[{"id":16622,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2026\/11\/01\/dakar-rally-heads-back-to-africa-for-2027\/","title":"Dakar Rally Heads Back to Africa for 2027","content":"The Dakar Rally is going back to its roots. After seven consecutive editions in Saudi Arabia, the 2027 Dakar Rally will move to Portugal and Morocco, bringing the world\u2019s most famous off-road race back to Africa for the first time in nearly two decades. The 49th edition of Dakar is scheduled for January 9-23, 2027, beginning in Loul\u00e9-Faro, Portugal, before crossing the Mediterranean into Morocco and finishing in Marrakech. The event will feature a prologue and 12 stages covering 7,824 kilometers, including 4,341 kilometers of competitive special stages.\r\n\r\nThe move comes after organizers announced that the 2027 event would not be held in Saudi Arabia because of the recent security situation in the region. The relocation is being treated as a one-year change, with Dakar scheduled to return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 for its 50th edition. For Dakar, however, the change represents something much bigger than simply moving the race to a new country. It marks a return to the continent where the rally built its legendary reputation. The original Dakar Rally began in 1978 as a race from Paris to Senegal's capital. The event remained closely tied to Africa until security concerns forced the cancellation of the 2008 edition. After that, Dakar moved to South America for 11 years before relocating to Saudi Arabia in 2020.\r\n\r\nPortugal will host the opening portion of the event, with the Algarve Stadium in Loul\u00e9-Faro serving as the launch point for the rally. The prologue will take place January 9, followed by the first full stage in Portugal on January 10. Competitors will then head to the port for an overnight Mediterranean crossing to Nador, Morocco. Once the Dakar caravan reaches Africa, the race will immediately become a true desert endurance test. The route will head from northeastern Morocco through Bouarfa, Zagora and Agadir, before pushing deep into the country's southern deserts. After the rest day in Agadir, competitors will head toward Smara and Dakhla before turning north toward the finish in Marrakech. The route includes several massive competitive days, with most special stages ranging from approximately 350 to 500 kilometers. Stage 7 from Agadir to Smara is scheduled to feature a 500-kilometer special, while Stage 11 from Smara to Marrakech will include a 455-kilometer timed section. Morocco's combination of rocky terrain, desert, dunes and long technical stages will put an emphasis on navigation, endurance and mechanical reliability.\r\n\r\nThe move also creates an entirely different logistical challenge for teams and competitors. Instead of a rally contained almost entirely within one country, the 2027 Dakar will require the caravan to move from Europe into Africa midway through the event. For teams accustomed to the Saudi Arabian format, the return to Morocco means adapting to unfamiliar terrain while dealing with a compressed preparation schedule. Organizers say the route was developed through reconnaissance missions conducted in recent weeks, with Portugal and Morocco leaning on their long histories of hosting international rally-raid competition.\u00a0 Saudi Arabia will return as Dakar's host in 2028, when the rally celebrates its 50th running.\r\n\r\n ","excerpt":"The Dakar Rally is going back to its roots. After seven consecutive editions in Saudi Arabia, the 2027 Dakar Rally …<\/p>","date":"November 1, 2026 10:46","categories":[{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"id":25047953,"title":"Rally","slug":"rally"}],"tags":[{"id":25050009,"title":"Africa","slug":"africa"},{"id":25050011,"title":"Dakar 2027","slug":"dakar-2027"},{"id":25047642,"title":"Dakar Rally","slug":"dakar-rally"},{"id":25050010,"title":"Europe","slug":"europe"},{"id":25047957,"title":"rally","slug":"rally"},{"id":25047646,"title":"saudi arabia","slug":"saudi-arabia"}]}]{
"version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1",
"user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/dakar-2027/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.",
"home_page_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/dakar-2027/",
"feed_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/dakar-2027/feed/json/",
"language": "en-US",
"title": "Dakar 2027 Archives - DirtSportsWorld",
"description": "The Voice of Off-Road Motorsports",
"icon": "https://i0.wp.com/dirtsportsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-DSW-Web-Icon.png?fit=59%2C59&ssl=1",
"items": [
{
"id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=16622",
"url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2026/11/01/dakar-rally-heads-back-to-africa-for-2027/",
"title": "Dakar Rally Heads Back to Africa for 2027",
"content_html": "
The Dakar Rally is going back to its roots. After seven consecutive editions in Saudi Arabia, the 2027 Dakar Rally …
The post Dakar Rally Heads Back to Africa for 2027 appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.
\n",
"content_text": "The Dakar Rally is going back to its roots. After seven consecutive editions in Saudi Arabia, the 2027 Dakar Rally …The post Dakar Rally Heads Back to Africa for 2027 appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.",
"date_published": "2026-11-01T10:46:11-08:00",
"date_modified": "2026-11-01T10:46:11-08:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff",
"url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff",
"url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g"
},
"tags": [
"Africa",
"Dakar 2027",
"Dakar Rally",
"Europe",
"Rally",
"saudi arabia",
"News"
]
}
]
}