The Royal Rumble 2026, also called Royal Rumble: Riyadh, is an upcoming WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event. It will be the 39th Royal Rumble and will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026. The event will be held at a temporary outdoor stadium in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the 2025–2026 Riyadh Season.
This will be the 14th WWE event in Saudi Arabia under WWE’s 10-year partnership supporting Saudi Vision 2030. It will be the second event in Saudi Arabia to feature a Royal Rumble match after the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018. It is also the first WWE “Big Five” event to take place in the country.
Royal Rumble 2026: Full match card
Men’s Royal Rumble match
The men’s Royal Rumble match was first held in 1988, when WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan won the very first match. This year, Jey Uso is trying to win the Royal Rumble for a second straight time. Roman Reigns will compete in his eighth Royal Rumble match. He won once in 2015 and holds the record for most runner-up finishes with four. Randy Orton has reached the final four more than anyone else, doing so eight times.
Among active wrestlers, The Miz has appeared in the most Royal Rumble matches with 16. Gunther set the record for longest time spent in a single Royal Rumble match in 2023 by entering first and lasting over 1 hour and 11 minutes before finishing as runner-up. The shortest time ever spent in a Royal Rumble match belongs to Santino Marella, who lasted just 1.9 seconds in 2009.
Women’s Royal Rumble match
The women’s Royal Rumble match was first held in 2018 and was won by Asuka, who last eliminated Nikki Bella. That victory earned Asuka a SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. Liv Morgan and Natalya are tied for the most women’s Royal Rumble appearances, each competing in their eighth match in 2025.
Roxanne Perez set the record for longest time spent in a women’s Royal Rumble match by lasting 1 hour and 7 minutes in the 2025 match. Charlotte Flair is the only multiple-time women’s Royal Rumble winner, winning in 2020 and 2025, and she has been part of the final four in all five of her appearances.
Drew McIntyre vs Sami Zayn for Undisputed WWE Championship
The Undisputed WWE Championship will be defended by Drew McIntyre against Sami Zayn. McIntyre has defended a WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble before, defeating Goldberg in under three minutes in 2021. Zayn has never beaten McIntyre in a singles match, with the two facing each other six times on television since 2023. Zayn is also seeking his first-ever Royal Rumble win, as seven of his eight Royal Rumble losses came in Rumble matches.
Gunther vs AJ Styles
Another major match on the card sees Gunther face AJ Styles with Styles’ WWE career on the line. Styles has not won a WWE premium live event match in over three years, with his last win coming in 2022 at Survivor Series: WarGames against Finn Bálor. During that same period, Gunther recorded 10 PLE victories, most recently defeating Pat McAfee at Backlash in 2025. Gunther could end another career, having already submitted John Cena in Cena’s final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December.
Royal Rumble 2026: Live streaming details
Royal Rumble 2026 weekend starts on Friday, January 30, 2026, with a special kickoff preview show. This show is only for hype, panel discussions, match talk, and superstar interviews. It does not include the actual Royal Rumble matches.
On Saturday, January 31, the pre-show will air from 10:30 p.m. IST and will run for about two hours. This pre-show may have short matches, backstage interviews, and final storyline updates before the main event.
The 2026 Royal Rumble main card will begin at 12:30 a.m. IST on Sunday, February 1. The event will be held at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Riyadh as part of the Riyadh Season.
In the United States, 2026 Royal Rumble will stream live and on demand on ESPN+ for subscribers with select plans. Outside the U.S., the event will stream live on Netflix in countries where WWE content is available through the platform.
FAQs
Q. When will Royal Rumble 2026 take place?
A. The event will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
Q. When does the Royal Rumble 2026 main event start in India?
A. The main card will begin at 12:30 a.m. IST on Sunday, February 1.
Q. Where can fans watch Royal Rumble 2026 in India?
A. In India, the Royal Rumble 2026 will stream live on Netflix.
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