A new route, later January dates and a return to African terrain will reshape next year’s Dakar, with Saudi Arabia due to host again in 2028.
- Portugal and Morocco replace Saudi Arabia as the 2027 Dakar hosts.
- The announced 9–23 January dates remain subject to FIA WMSC approval.
- The route totals 7,824km, including 4,341km of timed stages; Saudi Arabia is due to host again in 2028.
Dakar is heading back to Africa. The 2027 rally will start in Portugal and finish in Morocco, following the decision to move the event out of Saudi Arabia for one year.
The move also reshapes the January racing calendar. The announced dates are now 9–23 January, replacing the original 1–15 January schedule. The revised dates remain subject to FIA World Motor Sport Council approval.
| 2027 Dakar | Announced details |
|---|---|
| Start / finish | Loulé-Faro, Portugal / Marrakech, Morocco |
| Dates | 9–23 January 2027; subject to FIA WMSC approval |
| Format | Prologue + 12 stages; rest day in Agadir |
| Distance | 7,824km total / 4,341km competitive |
| Next edition | 50th running planned for Saudi Arabia in 2028 |
A different route, a familiar challenge
The 49th edition is planned to run from Loulé-Faro to Marrakech, covering 7,824km in total, with 4,341km against the clock. A prologue and 12 stages will open the 2027 FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championship seasons.
Portugal’s Algarve hosts the prologue on 9 January and the opening special the following day. The rally then crosses by ferry to Nador, with competitors transferring to Bouarfa on 11 January before the route works its way south via Zagora and Agadir. Agadir will host the rest day.
The second week takes the field deeper into desert terrain before the rally turns north for the finish in Marrakech. Most timed stages are expected to cover 350–500km. Whatever the change of scenery, that still leaves plenty of room for a missed navigation cue to ruin a perfectly good day.
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The scenery changes; the job of finding the next waypoint does not.
A one-year move
A.S.O. and Saudi Motorsport Company announced on 25 October that the Saudi event would not proceed as planned, citing recent developments in the region, i.e. the uncertainty of the conflicts in the region and the disruption is could potentially cause the event. The alternative route was announced on 30 October with the mention that Saudi Arabia will welcome Dakar back in 2028 for its 50th edition, although that’s got to be taking into account that hostilities will be over by then.
The FIA describes the relocation as Dakar’s first return to the African continent since 2007. It is a return to Africa, rather than a return to the traditional finish in Dakar itself: Marrakech is the destination this time.
Africa returns to the Dakar story
For rally fans, the appeal is the combination of unfamiliar stages and a return to the continent that shaped Dakar’s reputation. The Algarve opener, the crossing to Morocco and the desert stages give the 49th edition a distinct identity ahead of the planned Saudi return.
With 4,341 competitive kilometres on the programme, navigation, endurance and consistency will still define the contest. Africa is back on Dakar’s map, and January has just become rather more interesting.
Related reading: BRM’s Kove 450 Rally NZ test takes a closer look at Dakar-inspired machinery.
Images: Dakar.com
