According to Al Jazeera, the organizers of the Dakar Rally announced that the event, originally scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2027, has been canceled and will be relocated. The organizers stated that the cancellation was due to "recent regional developments," pointing to the security situation in the Middle East stemming from the US-Israel war against Iran. The event is planned to return to Saudi Arabia in 2028, coinciding with its 50th edition.