The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble is being held outside North America for the first time in history.
Back in 2018, WWE entered a 10 year agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that sees the company present two premium live events a year. With title changes and storyline advancements taking place on international shows, the events have become more integrated with regular storylines as opposed to the one-off supershows that they were in the earlier days.
In mid-2024, reports emerged that Saudi Arabia and WWE were looking to have an “enhancement” on their agreement which could see the Royal Rumble or even WrestleMania hosted in the country in the future. PWInsider recently reported that the 2026 Royal Rumble was set to be held in Saudi Arabia, and in a new press release, WWE has confirmed these plans. The press release reads:
January 6, 2025 – WWE®️, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), in partnership with The General Entertainment Authority (GEA), on behalf of HE Turki Alalshikh, announced that the 39th annual Royal Rumble will 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.
Details On The 2025 WWE Royal Rumble
Meanwhile, fans are looking forward to the 2025 Royal Rumble, which will take place on February 1st in Indianapolis, IN. In late December, Nick Aldis confirmed that Cody Rhodes will compete in a ladder match at the event with the Winged Eagle and Undisputed WWE Championship belts hung above the ring.