This year, WWE's Royal Rumble broke a long-standing tradition as it took place on February 1, rather than the event's usual January slot. Next year's event will return to that tradition, though from an international location.
As confirmed by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, the 2026 Royal Rumble will emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2026. The note was made as part of a bigger announcement that WWE would be returning to Saudi Arabia in 2027 for WrestleMania 43, the first event of its kind to be held outside of North America.
Back in 2018, WWE signed a 10-year deal with the Saudi Arabian government to bring a number of WWE shows to the respective country, beginning with the first and only Greatest Royal Rumble. Since then, WWE has hosted several premium live events on Saudi Arabia grounds, including Crown Jewel, Night of Champions, and King and Queen of the Ring.2025 Night of Champions is the most recent, with John Cena headlining the PLE with a successful Undisputed WWE Championship defense over CM Punk.
The winners of the 2026 Men's and Women's Royal Rumbles will earn a championship match of their choosing at WrestleMania 42, which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2025 iterations were won by Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair, who went on to face then-World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER and Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton on WWE's grandest stage. "The Queen" fell short to Stratton; meanwhile, Uso dethroned "The Ring General" by submission.
