Dakar Rally 2027: New Host Announced After Riyadh Attacks

The 2027 Dakar Rally will not take place in Saudi Arabia. The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company confirmed the change in a statement released on Sunday. They cited recent developments in the region as the reason for the move.

The two bodies said the event will be staged in a different territory. They have not yet named the new host country. The location will be revealed in the coming days. The organisers also confirmed that the rally will return to Saudi Arabia for the 2028 edition.

Saudi Arabia has hosted the Dakar since 2020. Specialist race media reported that Morocco and Spain are under consideration as replacements. A move to Morocco would bring the race back to Africa for the first time since 2007.

The decision follows a series of attacks this month on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The strikes killed 18 people and injured hundreds. Organisers had previously designed a new route in northern Saudi Arabia to keep the 2027 race in the kingdom. The latest violence made that plan impossible.

The Dakar is the latest sporting event to leave Saudi Arabia this year. The cancellation follows the US-Israel war on Iran and deadly Houthi attacks on the kingdom. The Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was cancelled. The Bahrain race was called off and later rescheduled in Malaysia.

Other events have also been affected. An exhibition tennis event featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev has been postponed until late December. The WTA Finals, originally planned for Riyadh next month, will now be played at Indian Wells in California.

The final two Formula One races of the season remain on the calendar. The Qatar round is set for November 29, and the Abu Dhabi round is scheduled for December 6. The Qatar MotoGP next month is also still on the books. Intense internal debate is reportedly surrounding the logistics of these three remaining events.