Is the WWE Royal Rumble 2026 on TV? How to watch via Live Stream, ESPN and Netflix
If you are wondering whether WWE Royal Rumble 2026 is on traditional TV in the United States, here is what you need to know: the Royal Rumble is primarily a streaming event on the ESPN App, rather than a standard cable pay per view broadcast. WWE’s own “where to watch” guide lists Premium Live Events, including the Royal Rumble, as streaming live on the ESPN App in the US following their deal that started officially back in September 2025.
Royal Rumble 2026 date, start time, and location
Royal Rumble 2026 takes place on Saturday, January 31, 2026 from King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ESPN’s coverage notes the main show time as 2 p.m. ET, with additional coverage beginning earlier in the day.
| Item | Details (US) |
|---|---|
| Event | WWE Royal Rumble 2026 |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 |
| Start time | 2 p.m. ET |
| How to watch (US) | ESPN App (streaming hub with an ESPN Unlimited plan) |
| How to watch (outside US, most markets) | Netflix |
How to watch Royal Rumble 2026 live in the United States on ESPN
To live stream the Royal Rumble in the US, you will want the ESPN App and access to ESPN’s official streaming hub for the event. Having the ESPN App and an ESPN Unlimited plan means that you’ll be 100% ready to watch.
Simple steps:
- Download the ESPN App on your phone, tablet, smart TV, or streaming device.
- Sign in with your eligible ESPN subscription and locate the WWE Premium Live Events hub.
- Start the stream at event time, or jump in earlier if you want the pre coverage window ESPN lists.
How to watch on Netflix
Netflix is the home of WWE Premium Live Events in most international markets beyond the United States in places like the United Kingdom and most parts of Europe.
Jake is an SEO-minded Football, Combat Sports, Gaming and Pro Wrestling writer, successful Editor in Chief, Sports SEO Coordinator for NationalWorld and SEO Writer for F4Wonline.com. He has more than ten years of experience covering mixed martial arts, pro wrestling, football and gaming across a number of publications, starting at SEScoops in 2012 under the name Jake Jeremy. His work has also been featured on Wrestling Headlines, Wrestlingnewsco, HotNewHipHop, The Hard Times and Sportskeeda.
Previously, he worked as the Editor in Chief of 24Wrestling, building the site profile with a view to selling the domain, which was accomplished in 2019. Jake was previously the Editor in Chief for FightFans, a combat sports and pro wrestling site that was launched in January 2021 and broke into millions of pageviews within the first two years. He previously worked for Snack Media and their GiveMeSport site, creating Evergreen and Trending content that would deliver pageviews via Google as the UFC and MMA SEO Lead. Jake managed to take an area of GiveMeSport that had zero traction on Organic and push it to audiences across the globe. Jake also has a record of long-term video and written interview content with the likes of the Professional Fighters League, ONE and Cage Warriors, working directly with the brands to promote bouts, fighters and special events.
He previously worked for the (then) biggest independent wrestling company in the UK, PROGRESS Wrestling, as PR Head and Head of Media across the social channels of the company.