As Motorsport.com reports, the 2027 Dakar Rally has been forced into a massive relocation to Portugal and Morocco because the war in West Asia prevents Saudi Arabia from hosting the event as originally planned. It is a stunning shift that brings the legendary marathon back to its roots in Europe and Africa, marking the first time the rally will take place outside of Asia since 2020.
Now, instead of kicking off on New Year's Day, the 49th edition of Dakar will run from 7-23 January and span two continents. Competitors will start in Portugal, where the Algarve Stadium hosts the Prologue and the first full stage gets underway. From there, the rally crosses over to Morocco for the remaining nine stages of the grueling journey.
Despite the short timeframe we have had to work with, we have designed a true Dakar,
The Moroccan leg starts in the south of the country before pushing back north along the Atlantic Ocean. When the dust finally settles after covering nearly 8000km over two weeks, the surviving machines will reach the finish line in the capital of Marrakesh.
Uncertainty had hung over the event for weeks. Questions swirled about whether the rally-raid could proceed in Saudi Arabia amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, especially after Iran-aligned Houthis launched attacks on several key sites including the international airport in Riyadh. ASO scrambled behind the scenes, eyeing Morocco for its landscape and rich rally-raid history, while mulling a European starting partner before selecting Portugal.
Dakar director David Castera emphasized that the hastily redesigned route still delivers on the brutal promise of the discipline. "Despite the short timeframe we have had to work with, we have designed a true Dakar," Castera stated, highlighting the support of the ACP (Automóvel Club de Portugal) and the extensive territory they will conquer across Morocco. It is a wild new chapter for a beast of a race that traces its origins all the way back to the 1970s.
