Ari Emanuel Confirms WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Is Still Planned For Saudi Arabia

TKO CEO Ari Emanuel has confirmed that WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is still currently planned to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, November 7, but he also admitted the company has a team working on backup plans should the event be moved.

"Right now, everything's still set. This weekend coming up in Abu Dhabi we have a UFC fight. We have in the middle of November a Frieze art show. Nothing's been cancelled… Yeah, we have a whole team kind of working on this. And if that doesn’t happen where we can move it. It's a daily monitoring," Emanuel stated on Fox News.

Crown Jewel will be held in Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season, although events as part of the annual series, such as the tennis Six Kings Slam, have already been postponed due to airstrikes targeting airports, oil and gas facilities, and military bases in Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. One strike on October 10 against Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport resulted in 13 deaths and over 300 wounded.

Due to the airstrikes, there has reportedly been internal opposition to travelling to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel, something that the company weren't thrilled about due to wanting to present a united front. As it stands, though, WWE will be heading to Saudi Arabia and preparations are underway in Riyadh for Crown Jewel.

WWE have worked with the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority since 2018 to hold two major events per year in KSA, with WWE receiving around $55 million per event. That number is much higher, estimated to be $150 million, for WrestleMania 43, which is scheduled to be held in Riyadh in April 2027.

While WWE are pressing ahead with holding Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, the country has been deemed so unsafe that non-essential embassy staff have been ordered to leave KSA by the United States Department of State. The travel advisory by the US State Department for Saudi Arabia advises US citizens reconsider travel.

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