Speaking at the Joy Forum 2025 held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, WWE President Nick Khan said taking certain events globally was the next natural step for WWE as you can’t be just an American product and call yourself a global company.

Khan used that explanation while discussing how half of WWE’s premium live events now take place internationally and also talked about the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania heading to Saudi Arabia.

“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,” Khan said. “And WrestleMania 2027 will be here in April of that year, first time ever WrestleMania outside of the U.S. or Canada. We’re excited!”

Khan said the company is in its eighth year in the partnership with the Kingdom and believes WWE fans from across the world will be traveling to Riyadh to witness both shows.

“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,” Khan said.

When asked why Saudi Arabia was chosen as the first location for an overseas WrestleMania, Khan said that when the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, expressed interest, they wrapped up the deal after a few meetings and were lucky to be able to announce it in Las Vegas ahead of their first joint boxing event.

WWE is said to be receiving somewhere in the range of $250 million for bringing WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia.