern Morocco, the race will initially descend along the Atlas Mountains via Zagora, then Agadir, where the caravan will take a 24-hour break.

Then it will venture deep into deserts of the country's far south. Smara, and then almost Dakhla, will be at the forefront of the map for the second week. It is from there that the caravan will begin its journey north, again via Smara, before following the Atlantic Ocean and reaching Marrakech, its final destination.

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