It has been officially announced that next year’s WWE Royal Rumble will air live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As announced via press release on Monday, January 6th, WWE and The General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia will present the Premium Live Event in the Kingdom in 2026. The date of the show is still to be determined:
WWE, in partnership with The General Entertainment Authority (GEA), on behalf of HE Turki Alalshikh, announced that the 39th annual Royal Rumblewill be held in January 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This landmark event marks the first time the Royal Rumble will be hosted outside of North America.
Royal Rumble is an annual WWE Premium Live Event that includes both a men’s and women’s match with the winners eliminating all opponents and securing a Championship opportunity at WrestleMania.
In a statement, HE Turki Alalshikh said, “Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Royal Rumble for the first time outside North America reflects the General Entertainment Authority’s ongoing commitment to bringing the world’s largest and most important entertainment events to the Kingdom. Through this partnership with WWE, we aim to enhance the entertainment sector and deliver a transformative experience that attracts a wide audience.”
He added, “We are excited to see this historic event as part of Riyadh Season’s activities and look forward to providing an exceptional experience for wrestling fans from around the world, whom we welcome to all events hosted in Saudi Arabia.”
“WWE is a global enterprise and it only made sense to expand our relationship with the Kingdom by bringing one of our biggest annual events to Riyadh in January of 2026,” said Nick Khan, WWE President.
The announcement of Royal Rumble being held in Riyadh in 2026 marks a continued expansion to the successful partnership between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which has already seen record-breaking events including Crown Jewel,Elimination Chamber, King & Queen of the Ring, Night of Champions, SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.
Per the terms of the existing agreement between Saudi Arabia and WWE, another Premium Live Event will take place later that year, which will likely see the return of Crown Jewel and the respective Men’s and Women’s Champions fighting it out to see who will be the 2026 Crown Jewel Champions.
It was previously reported that the event would be taking place in the Kingdom in 2026, prompting backlash from many fans given the controversial relationship between both sides. This will mark the first time in the event’s near 40-year history that the Royal Rumble will be held outside of the United States or Canada. With the Rumble being announced for Sauid Arbaia, there is now more of a possibility that a future WrestleMania may also take place in the Kingdom.
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Continues Saudi Arabia Relationship
Beginning with The Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018, an event which had no women competing due to restrictions in place by the local authorities, Saudi Arabia Premium Live Events have seen big stars and big matches over the course of its 7-year history with at least one big match booked for the event in terms of star power or titles at stake.
Featured image: WWE
