Amaury Sport Organisation swaps Saudi Arabia for 2027 Dakar Rally

The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company confirmed on Sunday that the 2027 Dakar Rally will not be held in Saudi Arabia. The organizers cited recent regional developments as the reason for the change and stated that a new location will be announced in the coming days. The event, scheduled for January, is one of the most demanding off-road races in the world.

The decision follows a series of attacks this month on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Those strikes killed 18 people and injured hundreds more. Organizers had previously attempted to save the 2027 edition by designing a new route in the northern part of the country. The recent violence made that plan unfeasible. The two governing bodies also confirmed that the rally will return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 to mark its 50th running.

Saudi Arabia has hosted the Dakar Rally since 2020. Specialist race media indicate that Morocco and Spain are being considered as replacements. A move to Morocco would return the event to Africa for the first time since 2007. The rally originally began as a race from Paris to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. It was suspended in 2008 due to security concerns in North Africa before moving to South America and then to the Middle East.

The Dakar Rally is the latest major sporting event to depart Saudi Arabia this year. The US-Israel war on Iran and deadly Houthi attacks have disrupted the kingdom's hosting calendar. The Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was cancelled, and the Bahrain race was moved to Malaysia. The final round of the World Rally Championship, scheduled for next month, has also been scrapped.

Other events have faced similar adjustments. 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 take place in Indian Wells, California. The final two Formula One races of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain on the calendar, though they are the subject of internal debate.

The broader conflict has intensified in Yemen, where fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters has deepened a humanitarian crisis. Last month, the Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast from forces loyal to the internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition supporting those government forces. The attacks have disrupted businesses, airlines, and daily life while damaging the international image of the world's largest crude oil exporter.