All Elite Wrestling has confirmed the dates and locations of two of its key events to close out 2026. Worlds End will take place on Saturday, December 19 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while the holiday TV specials under the name Holiday Bash will happen just four days later, on Wednesday, December 23, from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
The announcements came after the celebration of AEW All Out 2026 in Chicago and reveal two of the company's last major stops before the end of the year. Minneapolis will host Worlds End for the first time, while AEW will quickly return to one of its regular markets, Chicago, to tape its Christmas special programs.
The Target Center confirmed that it will be the venue for the fourth edition of Worlds End, marking a significant change from the previous three years. It will be the first time the PPV is held before Christmas Day, as the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions took place during the last weekend of December.
ANNOUNCED! All Elite Wrestling brings Worlds End to the Twin Cities for the first time in history. This will be the fourth annual Worlds End PPV, live from the Target Center on Saturday, December 19. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, October 5.
AEW debuted Worlds End in December 2023 and has since made the show its final PPV of the annual calendar. The first edition was held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, New York, while Orlando hosted the second installment in 2024. Worlds End 2025 took place at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, where AEW managed to sell out the available tickets.
Since its inception, the PPV has also maintained a close relationship with the Continental Classic. The first three editions of Worlds End hosted the decisive rounds of the tournament. Eddie Kingston won the inaugural competition in 2023, Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay in the 2024 final, and Jon Moxley defeated Okada to win the Continental Classic 2025 and become the Continental Champion.
This tradition is expected to continue this year. AEW has already confirmed that the Continental Classic 2026 will begin on November 18 during an episode of Dynamite from Denver, Colorado. Twelve wrestlers will once again participate in the tournament under a round-robin format, although the company has not officially announced the participants or the final date.
Jon Moxley will enter this edition as the current Continental Champion after winning the title in last year's tournament. Considering the precedent of the first three editions, Worlds End once again presents itself as the natural stage for the final rounds of the Continental Classic, although AEW has yet to confirm its structure for 2026.
Shortly after the Worlds End announcement, AEW also confirmed its plans for the Christmas week. Holiday Bash will take place on Wednesday, December 23, 2026, just four days after the PPV, and will consist of tapings of Dynamite and Collision from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Holiday Bash is a designation that AEW has used since 2020 for some of its special episodes during the holiday season. Over the years, the theme has extended to different programs of the company and has been used to advance stories leading into the season finale.
The 2025 edition was also closely linked to the Continental Classic. AEW taped Dynamite and Collision: Holiday Bash from the Co-op Live in Manchester, where several matches corresponding to the group stage of the tournament took place before Worlds End.
This year's calendar change creates a different situation. Worlds End will take place four days before Holiday Bash, so the Christmas specials will no longer serve as the final TV stop to build up the PPV. Instead, they will allow AEW to show the aftermath of the Minneapolis event and begin developing the stories that the company will enter 2027 with.
Chicago continues to hold a prominent place in the All Elite Wrestling calendar. The city and its surroundings have hosted numerous major events since the early years of the company, including different editions of All Out and, more recently, Worlds End 2025.
With Worlds End and Holiday Bash, AEW has practically defined its programming for the final weeks of 2026. Minneapolis will host one of the company's annual PPVs for the first time, while Chicago will immediately receive a double TV session in the middle of Christmas week. The main question now is to know the Worlds End card and see if, as in its first three editions, the event will once again crown the winner of the Continental Classic.
ES
US
