WWE confirms the date for Royal Rumble 2026

The relationship between WWE and Saudi Arabia continues to generate major news, such as the announcement of WrestleMania 43 in the Asian country as officially announced this afternoon in a press conference by Triple H and Turki Al-Sheikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia.

However, this has not been the only announcement of the night. Royal Rumble 2026, an event that will also take place in Saudi Arabia, already has a confirmed date. The traditional WWE PLE will take place on Saturday, January 31 in the city of Riyadh, the same city that will host WrestleMania 43 a year later.

This will be the first edition of the Royal Rumble to be held outside North American territory, fulfilling one of the Saudi authorities' biggest wishes. It is worth noting that WWE's first event in Saudi Arabia as part of their multi-year agreement was, in fact, the Greatest Royal Rumble, which featured the largest number of participants in the history of this match (50 talents in total).

As is tradition, Royal Rumble will kick off the Road to WrestleMania 42, an event that will once again take place in the city of Las Vegas. This decision has been heavily criticized by fans due to the high ticket prices for the show. The winners of the two Royal Rumble matches will earn the first two direct passes to the "Show of Shows".

WWE and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in 2018, valid until 2027, under which the former committed to holding two annual events in the country. This has been the case since 2018, except for the years 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2025. The latter will be compensated next year with the celebration of three PLE events, starting with the Royal Rumble.