Dakar organiser plans Portugal–Morocco route for January 9–23, 2027
The FIA says the route and dates await World Motor Sport Council approval, with an overnight crossing to Morocco before a planned finish in Marrakech.
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The FIA says the route and dates await World Motor Sport Council approval, with an overnight crossing to Morocco before a planned finish in Marrakech.
Dakar Rally organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) has announced a replacement route from Loulé-Faro, Portugal, to Marrakech, Morocco, with competition scheduled for January 9–23, 2027, Motorsport Week said.
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), motor sport’s global governing body, says the plan remains subject to FIA World Motor Sport Council approval, explicitly including the dates.
Dakar is an off-road endurance rally that has been held in Saudi Arabia since 2020. The FIA says the announced plan would return it to Africa for the first time in 20 years. The FIA cites recent regional developments for the decision not to hold the 2027 edition there; Motorsport Week describes the reason as instability in the region.
Under the provisional timetable, the service park opens on 5 January 2027 at the Algarve Stadium in Loulé-Faro. Administrative checks and technical vehicle inspections, known as scrutineering, are scheduled for January 6 to 8, 2027.
Competition is scheduled to begin with a prologue, an opening competitive test, in Portugal on January 9, 2027, followed by the first special stage on January 10. Competitors would then transfer to a port for an overnight Mediterranean crossing to Nador.
Arrival in Morocco is scheduled for January 11, followed by a transfer to Bouarfa, the first Moroccan bivouac, or rally camp.
The planned route runs from Bouarfa south through Zagora towards Agadir, where competitors would have their rest day. The second half continues through Smara towards Dakhla, then turns north along the Atlantic coast, passing Smara again before the scheduled finish in Marrakech on January 23, 2027.
The FIA describes a prologue followed by 12 stages and six bivouacs. The planned journey totals 7,824 km, including 4,341 km of special stages—the timed competitive sections rather than the transfers between them.
The FIA points to Portugal’s and Morocco’s experience hosting international rally-raid competitions, supported by their member clubs, as credentials for staging the replacement event. It expects the varied terrain and demanding desert conditions to pose significant sporting and technical challenges for competitors.
Subject to council approval of the plan and dates, Dakar is scheduled to open the 2027 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship. The FIA says the rally will return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 for its 50th edition.
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