Riyadh Airport Strikes Force 2027 Dakar Rally to Leave Saudi Arabia

The 2027 Dakar Rally will not be held in Saudi Arabia, organizers confirmed on Sunday. The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company stated the event will move to a different territory. They have not yet named the new location but said details will be released in the coming days.

The decision follows a series of strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month. The attacks killed 18 people and injured hundreds. Organizers had planned a new route in northern Saudi Arabia to keep the race local, but the latest violence made that option unworkable.

Saudi Arabia has hosted the Dakar Rally every year since 2020. The event is scheduled for January. Specialist race media report that Morocco and Spain are currently under consideration as replacements. A move to Morocco would return the race to Africa for the first time since 2007.

The 2027 edition is part of a broader shift in major sporting events leaving the kingdom this year. The Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was cancelled. The Bahrain race was moved to Malaysia. The final World Rally Championship round in Saudi Arabia next month has also been scrapped.

Other major events have faced similar disruptions. An exhibition tennis match featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev has been postponed until late December. The WTA Finals, originally planned for Riyadh, will now take place at Indian Wells in California.

The final two Formula One races of the season remain on the calendar. They are scheduled for Qatar on November 29 and Abu Dhabi on December 6. The Qatar MotoGP next month also remains planned, though all three events are reportedly under intense internal debate regarding their status.

Organizers confirmed that the rally will return to Saudi Arabia in 2028. They want that edition to mark the competition's 50th running. The race originated as a run from Paris to Dakar, Senegal, before moving to South America and then the Middle East.