For its seventh edition in a row in Saudi Arabia, the 2026 edition of the Dakar will begin in Yanbu, on the banks of the Red Sea, on January 3. Participants in the different categories will try to reach Yanbu again after 13 stages and 8,000 kilometers covered.
The 2026 edition of the Dakar is fast approaching. From January 3 to 17, the most famous rally-raid will take off from Yanbu, in Saudi Arabia. On the program for this 2026 edition, there are thirteen stages which will allow the 812 competitors to hope to achieve the coronation at the end of the 8,000 kilometers to cover.
For this seventh consecutive edition on the roads of Saudi Arabia, no less than 325 vehicles will be entered, including 118 motorcycles. Thus, many of them will want to succeed Yazeed Al-Rajhi in cars and Daniel Sanders in motorcycles. While the usual favorites Nasser Al-Attiyah and Carlos Sainz will be taken very seriously, as for the French drivers, we imagine Sébastien Loeb finally wanting to win his first car title in the competition, just like Adrien Van Beveren among the motorcycles who will want to improve on his fine third position during the 2025 Dakar.
Return to the roads of Wadi Ad-Dawasir
From Saturday January 3, competitors will begin their Dakar 2026 with a prologue planned around the town of Yanbu which will allow the ten best drivers in each category to have the advantage of choosing their starting position for the “real” first stage of this Dakar which will take place on Sunday January 4. A first stage consisting of 305 kilometers of special which will see the drivers circle Yanbu again.
Subsequently, the race will truly take on its full potential and the competitors will be confronted with the first difficulties. From paths full of stones to sandy tracks, drivers will have to be vigilant to avoid making mistakes. Two “marathon stages” also await participants, making the racing conditions even more dangerous. It is on the Riyadh side that the competitors will be able to take a well-deserved day of rest on January 10, but will have to get back on the road the next day, for a second part of the 2026 edition which will have its share of pitfalls.
A second half of the competition which will take the drivers to Yanbu, the finish city of this 48th edition of the Dakar. Stages which will allow all the drivers to rediscover in particular the roads of Wadi Ad-Dawasir, which the route has not used since 2022. With 481 kilometers of special, this will be the stage with the longest special of this 2026 edition. Once mastered, the second “marathon stage” of the edition will then lead the different drivers towards the final straight of the competition. The final stages will be decisive and will reveal the outcome of this Dakar, with an arrival scheduled for January 17, in order to close this 2026 edition and crown the future winners.
The stages of this Dakar 2026:
Saturday January 3, 2026: Prologue
Departure :Yanbu
Arrival :Yanbu
Distance : 98km
Special : 23km
Sunday January 4, 2026: Stage 1
Departure :Yanbu
Arrival :Yanbu
Distance : 518km
Special : 305km
Monday January 5, 2026: Step 2
Departure :Yanbu
Arrival : Al-Ula
Distance : 504 km
Special : 400km
Tuesday January 6, 2026: Step 3
Departure : Al-Ula
Arrival : Al-Ula
Distance : 666km
Special : 422 km
Wednesday January 7, 2026: Stage 4 (marathon – part 1)
Departure : Al-Ula
Arrival : Bivouac marathon
Distance : 526km
Special : 451km
Thursday January 8, 2026: Stage 5 (marathon – part 2)
Departure : Bivouac marathon
Arrival : Hail
Distance : 428km
Special : 372km
Friday January 9, 2026: Stage 6
Departure : Hail
Arrival : Riyadh
Distance : 920km
Special : 331km
Saturday January 10, 2026: Day of rest
Sunday January 11, 2026: Stage 7
Departure : Riyadh
Arrival : Wadi Ad-Dawasir
Distance : 876 km
Special : 462km
Monday January 12, 2026: Step 8
Departure : Wadi Ad-Dawasir
Arrival : Wadi Ad-Dawasir
Distance : 717km
Special : 481km
Tuesday January 13, 2026: Stage 9 (marathon – part 1)
Departure : Wadi Ad-Dawasir
Arrival : Bivouac marathon
Distance : 531km
Special : 410km
Wednesday January 14, 2026: Stage 10 (marathon – part 2)
Departure : Bivouac marathon
Arrival : Month
Distance : 469km
Special : 421km
Thursday January 15, 2026: Step 11
Departure : Month
Arrival :Al Henakiyah
Distance : 882 km
Special : 347km
Friday January 16, 2026: Stage 12
Departure :Al Henakiyah
Arrival :Yanbu
Distance : 718km
Special : 310km
Saturday January 17, 2026: Stage 13
Departure :Yanbu
Arrival :Yanbu
Distance : 141km
Special : 105km
