Every season of SAS Australia puts its recruits through hell, but the 2026 location might just be the toughest yet.
This year, fourteen famous faces – seven Australians and seven Brits – have been dropped into the scorching North African desert for a brutal, condensed version of the SAS selection course.
Keep scrolling for everything we know so far about this year’s filming location.
Where was SAS Australia 2026 filmed?
The exact location is always kept under wraps, but this season was filmed in North Africa, likely in the Atlas Mountains region or surrounding desert terrain in Morocco.
Previous seasons have taken recruits to Jindabyne in NSW, the Capertee Valley in NSW, and the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan. Morocco is a step up in brutality from all of them.
According to the network, the DS will push recruits through “hostile and unforgiving warfare environments,” testing their mental and physical limits through a series of realistic training exercises.
“Not everyone will have what it takes to make it to the end as bonds snap, egos shatter, and recruits are pushed so far past their limits they forget they ever had any,” a Channel 7 press release stated.
What is the SAS Australia 2026 location like?
Ask any of the DS, and they will tell you — it was rough.
Speaking to Channel 4, Jason Fox summed it up plainly: “It’s a brutal excursion into the North African mountains for both Aussies and Brits to see who’s got the minerals to be standing at the end. The tasks are bigger, the environment is more brutal than last year, and people are going to love it because you’ll see celebrities getting their backsides handed to them.”
He added, “Hot and dry means hydration is critical. It’s dusty. Living in a tent full of dust has a massive impact — you’ll see recruits coughing constantly. It’s just the nature of it.”
Chris Oliver was equally blunt: “This was the most brutal environment I’ve experienced on the show. I’d rather be cold than hot — you can always warm up, but you can’t cool down easily. The heat affects mood, performance, and decision-making. Out of all the series I’ve been part of, this was the toughest from a weather perspective.”
Rudy Reyes said conditions were intense: “The conditions have been the most extreme that I’ve ever encountered. Shooting in North Africa in July, where the temperature is around 130 degrees, is challenging for anybody.”
What did the celebrity recruits say about SAS Australia location?
Love Island‘s Dani Dyer, one of the British recruits, didn’t hold back on Instagram after filming wrapped.
“Filmed out in North Africa, this was honestly one of the toughest things I’ve ever done in my life. Mentally, physically, everything,” she wrote.
“The line-up this year is amazing, and I feel so lucky to be part of it.”
Aussie reality TV star Jessika Power also called her time in Morocco “brutal” in a post to her Instagram.
The 2026 series is due to premiere on Channel Seven on Wednesday, April 29, at 7.30pm. Find out more about the show here.
