WWE will be making a change to their Saudi schedule this year to accommodate bringing Royal Rumble to the Kingdom next year.
The company has held two PPV events on Saudi soil since the beginning of its 10-year deal with the country in 2018, with the exception of the COVID years in 2020 and 2021.
During the 2024 TKO fourth quarter earnings call this week, however, CFO Andrew Schleimer revealed that the company will only hold one event in the Middle East this year, and make up for it in 2026:
Our guidance for 2025 includes one PLE in Saudi Arabia, compared to two PLEs in 2024. This results in an unfavorable impact to our 2025 plan of approximately $55 million of total company revenue. We expect to host three PLEs in Saudi Arabia in 2026, including Royal Rumble,
WWE has already announced the 2026 Royal Rumble event from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season. So far, the company has not confirmed the date for the 2025 Saudi event.
TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE is expanding its partnership with the Saudi government in other ways as well. Their other major promotion UFC held their second big Saudi event in UFC Fight Night 250 earlier this month.
Apart from this, the company is also nearing an agreement to start a brand-new combat sports league with the help of the country's Public Investment Fund. You can check out more details on the matter here.
