Dakar Rally 2027 leaves Saudi Arabia for new host
Organizers announced the move on Sunday after strikes on King Khalid International Airport killed 18 people, with a return to the kingdom planned for 2028.
By Amelia Gupta ·
The Dakar Rally, one of the world's most demanding off-road competitions, will not be held in Saudi Arabia in January as originally scheduled. Organizers announced the change on Sunday, citing recent developments in the region.
The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company issued a joint statement confirming the event will take place in a different territory. They said the specific new location will be revealed in the coming days. The two groups also confirmed that the rally is planned to return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 to mark its 50th running.
Saudi Arabia has hosted the Dakar Rally every year since 2020. Specialist race media reported that Morocco and Spain are under consideration as replacements. A move to Morocco would bring the event back to Africa for the first time since 2007. The race originated as a route from Paris to Dakar, Senegal, before moving to South America and then to the Middle East.
Organizers had hoped to keep the 2027 edition in Saudi Arabia by designing a new route in the northern part of the country. That plan became unworkable following a series of attacks this month on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The strikes killed 18 people and injured hundreds more.
The Dakar Rally is the latest major sporting event to leave Saudi Arabia this year due to the US-Israel war on Iran and Houthi attacks. The Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was cancelled, and the Bahrain race was rescheduled to Malaysia. The final round of the World Rally Championship in Saudi Arabia next month has also been scrapped.
An exhibition tennis event featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev has been postponed until late December. The WTA Finals, previously scheduled for Riyadh next month, will now be held in Indian Wells, California. The final two Formula One races of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, along with the Qatar MotoGP, remain on the calendar but are subject to intense internal debate.
Fighting in Yemen between government forces and Houthi fighters has intensified in recent weeks. The Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition supporting the Yemeni government, and the ongoing conflict has disrupted businesses and airlines while damaging the kingdom's international image.
