ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region, the 35th edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will take place from 22–27 November 2026, with the world renowned rally set to start and finish in Al Ain Region for the first time in its history.
Organised by the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO), in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the 2026 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will bring the world’s leading FIA and FIM rally raid competitors to the emirate for the final round of the World Rally-Raid Championship.
The event will connect Al Ain in the east with Al Dhafra in the west, while Madinat Zayed becomes the main operational home of the rally and its international paddock for the week.
The expanded journey builds on the event’s first visit to Al Ain Region in 2025, made possible through the continued support of the Ruler’s Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region and the close cooperation of authorities across Abu Dhabi.
Following that successful first experience, the 2026 edition will develop the concept further while maintaining the deep connection with Al Dhafra that has helped define the Desert Challenge throughout its history.
His Excellency Nasser Mohammed Al Mansoori, Undersecretary of the Ruler’s Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region, said: “The patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region, represents important support for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as this international event marks its 35th edition and continues to strengthen its position on the global sporting calendar.
“The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has been closely associated with Al Dhafra for decades, with the region becoming an integral part of the event’s identity and history. We look forward to welcoming the rally community to Madinat Zayed this year.
"At the same time, the event’s extension to Al Ain reflects its continued evolution and its ability to showcase the diversity of destinations and landscapes across Abu Dhabi, while remaining firmly connected to its desert roots and the heritage it has built over more than three decades.”
The rally will open in Al Ain on Sunday 22 November, when the FIM field contests a Prologue ahead of the ceremonial start. From Monday, the competition turns west towards Al Dhafra Region, where a heavily revised route will take drivers and riders into the desert terrain at the core of the event’s sporting identity.
For the remainder of the working week, the main rally bivouac will be established in the heart of Madinat Zayed.
More than a service park, the bivouac is the temporary town built around the Desert Challenge: the place where teams, mechanics, engineers, officials, media, competition vehicles and riders return after each stage, and where the event effectively lives between one day of racing and the next.
Bringing that main bivouac into Madinat Zayed will place the working world of international rally raid directly within the city, creating new opportunities for residents and visitors to experience the atmosphere surrounding the championship.
His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is one of the five most important rally events in the world, with an established international standing and a history spanning more than three decades, during which it has attracted leading drivers and teams from across the globe.
“With a route connecting Al Ain and Al Dhafra, it will present competitors with a variety of challenges across some of Abu Dhabi’s distinctive locations and natural terrain, reflecting the emirate’s geographical diversity while providing an exceptional competitive experience for participants.
The final competitive stage on Friday 27 November will take the rally back east to Al Ain Region, completing a journey across the emirate before the ceremonial finish and event prize giving.
The World Rally-Raid Championship will then bring its 2026 season to a close with its end-of-season awards.
The full competitive route remains under wraps, as is traditional in rally raid, but the 2026 itinerary has been substantially reworked and will take the field across different areas and terrain over the course of the week.
Further details of the sporting route and spectator programme will be revealed in the build-up to the event.
His Excellency Khalid Ben Sulayem, President of the Emirates Motorsports Organization, said: “Reaching the 35th Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is an important moment for all of us at EMSO, and we remain deeply grateful to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to the Ruler’s Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region for the continued support that has enabled this event to grow and evolve over so many years.
“For the first time, the World Rally-Raid Championship will conclude its season at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. We have substantially revised the route again and, while those details must remain confidential for now, our aim is clear: to deliver a fitting final test for the world’s leading rally raid competitors and a Desert Challenge worthy of this milestone."