WWE Crown Jewel and Canelo Alvarez’s fight with Christian Mbilli will go on as scheduled in Saudi Arabia despite new U.S. security alerts for the region, Front Office Sports reported Monday.
“WWE’s Crown Jewel live event and the Canelo Álvarez boxing match will go on as scheduled in Saudi Arabia despite the U.S. issuing security alerts following chaos in the country stemming from the U.S.-Iran war,” Front Office Sports wrote on X.
WWE’s Crown Jewel live event and the Canelo Álvarez boxing match will go on as scheduled in Saudi Arabia despite the U.S. issuing security alerts following chaos in the country stemming from the U.S.-Iran war. https://t.co/ntQfNAYJoG
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 19, 2026
Crown Jewel is set for November 7 at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh. Alvarez’s fight with Mbilli is set for October 31 in Riyadh. As of this writing, WWE has not announced any change to Crown Jewel.
The U.S. State Department told Americans in the Middle East on Monday to exercise heightened vigilance, citing Houthi attacks on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport reopened on Sunday, but several airlines are still canceling flights to the city.
UFC CEO Dana White said the UFC’s December 5 event in Riyadh is also still on. “We’re going,” White said Saturday during a YouTube live stream. TKO, the UFC’s parent company, also owns WWE.
Saudi official Turki Alalshikh wrote on X last week, “Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens. He fears nothing.” He added that “hard times reveal true friends.”
Front Office Sports also noted that Morgan Stanley “conservatively” estimates WWE is receiving $150 million in site fees for WrestleMania 43, which is scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027.
Not every event has held its date. The Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, which was set to open Riyadh Season on October 21, has been postponed to December. Motorsports events in Saudi Arabia remain scheduled, including the FIA Extreme H World Cup from October 29 to 31, Rally Saudi Arabia from November 11 to 14 and Formula E from December 18 to 19.
Riyadh Season begins Wednesday, October 21.
