Dakar Rally 2027 route shifts to Portugal and Morocco

7,824 Kilometers Across Portugal and Morocco Shape the 2027 Dakar Rally Route

The 2027 Dakar Rally will cover 7,824 total kilometers, featuring 4,341 kilometers of timed special stages across Europe and North Africa, according to race organizers. Amaury Sport Organisation announced the route shift on Friday, October 30, moving the rally-raid away from Saudi Arabia for a single exceptional year due to the geopolitical context in the Middle East. The 49th edition of the endurance test will run from January 9 to January 23, marking the event’s first return to African soil since 2007. The two-week competition starts with a prologue in the Portuguese region of the Algarve and finishes in Marrakech, Morocco, utilizing six distinct bivouacs along the way.

👇 Dakar 2027 official route🗓️ 9th – 23rd January 2027🚩 Loulé/Faro – Marrakech 🏁🗺️ 7,824 km (4,341 km of SS) 🔜 #Dakar2027 pic.twitter.com/gi4Ltw9luv

— https://x.com/dakar/status/2116062706587582663

The relocation follows seven successive editions in Saudi Arabia from 2020 to January of last year. Organizers pointed directly to the geopolitical context in the Middle East, specifically citing the intensification of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement—backed by Iran—against Riyadh. A strike on the Saudi capital’s airport on October 10 left 13 people dead, forcing event organizers to look for another route. The war between, on one side, Iran and, on the other, the United States and Israel since February, has disrupted major sports calendars in the Gulf countries, notably with the cancellation in April of Formula 1 grands prix in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, as well as the final round this autumn of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the Saudi desert.

From Faro to Marrakech Through Six Bivouacs

Race director David Castera stated that the 2027 edition will be contested sans concessions across a demanding itinerary. The opening action begins in Loulé-Faro, Portugal, where competitors will tackle a prologue and an initial special stage in the Algarve. From Portugal, the rally crosses into Morocco for an exploration ranging from the north to the extreme south of its territory. Moroccan terrain will host 11 stages and a day of rest in Agadir. In total, the 4,341 kilometers of competitive special stages will test machines and endurance across six separate bivouacs.

Dakar Rally 2027 route shifts to Portugal and Morocco — Photo: lefigaro.fr

This continental shift alters the competitive opening of the 2027 FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championships. As the first leg of the global calendar, the Portuguese-Moroccan route will feature 12 stages following a prologue.

A Historic Return to Africa

The 2027 shift marks a return to Africa for the event, reviving memories of the Paris-Dakar founded in 1978 by Thierry Sabine, a French press attaché and adventure and motorcycle enthusiast who died in 1986 in a helicopter accident with, among others, the singer Daniel Balavoine. The rally operated across African terrain until security threats forced the cancellation of the 2008 event. That cancellation triggered an era in South America from 2009 to 2019 before seven successive editions in Saudi Arabia from 2020 to January of last year. Now, the event returns to Africa before its scheduled return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 to celebrate the 50th edition.

Timeline of the Dakar Rally Route Shifts

The relocation for January highlights a history of shifting borders over the race’s existence:

1978–2007: The era in Africa, until security threats canceled the 2008 edition.
2009–2019: The South American era.
2020–January of last year: Seven successive editions in Saudi Arabia.
2027: An exceptional one-off European and African route crossing Portugal and Morocco.
2028: A planned return to Saudi Arabia to celebrate the 50th edition of the rally.

Competitors and teams now face a timeline to prepare for the January 9 start gate in Portugal.