Where Could the Dakar Go After Saudi Arabia? Eight Possible Host Regions Compared

For weeks, every conversation about the Dakar has started with the same question: will it happen, and where? We have written about that uncertainty more than once, most recently in Saudi Arabia or Morocco: what we know. This article is different. It is a thought experiment, and a positive one.

The short answer: Saudi Arabia is reported to host the Dakar at least until 2029, so nothing here is about 2027. But if the Dakar after Saudi Arabia needed a new home, for example from 2030, only a handful of regions could carry an event of this size. Morocco, South America, southern Africa, Egypt, the Arabian Gulf and Central Asia are the most realistic candidates. We also look at North America and Australia. Each of them would feel very different for drivers, teams and the organiser.

Let us look at them from three angles: the competitor who wants great terrain, the team that has to get people and parts there, and ASO, which has to make the whole thing work.

What a Dakar Host Country Has to Offer

Before choosing a map, it helps to know the size of the machine. The Dakar 2027 route in Saudi Arabia was planned with 5,320 kilometres of special stages within 8,390 kilometres in total. Recent editions moved a bivouac of more than 3,000 people every day, with a fleet of up to 20 helicopters, several planes and around 100 organisation trucks. For the 2024 edition, one ship alone brought 864 vehicles, 86 motorcycles and 5 helicopters into Yanbu.

From that, five requirements follow:

• Space. Thousands of kilometres of open terrain, ideally with sand, dunes, stony pistes and changing landscapes, and the freedom to route through it without crossing a town every hour.

• A state that wants the event. Security, medical support, airspace for helicopters, customs, fuel and permits all depend on the host government. In recent decades the Dakar has relied on host countries that actively invest in it.

• Security. As we explain in why the Dakar is no longer in Africa, the Dakar left Africa after the 2008 edition was cancelled the day before the start, when four French tourists were killed in Mauritania and the French government advised against the route.

• Logistics access. A port for the ships, airports for teams and spare parts, and a road network for liaisons.

• January weather. The Dakar runs in the first half of January. That rules out regions in deep winter or in their rainy season.

Morocco: The Closest Desert to Europe

For competitors: Morocco offers dunes around Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi, fast stony pistes, rocky Atlas valleys and long open plains. Every rally raid driver knows the Rallye du Maroc, often called the Dakar's desert proving ground, and the Merzouga Rally has used those dunes since 2010. The terrain is excellent, although the large dune fields are smaller than the Empty Quarter.

For teams: this is where Morocco is unbeatable. Ferries run from Marseille, Sète and Spain to Tanger Med and Nador. The Africa Eco Race shows every year that competitors and their vehicles can travel to the start by ferry. A European privateer could, in principle, drive the race car or the assistance truck to the start. Shorter transport, lower costs, more flexibility for spare parts.

For ASO: stable security, an established tourism and event infrastructure, and a proven rally raid culture. The limitation is space. A two week Dakar with over 5,000 kilometres of special stages would need to use most of the country, or to cross a border. In the current plan B discussion, the reported Moroccan scenario is an eight stage event, which says a lot about how much room there really is.

South America: The Proven Alternative

For competitors: between 2009 and 2019 the Dakar ran through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay. Many still call it the most spectacular era: the Atacama, the dunes of Fiambalá, the high Andes and the coastal dunes of Peru. The Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina is back on the World Rally Raid Championship calendar in 2026, so the terrain is still there.

For teams: everything has to cross the Atlantic by ship, which means earlier deadlines, longer transport and higher costs. Altitude is a real factor for engines and people. In return, the region has strong motorsport fans and good infrastructure in the big cities.

For ASO: South America is not a new idea, it is a known partner. But the end of that era is instructive. For 2019 only Peru remained. Chile and Bolivia cited budget problems, and Bolivia also disagreed with the organiser over the route. The rally was also criticised over its impact on heritage areas, especially in the Atacama. A return would need several governments willing to pay at the same time, which is the hardest part.

Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana and South Africa

For competitors: red dunes in Namibia, the Kalahari, gravel roads that seem endless. The South African Safari Rally has already been a round of the world championship. For a driver, this may be the most exotic option on the list.

For teams: long sea freight from Europe, but ports such as Cape Town or Walvis Bay exist. January is summer in the southern hemisphere, with heat and rainy season risks in parts of the region, which would need careful routing.

For ASO: when the Dakar left South America, reports said negotiations also looked at South Africa before Saudi Arabia was chosen. Several stable countries with tourism infrastructure make this region interesting. A multi country route brings permits and customs for every border.

Egypt: Desert with Dakar History

For competitors: the Western Desert and the Great Sand Sea are among the largest dune fields in the world. The Dakar 2003 already finished in Sharm El Sheikh, and the Pharaons Rally was a classic of the rally raid calendar for many years.

For teams: Egypt is relatively close to Europe by sea and air. Many vehicles already travel through the Suez Canal today on their way to Saudi Arabia.

For ASO: the terrain fits the Dakar perfectly. The decisive questions are the same as everywhere: security in remote border regions, permits for large desert areas, and whether the state wants to invest in the event.

The Arabian Gulf: Oman and the United Arab Emirates

For competitors: the Rub al Khali, the Empty Quarter, extends into Oman and the Emirates. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has been a world championship round for years, so the dunes are rally proven.

For teams: excellent airports and ports, a familiar climate, and many teams already know the region.

For ASO: the infrastructure is first class, but the individual countries are relatively small for a full Dakar distance, and the region is affected by the same tensions that weigh on the Dakar today. As a partial area of a route, it is easier to imagine than as the only host.

Central Asia: Mongolia and Kazakhstan

For competitors: endless steppe, the Gobi, dunes and real navigation over huge distances. The Silk Way Rally has crossed Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China in several editions.

For teams: this is the logistical extreme. Long distances, limited infrastructure, and in January the region is in deep winter, which alone rules out a classic Dakar date.

For ASO: fascinating terrain, but the season and the political situation around the Silk Way Rally make this a summer idea rather than a January Dakar.

North America: Mexico and the United States

For competitors: the Sonoran Desert and the Baja California peninsula are classic off road terrain. The Sonora Rally in northern Mexico joined the World Rally Raid Championship in 2023 and is regarded as the leading rally raid event in North America. January is mild in that region, which fits the Dakar calendar.

For teams: almost every team is based in Europe. Everything would cross the Atlantic, with longer transport and higher costs than today. That is exactly why the world championship rarely visits the Americas.

For ASO: in the United States, most desert land is federal land, so every stage needs permits, and liability and insurance are expensive. Mexico would be simpler to route, but security in border regions remains a question. A route through Baja California and Sonora is the version that is easiest to imagine.

Australia: The Outback

For competitors: red earth, sand and endless pistes. The Australasian Safari ran through the Outback from 1985 to 2014 over roughly 5,500 kilometres, and the 1988 edition covered 10,000 kilometres in 15 days from Alice Springs to Sydney. The terrain is big enough for a Dakar.

The catch is January: the Safari always ran in late August, during the Australian winter. In January the interior is in high summer with extreme heat, and the north is in its wet season. A Dakar on its usual date would be very hard to run there.

For teams: Australia has some of the strictest biosecurity rules in the world. Every vehicle must arrive free of soil, plant material and insects, and used vehicles are fully inspected on arrival. For hundreds of rally cars and trucks that is an enormous effort, on top of several weeks of sea freight.

For ASO and broadcasters: Australia is eight to ten hours ahead of Europe, so the stages would run in the middle of the European night.

Size Alone Is Not Enough

Looking only at a map of the largest countries is tempting, but it quickly shows what really matters:

• Russia, Canada and the United States are the three largest countries in the world. Russia is politically ruled out, Canada has no desert, and the United States has the terrain but complex permits.

• China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia have the Gobi and huge steppes, but they are in deep winter in January.

• Brazil is huge, but it has little desert and January is its rainy season.

• Australia has the space, but not the January weather.

• Algeria may have the best Sahara terrain of all and gave the Dakar many of its legends, but the security situation in the south rules it out today. The same applies to Libya.

• Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Mexico combine large desert areas with a dry and bearable January.

The pattern is clear: a Dakar in January needs dry, not too hot weather, a stable host and lots of space. That leaves the belt from the Sahara to the Arabian Peninsula, South America and possibly Mexico.

Ship or Drive: How the Dakar Gets There

Today, the organiser runs the transport. Vehicles are scrutineered in Barcelona and shipped to Saudi Arabia, and the entry fees include the transport there and back. That system is efficient for distant hosts, and it would stay necessary for South America, southern Africa or Central Asia.

Morocco would be the exception. With regular ferries from Europe, a model similar to the Africa Eco Race is conceivable, where the whole caravan travels by ferry and competitors bring their own vehicles. For privateers and smaller teams, that could change the budget substantially. Whether ASO would choose that model is open. It would also change how scrutineering, customs and timing are organised.

Our View: The Dakar After Saudi Arabia

We have run Dakar projects in Saudi Arabia since 2022, and we like being there. The country invested enormously in this rally, and the landscapes are spectacular. None of this is a wish to leave.

But thinking about alternatives is healthy for our sport. Every candidate here has something special: Morocco's proximity and ferries, South America's passion, the dunes of Namibia and Egypt, the vastness of the Gulf and Central Asia, the Baja and the Outback. And every one of them has the same requirement in the end: a host that wants the Dakar, and enough room to make two weeks feel like an adventure.

For our clients at the Dakar Classic, the destination changes routes, transport and preparation, but not what matters most. Whoever hosts the Dakar in the future, a well prepared vehicle and a team you can rely on will still decide how far you get.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will the Dakar stay in Saudi Arabia?

Dakar director David Castera said the rally will remain in Saudi Arabia at least until 2029, possibly together with other countries. The full contract terms have not been published.

Has the Dakar ever been held outside Africa?

Yes. After the 2008 edition was cancelled for security reasons, the Dakar moved to South America from 2009 to 2019, and to Saudi Arabia from 2020.

Which countries hosted the Dakar in South America?

Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay. The 2019 edition took place entirely in Peru.

Why did the Dakar leave South America?

For 2019, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina did not take part. Chile and Bolivia cited budget problems, and Bolivia also disagreed with the organiser over the route. The rally then moved to Saudi Arabia.

Could the Dakar go to Morocco?

Morocco has the terrain and the rally experience, and it is close to Europe. For a full two week Dakar distance, space is the main limitation.

Could the Dakar go to the USA or Australia?

In principle yes, but not easily. In the United States most desert land is federal land with complex permits, and Mexico's Baja and Sonora are more realistic. Australia has the space, but in January the Outback is in extreme summer heat and the north in its wet season, and the biosecurity rules for imported vehicles are very strict.

Which large countries could host a Dakar?

Size alone is not enough. A January Dakar needs dry, bearable weather, a stable host and lots of space. That points to the belt from the Sahara to the Arabian Peninsula, South America and possibly Mexico.

How are the vehicles transported to the Dakar?

Today the organiser ships them from Barcelona to Saudi Arabia after scrutineering, and the transport is included in the entry fees. In Morocco, a ferry model where competitors bring their vehicles themselves would be possible.

About the Author

Sven Syfrig is the founder and Team Principal of TimeOut Racing, a rally raid assistance team based in Wollerau, Switzerland. Founded in 2014, the team has supported private crews at the Dakar and Dakar Classic every year since 2022.