Despite the unrest in Saudi Arabia, WWE still plans to host Crown Jewel 2026 there on November 7.
With just over a week to go until the latest international event, the United States government is still strongly advising citizens not to travel to Saudi Arabia. The city of Riyadh, where Crown Jewel is set to take place, saw its airport attacked by the Iran-backed Houthi group multiple times. There have been over a dozen deaths and hundreds more injured due to the attacks.
According to the latest update by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, the show is not set to deviate from the original plan. It is added that sources who are working onsite in Saudi have been working there for weeks ahead of the show, with there also being a claim that the situation was “nowhere near as bad as the media makes it out to be.” Despite this, WWE talent and staff remain “reasonably concerned.”
Power Slap is set to take place in Riyadh the night before. For this, the production crew will fly into Bahrain and take a five-hour bus to Riyadh. There have been no updates regarding WWE’s plans to make it to the country for the show.
On the October 26 Raw, a fourth match was added to the Crown Jewel card. The updated line-up for the show is now as follows:
- World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns vs. WWE Champion Sami Zayn – Singles match for the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship
- Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan vs. WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green – Singles match for the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship
- Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton – Last Man Standing match
- Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed (c) vs. Je’Von Evans and Penta – Tag team match for the World Tag Team Championships
Las Vegas Sphere Speculated As Back-Up Venue If Next WWE Saudi Arabia Show Can’t Take Place
Assuming that Crown Jewel does go ahead as planned, the next time WWE is set to travel to Saudi Arabia will be for WrestleMania 43. However, if the show can’t take place in the country, there has been speculation that a backup venue in the United States could be used.
Former head of WCW and WWE authority figure Eric Bischoff stated on a podcast that The Sphere in Las Vegas could be used as a backup plan. No dates have been announced for Mania 43 at this time, with it being rumoured that it will be officially announced over Crown Jewel weekend.
As of now, John Mayer is scheduled at The Sphere from April 8-18, 2027, as well as later in month. Oprah Winfrey is there April 2-4. WWE could potentially host the event the weekend of April 24-25, but Fightful Select has not heard of any plans for this.
Featured image: WWE
