The Royal Rumble is heading to Riyadh.
WWE has officially announced the 2026 Royal Rumble for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the promotion’s first-ever time hosting the mid-January to early February tradition outside of North America. News of the upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia was first reported by PWInsider on Friday.
Next year’s event continues the long-standing partnership between WWE and Saudi Arabia, which has brought the promotion to the country a couple of times per year in exchange for highly lucrative paydays.
WWE’s first broadcasted trip to the country dates back to 2018 when they hosted “The Greatest Royal Rumble,” a special second Rumble event that year which saw 50 wrestlers compete in the match. WWE most recently presented a pair of Premium Live Events (PLE) from the country last year, as well as two TV tapings.
WWE and Saudi Arabia signed an “enhancement” to their past deal last year in hopes of bettering the partnership. When the agreement was announced, Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshikh mentioned his hopes of hosting the Rumble and eventually Wrestlemania in the country.
Deals with Saudi Arabia have drawn significant backlash from many for years, with WWE notably hosting their first event in the country just one month after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Some have considered the deal an attempt at “sportswashing,” a term which alleges the use of sporting events to clean up a troubled reputation.
Since its start in 1988, the Royal Rumble has only taken place at venues in the United States and Canada. A little over a year from now, that will change.
