he Royal Automobile Club of Morocco presented the 49th edition of the rally raid to the media on Monday, at its museum, with Dakar director David Castera. From January 9 to 23, 13 of the race’s 15 days will be held in Morocco, according to the organizer, Amaury Sport Organisation.
Moved out of Saudi Arabia as an exception, the race will start on January 9 from Loule-Faro, in the Algarve, with a prologue. After two days in Portugal and the crossing to Nador, competitors will reach the first Moroccan bivouac, in Bouarfa, on January 11.
Eleven stages will follow, broken by a rest day in Agadir on January 17. The route will run along the Atlas through Zagora, head down through Smara to the outskirts of Dakhla, then return up the Atlantic coast to Marrakech, for 4,341 km of special stages.
Between 1993 and 2007, the Dakar crossed the Kingdom 12 times and raced 58 stages there. According to the organizer, 350 competitors have registered so far, and the motorcycle category is full.
“The return of the Dakar to Morocco, twenty years after its last visit, opens a new page in our shared history,” said Mohamed Bachiri, the club’s president. Entries close on November 20, and the race will open the new season of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
Photo: Markus Berger, CC BY 3.0.
Dakar - Le Maroc au cœur de la 49e édition du Dakar (9 novembre 2026)
Dakar - Le Portugal et le Maroc accueillent exceptionnellement la 49e édition (30 octobre 2026)
