WWE & Saudi Arabia discussing hosting WrestleMania or Royal Rumble in 2026 or 2027

A week after news broke that Saudi Arabia was hopeful to host a big-name WWE PLE in the future, the main man behind that push has provided targeted dates for either WrestleMania or the Royal Rumble.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour Wednesday, General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alsheikh said they are speaking with WWE about hosting either WrestleMania or the Royal Rumble in either 2026 or 2027 — both of which would be unprecedented considering the history of both shows.

Last week, Alsheikh told ESPN that an “enhancement” to their deal will be announced this month, expected to be next week when WWE returns to Saudi Arabia for King & Queen of the Ring. WWE has yet to comment publicly on any talks.

As part of a contract that was signed in 2018, WWE brings two yearly PLEs to Saudi Arabia: one of which is Crown Jewel that is specific to that country. WWE is believed to take in $50 million per event as part of that deal.

TKO, the parent company of WWE and UFC, has embedded themselves even further with Saudi Arabia and recently announced a new deal that will see them host another UFC event in addition to sponsorship of UFC’s debut show (UFC 306) at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

In its 40-year history, WrestleMania has been held twice on foreign soil, both times in Toronto, Canada. The very first Rumble event was held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1988 but has taken place stateside ever since.