Dakar Rally 2027 will not be held in Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks

Organisers pull the race from Saudi Arabia

Organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) said on Sunday, 25 October, that the Dakar Rally 2027 will not take place in Saudi Arabia. The race had been scheduled from 1 to 15 January 2027. In a joint statement published on the rally's website, the organisers cited recent developments in the region and called the decision exceptional and one-off. It was taken in close coordination with the Saudi federation (SAMF), with the support of the FIA and FIM.

“Dakar 2027 will go ahead. The 2027 edition will take place in a different territory and will be organised by ASO.”

ASO said it is in direct contact with competitors, teams and partners to help them through the change. The location of the 2027 edition will be announced separately in the coming days.

Houthi attacks and a wave of cancellations

The decision follows weeks of escalating violence. Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, have attacked Saudi Arabia, and strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh earlier in October killed several people and injured many more. The Yemen conflict had been under a truce since 2022, but it flared again in July as part of the wider Iran war. Since then Saudi Arabia has come under repeated fire from Yemen, with airports and oil installations among the sites hit.

Sport has been hit across the board. The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament has been postponed from October to the end of December, the Asian Tour has postponed the Saudi International golf event with no new date, and the World Rally Championship will no longer visit Saudi Arabia. The cycling Urban World Championships were cancelled. In the week of 19 October, the Global Champions Tour show jumping final in Riyadh was cancelled and moved to Verona, Italy. Earlier this year Formula 1 cancelled its Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix because of the war in Iran. The Bahrain race moved to another venue, while the Saudi round was removed from the calendar.

Where the rally could go

The organisers have not yet named the new venue. Belga reported, citing well-placed sources, that the 2027 edition was expected to begin on 9 January in Portugal with a prologue. A stage on 10 January would link Portugal and Spain, before all entrants crossed the Mediterranean by night ferry to Morocco. The first of eleven stages was reported for 11 January, with the race finishing on 22 January and covering more than 4,000 kilometres of special stages. Because the venue is still unannounced, these route details remain a press report.

A return planned for 2028

The organisers say the rally will return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 to mark its 50th edition. The event has run in the kingdom since 2020, and the 2027 edition had been confirmed for Saudi Arabia in May 2026. The organisers describe the 2028 edition as a move they are already preparing together with Saudi Arabia.