The WWE Royal Rumble, one of the biggest events in professional wrestling, has officially found a new home for 2026—Saudi Arabia. This marks the first time in the event’s long history that it will be hosted outside of North America, reflecting WWE’s ongoing global expansion. The announcement was made just before the premiere of WWE Raw on Netflix.
Partnering with Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority, the event is set to be hosted in Riyadh. Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, praised this as a major step in his country’s commitment to attracting world-renowned entertainment events. He spoke with enthusiasm about the expectations for the Royal Rumble and what it would mean for the Kingdom’s entertainment industry.
WWE President Nick Khan made it clear that this move wasn’t merely a geographical change, but a strategic expansion of WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. This is not the first collaboration between the American wrestling giant and the Kingdom; previous events like Crown Jewel and Elimination Chamber have been hosted there as part of an ongoing deal.
Interestingly, this move could potentially open doors even further for WWE events in the Middle East, possibly even WrestleMania itself. Given Saudi Arabia’s significant investments and infrastructure development in the entertainment sector, it seems more than capable of hosting even more monumental wrestling events in the future. As the WWE continues to push its boundaries, there’s no telling how their Middle Eastern connections might evolve next.