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Latest Images of the WWE Royal Rumble Arena Construction in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh's temporary outdoor stadium is a site to behold.
Jeff Scott|
WWE

A little over a year ago, WWE announced that the 2026 Royal Rumble would be taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It's the first time in history that the event will take place outside of North America.

Riyadh has several stadiums and arenas that could host the spectacle, but it turns out the decision was to do something different: build one from scratch.

As of the first week in January, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority began work on a temporary outdoor site that would host this year's Rumble. And within just a few weeks' time, it's pretty remarkable to see how much has been accomplished.

Triple H
Triple H | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

What does the Royal Rumble arena look like?

With the 2026 Royal Rumble coming up this weekend, more and more images and videos are emerging from Riyadh showcasing the progress of the temporary venue. And while construction has been swift, the results have been nothing short of impressive.

Numerous social media feeds from Riyadh have been providing ongoing updates on construction, highlighting the various stages of completion and revealing unique elements of the event.

The Royal Rumble will begin late in the evening for those in Saudi Arabia, and we've been given a glimpse of how the arena looks in the dark. Below is the arena glowing in blue as they test AJ Styles' entrance for his match against Gunther, a match that could be the Phenomenal One's last as a wrestler.

While the construction teams continue to put the final touches on the King Abdullah Financial District's newest attraction, the bells and whistles are slowly being added too. Some locals caught massive props being set up ahead of Saturday. Specifically, below are nods to LA Knight and Roman Reigns.

Who is in the 2026 Royal Rumble?

WWE is hoping to bring one heck of a show to the Riyadh Season 2026 festival and the participants for this year's Rumble are beginning to come into focus.

But there are also plenty more wrestlers that are rumored to be somewhere in the 30-wrestler field. We'll see who takes control of the Road to Wrestlemania on both the men's and women's sides when the event begins Saturday, January 31st at 2 p.m. Eastern.

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Jeff Scott
JEFF SCOTT

Jeff Scott has been covering sports for over a decade now, with bylines featured at Heavy.com and SI.com. He's been fascinated with sports since a young age, which helped to lead him toward his current role as an SI contributor in the wrestling, boxing, and soccer spaces. His teenage years were molded by the WWE Attitude Era and he fondly remembers the spectacle that was Mike Tyson biting Holyfield’s ear off on live TV.

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