A championship showdown in Riyadh: WWE's Night of Champions 2026
In short: Held at the Kingdom Arena, this high-stakes event featured intense tournament finals and a major triple threat match. As part of a decade-long partnership in Saudi Arabia, the night saw stars like Sami Zayn and Oba Femi secure prestigious titles in a spectacle of scripted professional wrestling.
The 2026 Night of Champions, also known as Night of Champions: Riyadh, took place on Saturday, June 27. This marked the 12th iteration of the premium live event and the second consecutive year it was hosted at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. The event was part of a 10-year strategic partnership between WWE and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport to support the Saudi Vision 2030 reform program. This specific event was the 15th major WWE event held in the country under that partnership.
The evening was defined by championship matches and tournament conclusions. In the opening bout, Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso to become the 2026 King of the Ring. Later, Iyo Sky defeated Liv Morgan to win the fourth Queen of the Ring tournament. The main event featured a triple threat match for SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Championship, where Sami Zayn defeated both Gunther and the defending champion, Cody Rhodes. This victory made Zayn both a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion.
While the matches are part of scripted storylines produced on Raw and SmackDown, the event reached a wide audience through various platforms. For the first time, the event was livestreamed on ESPN in the United States. Global audiences could watch the broadcast through Abema in Japan, SuperSport throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, and Netflix in most other regions. The event's official theme was '2 The Moon' by Pitbull, Ne-Yo, and Afrojack with DJ Buddha.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Night of Champions (2026)
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