WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is one of the most controversial Premium Live Events of the year given the uncertainty surrounding the event amid the 2026 Iran War. The ongoing conflict has affected Saudi Arabia, which has come under attack via drone and missile strikes from Iran-backed militia.
WWE now finds itself between a rock and a hard place with tensions increasing in the middle east less than a month before the promotion is set to travel to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel. There was no mention of the PLE during WWE Money in the Bank earlier this month, but recent updates suggest WWE will still make the trip.
“Right now, everything is 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. So far so good. Nothing’s been cancelled," said TKO CEO Ari Emanuel during a Fox News appearance (h/t Cagesideseats.com.)
“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.”
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority and co-founder of Zuffa Boxing with WWE parent company TKO, recently tweeted "Hard times reveal true friends," seemingly putting the pressure on promotions like WWE to move forward with current plans to travel to Riyadh.
On the morning of October 13, 2026, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque took to X to post a Crown Jewel poster, confirming the event was to commence live from Riyadh on November 7, 2026. This week, the United States ordered diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia amid fears of escalating attacks.
WWE Crown Jewel 2026 | Where Is It And What Time Does It Start?
- WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Date: Sunday, November 7, 2026
- WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Start Time: 9:00 am PST, 12:00 pm EST
- Where to Watch/Stream: WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is available on ESPN Unlimited in the United States. Crown Jewel can be viewed internationally through Netflix.
WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Still In Doubt Amid Crisis In Iran?
Though WWE is still planning its trip to Saudi Arabia, backup plans have reportedly made as was confirmed by Emanuel. As of this writing, the backup city is undisclosed.
“They’re going to cancel when they feel there’s no hope,” said Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. (h/t Yahoo!)
“Nobody wants to go, I mean let’s be serious, nobody wants to go right now. Everyone knows the situation, it’s high alert for people, no one is advised to go there right now. Most likely, the show will be moved but they’re not going to say anything until there’s no hope and whatever, and that may be this week. I mean they may look at that and go ‘There’s no hope.’ But they’ll fight it until whenever they make the decision, but I mean yeah, it ain’t looking good, it ain’t looking good at all but they’re not going to say anything. They’re not going to say anything until the day they say it isn’t happening. Could be any day now, they may hold out later.”
WWE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia, while never short of controversy and strife, is one of its most lucrative partnerships with the industry leading promotion getting an estimated $50 million from Saudi Arabia per show as part of a 10-year agreement signed in 2018. WWE Royal Rumble 2026 was held in Saudi earlier this year at a staggering price of $100 million, while WrestleMania 43 is currently planned for 2027 as part of an reported $250 million deal. WWE has not yet announced a date for WrestleMania 43, which is rare given the promotion typically announces its WrestleMania date a year in advance.
Despite apparent plans to move forward with WWE Crown Jewel 2026, many questions still remain as to whether or not WWE will fly its staff to Riyadh, especially with the U.S. Embassy’s travel advisory currently set at Level 3—Reconsider Travel.
“Reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to risk of drone and missile targeting of American interests by Iran and the Iranian-supported Houthis, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans, and local laws regarding social media activity,” read the advisory. With so many variables, a lot can change between now and November 7.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com