2026 WWE Royal Rumble card, date, matches, entrants, format for annual event set for Saudi Arabia
Royal Rumble takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, Jan. 31
The Road to WrestleMania 42 begins at the Royal Rumble. Thirty men and women compete in their respective Royal Rumble matches, with the winners earning guaranteed world title matches at the biggest show of the year. It all goes down on Saturday, Jan. 31, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Royal Rumble is a flagship WWE event. Each year, superstars try to outlast each other for the right to challenge the world champion of their choice at WrestleMania. Keep your eyes peeled for main event stars, breakout performances and surprise returns or debuts; there are always a few of those. Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are among the stars confirmed for the men's Rumble. The women's Rumble includes multiple former champions like Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Liv Morgan and Charlotte Flair.
Two other matches are booked for the cornerstone event. Undisputed WWE champion McIntyre makes his first title defense against Sami Zayn, who won a tournament to earn the title shot. Also on the card, Gunther attempts to retire AJ Styles.
Take a look below at the confirmed matches for the Royal Rumble and take a glance at the crystal ball of what may come. The event streams live on ESPN Unlimited with the main card starting at 2 p.m. ET.
2026 WWE Royal Rumble matches
Men's Royal Rumble match -- Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Gunther, Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, Dragon Lee, Penta, and 21 more TBA superstars: Five former men's world champions have confirmed their entries into this year's match: Reigns, Rhodes, Mysterio, Gunther, and Uso. Gunther, the only one of the five to never win a Rumble, holds the record for longest Rumble entry, breaking Mysterio's previous record. Rhodes plans to join "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as the only three-time Rumble winners.
Undisputed WWE Championship -- Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn: McIntyre learned the identity of his first title challenger at Saturday Night's Main Event. Randy Orton, Trick Williams, Damian Priest and Zayn met in a No. 1 contender's match after winning their qualifying matches. Zayn stood tall in Montreal, catching Priest with a Helluva Kick to punch his ticket to the Rumble. Zayn has never won a world title in WWE, and has made it his mission to change his fortunes this year.
Women's Royal Rumble match -- Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, Chelsea Green, Jordynne Grace, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Giulia and 15 more TBA superstars: The women's Rumble is stacked. Eight former women's world champions are among the 15 superstars currently announced for the match. Expect more stars to throw their names into the hat before the Rumble begins.
AJ Styles vs. Gunther: Gunther is turning into a new age Legend Killer. Last year, "The Ring General" retired both John Cena and Goldberg. He wants to do the same to Styles. "The Phenomenal" one previously announced he'd retire in 2026, but Gunther hopes to expedite the process. Gunther stole a victory from Styles on Monday Night Raw, and only granted him a rematch under the condition that Styles retires if he loses at the Rumble.
