As in years past, those hoping to do the Dakar Rally in 2026 will have to enter various races throughout 2025 or in recent years to qualify. Competitors with no Dakar experience whatsoever can also earn free registration by winning the Road to Dakar at select races, which includes all four of the other W2RC rounds.

The Road to Dakar is open to everyone who has never raced the Dakar, is not an FIA priority driver or RallyGP rider, is not part of a factory team, and has not won an RtD in the past. Abu Dhabi, Portugal, and Morocco’s RtD legs will be open for those racing an SSV while the new South African Safari Rally will award it to those in the Ultimate class; the latter is a first for the W2RC but a continuation of what the TGRSA Safari 1000 did before being replaced by the Safari Rally.

To win the RtD, one simply needs to finish the best among all competitors who have also signed up for it. A 2025 RtD winner can choose to use their freebie on the 2026 or 2027 Dakar.

While bike riders who fail to win the RtD won’t get their entry fees waived, finishing the races are still crucial since the FIM uses a points system to help calculate eligibility. The same number of points is awarded to all finishers regardless of where they placed, though three bonus points are offered to those whose final times are within 1.3 times the Rally2 winner.

All W2RC races except for the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid (which takes place in forests rather than deserts like the others) offer 12 points. Since the Dakar is in Saudi Arabia, desert rallies take priority and offer more. Non-W2RC rounds like the Safari 1000 and the Sonora Rally are also permitted to be used to qualify for Dakar, though points payouts depend on the length and environment that they take place in.

However, points alone won’t punch your ticket to Dakar. Although they certainly assist in convincing the ASO to consider your application, the organizers also take into account other qualifications like motivation, background, and physical health, all of which are included in a dossier du sélection that must be submitted when signing up.

140 bike slots are up for grabs in 2026.

Points

Race	Points
2021–2025 Dakar Rally	18 points
2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge	12 points
2025 South African Safari Rally	12 points
2025 Rallye du Maroc	12 points
2025 BP Ultimate Rally-Raid	6 points
Desert rally of at least 5 days	4 points
Finishing within 130% of the Rally2 winner	3 points
Other rally of at least 5 days	2 points
FIM Bajas World Cup round	2 points

Featured image credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI