WWE President Nick Khan has spoken publicly about the company’s decision to hold WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia in 2027, confirming that WWE has no concerns about potential logistical challenges tied to the historic event.
The announcement marks a major milestone, as WrestleMania 43 will be the first WrestleMania held outside of the United States or Canada, taking place in Riyadh.
Speaking on a panel at Joy Forum 2025 in Saudi Arabia, Khan described the move as part of WWE’s evolving global expansion strategy.
“It was a natural next step for us,” Khan said. “I think at WWE, we realized a number of years ago — you can’t simply pipe American product out globally and hope to be a global product. You actually have to have boots on the ground. So if you look at what we’ve done with our Premium Live Events — formerly known as pay-per-views — over the last few years, about half of those now take place outside of the United States.”
Khan cited WWE’s long-standing relationship with Turki Alalshikh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a major factor in the decision.
“We’re in the eighth year of a long-term partnership with Turki Alalshikh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… We’re bringing Royal Rumble here at the end of January [2026]. It’s the first time Royal Rumble, which is our second or third biggest event, will take place outside of the United States or Canada,” he noted.
The WWE President expressed confidence in the event’s success, both from a broadcast and tourism perspective.
“And WrestleMania 2027, as you just mentioned, will be here in April of that year, first time ever WrestleMania, as you also said, outside of the US or Canada. We’re excited. We think viewership is going to be strong. We think people will come to the Kingdom to see our show, and we’re going to put on a spectacle.”
When asked why Saudi Arabia was chosen, Khan said the idea originated years ago as part of the Kingdom’s vision to host the event.
“So when Turki expressed interest in having it here, we got together for a couple of different meetings, worked out the deal in short order and then had the good fortune of announcing it the day before Canelo vs. Crawford, our first fight together in Las Vegas,” Khan said.
The WWE–Saudi Arabia partnership, which began in 2018, continues to expand with more high-profile Premium Live Events. Before WrestleMania 43 in 2027, the Kingdom is set to host the Royal Rumble in January 2026 — another first for WWE’s global calendar.
