Morocco is preparing to host the start of the 18th edition of the Africa Eco Race on Jan. 24, 2027, from the city of Tangier toward Lac Rose in Senegal.
The race is expected to reach its finish on Feb. 6 after crossing Morocco and Mauritania, along a route combining sporting challenges with the discovery of Africa’s natural and tourism assets.
Tangier will host the start of the international sporting event for the second consecutive year, further strengthening Morocco’s position among the rally’s key stages and reinforcing its role as a gateway connecting Europe and Africa.
The “City of the Strait” will welcome participants from Jan. 21 to 23 for administrative and technical checks before the official start on Jan. 24, alongside a prologue on the municipal beach.
The Moroccan stages will play a key role in shaping the competition from the outset, with routes combining fast sections, technical terrain and navigation challenges that will put competitors’ driving and endurance skills to a real test.
These stages will also showcase the Kingdom’s natural and cultural diversity and introduce the areas crossed by the rally to a broad international audience.
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The route will link the northern part of the Kingdom with its southern provinces, reaching Guerguerat before continuing toward Mauritania and Senegal. The city of Dakhla is expected to be one of the rally’s main stops, hosting the rest day scheduled for Jan. 30.
The break will allow participating teams to service their vehicles and restore them to full readiness, while also showcasing the city’s tourism assets, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the desert landscapes.
The event’s significance extends beyond its sporting dimension, also serving to promote Moroccan tourism destinations and strengthen the Kingdom’s appeal in sports and adventure tourism, while supporting people-to-people ties and deepening cooperation among African countries.
The organization of the event is in line with Morocco’s African orientation, based on strengthening South-South cooperation and ties among countries across the continent, in keeping with the Royal initiative aimed at facilitating Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic Ocean.
On the sporting front, the 18th edition is expected to draw broad participation across several categories, including motorcycles, cars, lightweight desert vehicles and trucks, as well as historic vehicles and the Adventure Rally categories.
After completing the Moroccan stages, the rally convoy will continue across the Mauritanian sand dunes toward Senegal, through 12 stages testing navigation skills, endurance and team spirit, before reaching Lac Rose on Feb. 6, 2027, bringing an African adventure to a close that extends well beyond the boundaries of sporting competition.
