This year's Royal Rumble will be held in Saudi Arabia. WWE

WWE Royal Rumble 2026: Preview, Match Card & Location

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Rick Ucchino | Last updated Jan 12, 2026 1:50 PM ET

The road to WrestleMania 42 begins in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the 39th annual Royal Rumble Premium Live Event on Saturday, January 31.

It was Jey Uso who shocked the world this past February when he shoved John Cena off the ring apron and won the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble Match. He would go on to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41, where he again stunned the WWE Universe by forcing The Ring General to tap out.

Even though she came up short in her bid to defeat Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women's Championship at the 'Showcase of the Immortals', Charlotte Flair made history last year by becoming the first two-time winner of the Women's Royal Rumble Match.

Which two Superstars will punch their tickets to WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas when the men's and women's over-the-top rope challenges take place outside of North America for the first time ever? Perhaps Cody Rhodes will emerge to make some history of his own.

The American Nightmare missed out on the opportunity to win three consecutive Royal Rumble Matches in 2025, a feat that's never been accomplished before, but for a good reason. He was the WWE Champion at the time. Thanks to Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu, that's no longer the case.

The Scottish Warrior defeated Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell Match to win the third WWE Title of his career, and while Cody has yet to officially declare for the match, it's a safe bet that his number will be called in Saudi Arabia as he looks to earn a rematch for the gold this April.

If Rhodes is able to outlast 29 other men, he would tie WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin with the most Men's Royal Rumble Match victories in company history.

As for Drew McIntyre, he'll be defending his newly won WWE Championship for the first time at the Royal Rumble and a tournament to determine his opponent will begin this week on Friday Night SmackDown.

Randy Orton, The Miz, Damian Priest, Solo Sikoa, Trick Williams, Matt Cardona, Ilja Dragunov and Sami Zayn will all fight to claim one of four spots in a No. 1 Contender's Match that will take place at Saturday Night's Main Event on January 24. The winner of that match will move on to face the Scottish Warrior in Saudi Arabia.

WWE

Here's everything we currently know about this year's Royal Rumble. Check back for updates as more matches are announced in the coming weeks.

WWE Royal Rumble date:

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

WWE Royal Rumble time:

Time: 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT)

WWE Royal Rumble location:

Location: KAFD, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

How to watch the WWE Royal Rumble:

Streaming: ESPN Unlimited. Also available via paid ESPN subscriptions with Fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV Streaming, Spectrum TV and Verizon in the United States. International streaming available on Netflix.