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WWE Announces Royal Rumble 2026 International Location

By John Canton • Published 6th January 2025
WWE Royal Rumble logo over blurred match

The 2026 edition of the WWE Royal Rumble will be heading overseas in a country familiar to fans of the company.

For the first time ever, the annual WWE Royal Rumble event will take place outside of North America. It had been previously reported that WWE was planning to put the 2026 Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Since 2018, the country of Saudi Arabia has hosted multiple WWE PLE shows including the Greatest Royal Rumble, King and Queen of the Ring and the annual Crown Jewel show that usually takes place in November. They have also had episodes of Raw and SmackDown in Saudi Arabia as well.

It has been confirmed by WWE in a press release that the 2026 Royal Rumble will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

WWE, 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.

Riyadh Season To Appear On WWE Ring Mat

The business relationship between WWE and The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) of Saudi Arabia will continue moving forward because the new WWE ring mat on Raw will have the “Riyadh Season” logo in two spots.

Multiple logos will appear on the WWE ring mat on Raw:

• Fortnite (centered)
• Riyadh Season
• Hulk Hogan’s ‘Real American Beer’
• Cricket
• Netflix
• Snickers