Is WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Still Happening in Riyadh? Latest Update
WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is still scheduled for Saturday, November 7, at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But with the security situation in the region getting worse, there are real questions about whether the show will stay there.
Here is everything we know as of October 24, what WWE and TKO have said, and what could happen next.
The short answer
As of now, nothing has changed. WWE has not announced any plans to move, postpone or cancel Crown Jewel, and the company is still promoting the event in Riyadh. TKO has said it is ready to move the show if it has to.
Why Crown Jewel is in doubt
The concern comes from a run of attacks on Saudi Arabia, which reports have blamed on the Iran-backed Houthi group. Those attacks have reportedly targeted airports and critical infrastructure.
- On October 21, the U.S. State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. A State Department spokesperson clarified that this was an ordered departure for non-emergency staff, not a full evacuation of the embassy.
- A U.S. Embassy security alert issued the same day said operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were suspended, while the airports in Jeddah and Dammam were running with some delays and cancellations.
- The U.S. travel advisory for Saudi Arabia is at Level 3, which means Reconsider Travel. Level 4, Do Not Travel, is the highest level.
- Several other events planned for Riyadh have been canceled or postponed.
What TKO and WWE have said
TKO CEO Ari Emanuel addressed Crown Jewel in an interview with Fox News. He said, "Right now, everything is still set," and added, "So far, so good. Nothing has been canceled."
He also made it clear that the company has a backup plan. "We have a whole team working on this," he said. "And if that doesn't happen, we can move it. It's a daily monitoring."
According to PWInsider, WWE still plans to run the show in Saudi Arabia and has contingency plans in place, including working with a security firm that has experience in the Middle East and North Africa. Forbes has also cited reports that WWE has a backup city in the United States lined up, though that city has not been named.
Will Crown Jewel be moved?
Not everyone expects the show to stay in Riyadh. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has said he believes the event will likely be moved, but that WWE may not announce anything until it is sure the show cannot go ahead as planned.
There is also a lot of money involved. Meltzer has estimated that TKO stands to make between $70 million and $90 million from its three scheduled events in Saudi Arabia this year, which include two UFC shows and Crown Jewel. That helps explain why WWE is holding on as long as it can.
This is not the first time WWE has faced pressure over a Saudi show. In 2018, the company went ahead with the first Crown Jewel in Riyadh despite heavy criticism after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This time, though, the concern is about the safety of the people traveling to and attending the event, which is a very different situation.
What happens to the matches if the show moves?
Even if Crown Jewel changes location, there is no reason to expect the card to change. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the men's Crown Jewel Championship and Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green for the women's Crown Jewel Championship are both built on Raw and SmackDown storylines that do not depend on where the show takes place.
One thing to watch is the date. WWE has a broadcast deal with ESPN in the United States and Netflix around the world, so keeping the show on November 7 matters, wherever it ends up.
Our take
The safest bet right now is that WWE waits as long as it can before making any call. Nothing has been canceled, but the language from TKO has already shifted from "it is happening" to "we can move it." If the situation in Saudi Arabia does not improve in the next week, a move to the United States looks more and more likely.
We will update this story as soon as WWE confirms anything. For the full match card, start time and our predictions, read our Crown Jewel 2026 preview.
