WWE has announced the 39th Royal Rumble will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2026 – the first time the event will be held outside North America.
This announcement follows an expanded partnership between WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, and Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), led by HE Turki Alalshikh.
The Royal Rumble is a yearly WWE Premium Live Event featuring men’s and women’s matches where winners outlast all opponents to earn a Championship opportunity at WrestleMania.
Nick Khan, President of WWE, commented: “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.”
This historic milestone, marking the first Royal Rumble outside North America, will catch the attention of WWE fans. However, Saudi Arabia is no stranger to WWE events, having previously hosted Crown Jewel, Elimination Chamber, King & Queen of the Ring, Night of Champions, SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.
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.”
The 39th Royal Rumble will come under the Kingdom’s Riyadh Season, an initiative designed to showcase Saudi Arabia as a global hub for entertainment, culture and sports, aiming to attract millions of visitors from around the world.
Alalshikh 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.”
So far, the main focus of this campaign has been combat sports, with Saudi Arabia hosting some of the biggest international boxing matches in recent years, including the recent heavyweight rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia hosted its debut UFC event in March last year. The UFC, like WWE, is under the TKO umbrella after Endeavour merged the two in 2023.
