The legendary Dakar Rally is packing its bags for a return to its roots in Europe and North Africa. As Motorsport.com Italia reports, the 2027 edition of the iconic rally raid has been moved away from Saudi Arabia, with ASO confirming that the event will instead run between Portugal and Morocco.
War in West Asia forced the relocation, ending Saudi Arabia's run of hosting the event. Originally penciled in to start on New Year's Day, the 49th running of this brutal endurance test will now take place from January 7 to January 23. That is a slight shift from the initial dates of January 9 to 23 mentioned in early planning, bringing competitors across two continents for nearly 8,000 km of racing over two weeks.
The action kicks off in Portugal, utilizing the Algarve Stadium for the Prologue before the opening full stage gets underway on Portuguese soil. From there, the convoy crosses over to Morocco for the remaining nine stages of the route. The machines will first head down into the south of Morocco before turning back north to race along the Atlantic coastline, ultimately finishing up in the capital city of Marrakech.
ASO and event organizers pulled this massive logistical shift together under tight deadlines. Dakar director David Castera emphasized that the altered 49th edition will still uphold the grueling sporting standards that define the world's most demanding rally-raid.
“Despite the short notice, we have designed a true Dakar,” Castera said. He highlighted the backing of the ACP (Automóvel Club de Portugal), noting their established role in the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship since 2024, alongside Morocco's robust infrastructure and the operational strength of internal teams that will allow competitors to traverse the entire Kingdom from end to end.
