Dakar Rally Exits Saudi Arabia

Drivers and fans of the Dakar Rally will not be racing through Saudi Arabian deserts this January. Organizers announced on Sunday that the 2027 edition will be held in a different territory. The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company issued the joint announcement, citing recent developments in the region. They stated that the specific new location will be revealed in the coming days.

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. The violence made a previously designed northern route impossible to use. Organizers had hoped to keep the 2027 race in the kingdom by creating that new path, but the latest security situation forced a change of plans.

Specialist race media report that Morocco and Spain are under consideration as replacements. A move to Morocco would return the event to Africa for the first time since 2007. The rally has been hosted in Saudi Arabia since 2020. Before that, it moved to South America after being called off in North Africa due to security concerns in 2008. The event originally began as a race from Paris to Dakar, Senegal.

The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company confirmed a planned return to Saudi Arabia in 2028. They want that edition to mark the rally's 50th running. The 2027 cancellation is part of a wider shift in sporting events leaving the kingdom this year. The Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was cancelled. The Bahrain race was called off and later rescheduled under the same name in Malaysia.

The final round of the World Rally Championship in Saudi Arabia next month has also been scrapped. 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 instead be played at Indian Wells, California. These changes reflect the impact of the US-Israel war on Iran and deadly Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

The final two Formula One races of the season remain on the calendar. The Qatar race is set for November 29, and the Abu Dhabi race for December 6. The Qatar MotoGP next month is also still scheduled. All three events are reportedly the subject of intense internal debate as organizers assess security conditions.

Meanwhile, fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters in Yemen has intensified on several fronts in recent weeks. This deepening conflict has worsened a humanitarian crisis. The war escalated sharply last month when the Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast from forces loyal to the internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition backing the Yemeni government. The Houthi attacks have disrupted businesses, airlines, and daily life in the world's biggest crude oil exporter, damaging the kingdom's international image.

Organizers have not yet named the new host country for the 2027 Dakar Rally. The announcement will come in the coming days. The event remains scheduled for January, maintaining its traditional start date despite the change in geography.