The 2027 edition of the Dakar Rally will be held in Morocco following a prologue and first stage in Portugal, organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) said, five days after announcing the event would not be held in Saudi Arabia due to security concerns.

“The Algarve will host the prologue and the first special stage. Morocco, with the aim of exploring its territory in its entirety, from north to far south, will host 11 stages and a rest day in Agadir,” ASO said in a statement.

The 49th edition of the Dakar Rally, initially scheduled to run from January 1 to January 15, will now take place from January 9 to January 23, subject to approval by the International Automobile Federation (FIA)’s World Motor Sport Council.

“The relocated 49th edition of the Dakar will meet the sporting standards that have always made it the most demanding rally-raid event,” Dakar director David Castera said.

“Despite the short timeframe we have had to work with, we have designed a true Dakar.”

Dakar 2027 will feature a total distance of 7,824km (4,862 miles), including 4,341km (2,697 miles) of special stages, from Loule-Faro to Marrakesh.

ASO said on Sunday that the decision to move the race out of Saudi Arabia was “exceptional and one-off”. The 50th edition of the Dakar Rally in 2028 would return to the kingdom, which has hosted the event since 2020.

Morocco hosting the race means the Dakar Rally will return to Africa for the first time since 2008.

The event started in 1978 as a race from Paris across the Sahara to the Senegalese capital Dakar in West Africa, and has long been regarded as the world’s toughest motorsport challenge.

It was later staged in South America between 2009 and 2019 after leaving Africa for security reasons.