WWE WrestleMania is soon headed outside of North America.
WrestleMania 43 in 2027 will take place in Saudi Arabia, chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque announced on Friday, Sept. 12, in the city of Riyadh.
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This means it will be the first time WrestleMania has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and only the third time it’s been held outside of the United States. The only other instances are WrestleMania 6 in 1990 and WrestleMania 18 in 2002, both of which took place in Toronto.
The news comes after Saudi Arabia general entertainment authority Turki Alalshikh announced it in a Snapchat video on Sept. 10. Alalshikh was in attendance for the announcement.
WWE has had a partnership with Saudi Arabia for more than eight years, initially holding house shows in the country to now presenting major premium live events, typically in the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah. In 2019, WWE expanded its partnership with the General Entertainment Authority through 2027, which brings two “large-scale events” to the country each year.
The first premium live event to take place in Saudi Arabia was the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018, separate from the annual Royal Rumble event. Since then, WWE has held events like Crown Jewel and Night of Champions in the country.
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Despite the frequency of shows in the country, Saudi officials have been seeking to host major WWE events, and the push has intensified in recent months. The 2026 Royal Rumble will be held in Riyadh, the first of WWE’s “big five” events to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Still, Alalshikh had explicitly stated his desire to bring WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia – a move that has been met with pushback, given it is WWE’s flagship event and the allegations of sportswashing that have occurred in the country. There was belief Saudi Arabia would hold an event similar to the Greatest Royal Rumble – in that it wouldn’t exactly be WrestleMania – but, it appears it will in fact be the biggest event in WWE.
The 2025 edition, WrestleMania 41, took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and WrestleMania 42 will take place in the same venue in 2026.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WWE WrestleMania 43 in 2027 will be held in Saudi Arabia
