Dakar Rally 2027 Will Be Moved Out of Saudi Arabia, Organizers Say
Organizers ASO and SMC say the 2027 Dakar Rally will be relocated from Saudi Arabia to another region, with the new location still to be named.
The organizers of the Dakar Rally have confirmed that the 2027 edition will no longer take place in Saudi Arabia, as had originally been planned. According to Motorsport.com, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) said in a joint statement that the prevailing geopolitical situation in the Middle East is the reason the event must move to a different region.
The statement confirms a relocation but does not name the new host territory. Road & Track reports that the destination will be announced in the coming days, and frames the decision as a response to the current Middle East crisis.
Both outlets describe the change as a relocation rather than a cancellation. No details have yet been published about the new route, the stage structure, the timetable or how entries and logistics will be handled. Those questions remain open until the new location is confirmed.
The move is a significant change for a rally that has been closely tied to Saudi Arabia in recent years. It leaves competitors, teams, sponsors and fans waiting for information about where and how the next edition will be run.
Background
The Dakar Rally began in 1978 as the Paris-Dakar, conceived by French adventurer Thierry Sabine after he became lost in the Libyan desert during an earlier rally. For many years the race ran from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, using long stretches of sand, rock and open desert to test endurance as much as speed. It is known for demanding navigation, where competitors rely on roadbooks and their own route-finding rather than marked courses.
The event has changed shape over time. Security concerns led organizers to cancel the race in Africa and move it to South America in 2009, where it ran for a number of editions. Saudi Arabia began hosting the rally in 2020, bringing the event to the Arabian Peninsula and building much of its identity around the dunes and terrain of that region. Competitors race cars, trucks, motorcycles, quads and side-by-side vehicles, and manufacturers follow the results closely as a test of development and a marketing platform.
ASO, the organization behind the Tour de France, has run the Dakar for decades. SMC, the Saudi partner, has been central to the event's recent setup. A rally of this scale depends on permits, host government cooperation, infrastructure and local logistics, so changing the host territory is a major undertaking rather than a simple date change. Teams plan many months ahead, and a new location affects vehicle preparation, travel, navigation planning and support operations for everyone entered.
Why it matters
This is more than a logistical story. The Dakar has built its reputation on the sense that the desert is part of the sport, and a change of host alters the identity that fans and teams associate with the event. For motorsport more broadly, it raises a familiar question about how major events plan around geopolitical conditions. Organizers must weigh the safety of competitors, staff and spectators against commitments to sponsors, broadcasters and the local communities that invested in hosting.
For manufacturers and privateer teams, the decision affects preparation cycles. Vehicles are often built and tuned for particular terrain, and moving to new ground may change what counts as a competitive setup. Sponsors who planned their 2027 marketing around a Saudi edition will need to decide whether those plans still fit. Enthusiasts have a stake too, since the rally's appeal rests on its scale, its remoteness and its stories of survival in harsh landscapes. How the organizers manage the transition will shape trust in the event's future.
What to watch
The first thing to watch is the announcement of the new region, which Road & Track says is expected in the coming days. Once it arrives, the important details will be the route, the stage structure, the entry process and the calendar for competitors. Observers should also watch whether the organizers explain the decision further and how they plan to support teams that have already begun preparing for a 2027 event in Saudi Arabia. Finally, watch for reactions from sponsors, manufacturers and the governing bodies that oversee the sport. Their responses will show whether the relocation is being treated as a one-off or as a longer-term shift.
Viewpoints
Commentary from our columns: three angles on this story.
The Driver's Seat the enthusiast's take
The Dakar has never been about comfort. Its appeal lies in the idea that long stretches of unforgiving terrain can strip a team down to its basics: a navigator with a roadbook, a driver who keeps the car pointed the right way, and a machine that refuses to quit. Losing its Saudi home for 2027 changes the picture. For a while the sport will feel strange without the dunes many fans have come to picture when they think of the rally. Still, the spirit of the event does not belong to one country. Whatever region is chosen will need to offer what made the Dakar famous: a landscape that rewards patience, punishes error and turns a long day into a story. The best outcome would be a new location that feels just as raw and demanding, giving drivers a fresh challenge and giving fans a reason to stay glued to the timing screens. Until the announcement arrives, enthusiasts should keep their excitement and their questions ready.
The Skeptic open questions and weak points
Before celebrating the new plan, it is worth asking what has actually been decided. The organizers say the event will move to a different region, but the destination is still unnamed. That gap matters. A relocation announced without a location leaves teams, sponsors and fans with little to plan around, and it invites the obvious question of how much preparation came before the statement. The phrase geopolitical situation is also broad. It does not tell us whether the decision is meant to be temporary or permanent, or what conditions would bring the event back to Saudi Arabia, if anything. The organizers owe the sport clearer answers than they have offered so far. Until then, every claim about the new host, its roads or its suitability should be treated as unproven. A fair assessment will depend on what arrives in the coming days, not on how confidently the change is presented today.
The Pit Wall the racing and strategy angle
From the pit wall, a venue change is a strategy problem before it is anything else. The Dakar rewards teams that plan fuel, tire and service stops around terrain they understand well, and a new region brings unknowns about surface, altitude, navigation hazards and stage length. Engineers who spent years building data on one landscape will have to rebuild much of it. Navigators will face new roadbook challenges, and crews will need to decide whether to carry over setups proven in earlier editions or start from scratch. The teams that adapt fastest will likely be those with strong data and flexible support operations. Watch who reacts quickly, which manufacturers commit early and which take a cautious approach. The first announced route will reveal a great deal about how the field takes shape. Until then, the race is a set of open questions, and the pit walls will be doing their homework long before the start line.