Real or Fake: WWE Royal Rumble 2026 participant list & results leaked online?

The first PLE of 2026 will emanate from Saudi Arabia.

The Road to WrestleMania 42 will begin with the 2026 edition of the Royal Rumble. The first PLE of 2026 will set the stage, with challengers emerging from the ashes to claim a World title shot at the ‘Grandest Stage’ in Las Vegas.

The 39th installment is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026, and will be held at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season. 

Ahead of the PLE, an image is being circulated online that contains the list of participants for the men’s and women’s Rumble match, including the winners of both matches.

The Truth behind the viral images

Originally, the images and posts were shared in late December, where not only the supposed winner and participants were leaked, but the full match card for the PLE was also claimed to be leaked. The posts have started circulating online once again as the event approaches.

So, is there any truth behind these images? Not really. First of all, the match card shared online bears no relation to what has actually been announced. Additionally, images claiming to be leaks have become a yearly trend, and in reality, they hold no credibility.

Additionally, there are many discrepancies in this list; for example, the men’s list doesn’t include Cody Rhodes, who has declared his entry into the Rumble match. For the men’s Rumble match, some lists claim Austin Theory to be the winner, and others name Randy Orton, and even Roman Reigns.

In the women’s Rumble match, these leaked images also claim Bianca Belair to be the winner of the match, while Liv Morgan is the winner.

Notably, Belair has been out of action since WrestleMania 41, while there is no clarity on whether she returns, neither any reports suggesting she will win the match. Discrepancies such as Charlotte Flair at third place being eliminated by Cody Rhodes is just too obvious to even be considered real.

It would be disastrous for WWE if these lists were leaked, and the promotion usually keeps these outcomes very secretive. There are speculations of major returns being leaked, as the event is in Saudi Arabia, and it is harder to keep returns secret due to travel logistics and public exposure. However, no major leaks have been reported so far.

Royal Rumble will emanate from a brand new arena in Riyadh

A new venue has been built specifically for the 2026 edition of the Royal Rumble in Riyadh. Multiple reports and construction updates confirm that a brand‑new outdoor stadium is being constructed in the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) to host the event.

Updates from WWE fans near the arena in Riyadh have documented the construction of the arena for the first PLE of 2026.

The 2026 edition will be the first traditional Royal Rumble held outside North America and the 14th WWE event hosted in Saudi Arabia as part of the company’s long-term partnership supporting Saudi Vision 2030.

The 2026 edition will also be the second event in the country to include a Rumble match following the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018, and the first of WWE’s “Big Five” events to be staged there.

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