The WWE announced on Monday that the Royal Rumble, one of the marquee premium live events the company holds, will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2026.
The Royal Rumble event has primarily been held in the United States outside of its first instance in 1988, when it was hosted in Ontario, Canada. It will be hosted in Indianapolis in February before it heads overseas next year.
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“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,” WWE president Nick Khan said in a news release.
Saudi Arabia has been the host of a handful of premium live events in the past. Crown Jewel has been the main event held in the country, while The Greatest Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber Night of Champions and the King and Queen of the Ring events also took place there.
“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,” Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh added.
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“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 touted November’s Crown Jewel as a massive success. The company said it set a record for the most-watched WWE event from Saudi Arabia.
The company said the event saw a 28% viewership increase from last year’s event. It was also the sixth Crown Jewel event that was sold out at Mohammed Abd Arena in Riyadh.
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