Morocco at the Heart of the 49th Edition of the Dakar
November 9
th
2026
- 20:00
[GMT + 1]
- Today, a press conference presenting the 49th edition of the Dakar was held in Casablanca at the initiative of the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco (RACM).
- Exceptionally relocated this year to Portugal and Morocco, the Dakar is actively preparing to return to the Kingdom of Morocco, which it has already crossed on twelve occasions.
- The historic ties between rally raid and Morocco have been strengthened through the country's longstanding involvement in the discipline, supported by national institutions for decades. A true rally-raid nation, Morocco was ready to welcome the Dakar once again.
- The 7,824 km route, featuring a prologue and 12 stages, includes 11 stages in Morocco, centered around the five host cities of Bouarfa, Zagora, Agadir, Smara and Marrakech. Nearly 97% of the 4,341 km of special stages will take place on Moroccan soil.
- The Dakar, the first major sporting event of the year broadcast in 190 countries worldwide, will open the 2027 FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. Dakar Classic and Dakar Future Mission 1000 will also be part of the programme.
Mohamed Bachiri, President of the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco (RACM), and Khalid Kabbaj, Chief Executive Officer of the RACM, invited national media representatives to the Automobile Club of Morocco Museum to attend the presentation of the 49th edition of the Dakar, in the presence of David Castera, Dakar Director. Founded in 1913, one year after the first motor race organized in Morocco between Rabat and Casablanca, in which the winner travelled between the two cities faster than the train of the time, the RACM is the driving force behind Dakar 2027.
A UNIQUE HISTORY
To build a "no-compromise" Dakar in record time, David Castera, who knows the Kingdom exceptionally well after directing and designing the Rallye du Maroc from 2018 to 2024, deployed three reconnaissance teams over the past few weeks.
Working from the north in the Oriental region to the far south of the country beyond Smara, these teams are actively shaping a route worthy of the world's toughest rally raid, thanks to the historic bond between the race and the Kingdom, as well as the support of the Moroccan authorities.
Between 1993 and 2007, the Dakar crossed Morocco on 12 occasions. No fewer than 58 stages were contested in the country. This extensive experience has been continuously maintained by the Kingdom's institutions and rally-raid specialists, who have continued to support many of the discipline's flagship events. A benchmark destination for rally raid, Morocco is renowned for its expertise, enabling it to host the Dakar within a very short timeframe.
AN UNPRECEDENTED EXPERIENCE
The 49th edition of the Dakar is set to go far beyond a 13th visit to Morocco, as no fewer than 13 of the event's 15 days, from 9 to 23 January, will take place in the country.
After two days in Portugal and a transfer to Bouarfa on 11 January, competitors will tackle 11 stages, interrupted by the rest day in Agadir on 17 January. Images of Morocco will be at the heart of global sports coverage at the beginning of 2027 through the event's 190 broadcasting countries, as the Dakar launches a new season of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
The Dakar, whose DNA is built around exploring new territories around the world, has set itself an exceptional ambition: introducing competitors and spectators from across the globe to the full diversity of the Kingdom's deserts, including its most remote and unique landscapes. Morocco is preparing to offer a rally-raid experience of unprecedented scale and authenticity, from the edges of the Rekkam Plateau to the "Refuge Bivouac" on the doorstep of Dakhla, via the Atlantic coastline at Agadir, before the celebrations in Marrakech at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains.
The entry list confirms the commitment of the entire discipline: 350 competitors have already registered, and all the leading riders and drivers will be at the start of this opening round of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. The motorcycle category is full, the truck category features a field comparable to recent editions, and more than 80 vehicles have already been confirmed for Dakar Classic. Registration remains open until 20 November.
David Castera, Dakar Director:
"Building a Dakar in record time would not have been possible without Morocco, without the experience of its institutions and the expertise of its service providers. From the very beginning, we have been able to rely on the support of the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco to back an unprecedented project in the country. Our teams know its deserts well and have designed a true Dakar route there, with no compromises, including sectors the race has never crossed before."
Mohamed Bachiri, President of the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco (RACM):
“The return of the Dakar to Morocco, twenty years after its last visit, opens a new chapter in our shared history. For the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco, supporting this edition is part of more than a century of commitment to motoring and sport. We are proud to contribute to this reunion and to introduce participants to a Morocco that remains true to its tradition of hospitality and its passion for motorsport.”
