WWE’s upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia just got hit with another major security concern. The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh says the State Department has officially ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks, less than two weeks before Crown Jewel.
The U.S. Mission Saudi Arabia announced the order on October 25, although it officially went into effect on October 23. The embassy pointed directly to attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis and warned that the situation could escalate quickly.
“Effective October 23, 2026, the Department of State ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and U.S. government employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to safety risks.”
The embassy said Houthi attacks have already targeted civilian airports and other critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Those attacks have caused casualties and major travel problems, with officials warning that things could get worse with little notice.
“Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.”
The restrictions on U.S. government personnel are pretty serious too. Employees still working in Saudi Arabia now need special authorization just to use an airport in the country following recent missile and drone attacks.
“U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization from Chief of Mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia following recent missile and UAV attacks on airports in the Kingdom.”
That obviously matters with WWE currently scheduled to bring a large group of American wrestlers, employees and production staff into Riyadh for Crown Jewel on November 7. There is no indication WWE or Crown Jewel itself has been targeted, but getting everyone into and out of the country could become its own problem if the airport situation continues.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh partially reopened on October 25 for domestic flights and some international flights operated by national carriers. Some flights normally based there have been moved to Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Qassim, while airports in Jeddah and Dammam are operating with delays and cancellations.
The embassy isn’t telling all American citizens to leave Saudi Arabia, but it is warning them about possible attacks, airspace closures and major travel disruptions. Anyone who does use an airport in the country is being urged to exercise “extreme caution.”
“U.S. citizens should be aware of potential attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations, and travel disruptions. Please take extreme caution if you choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia.”
All of this comes while WWE’s Crown Jewel plans remain unchanged publicly. TKO executive Ari Emanuel recently acknowledged that the company has a team monitoring the situation every day and looking at where the event could potentially be moved if necessary.
“Yeah, we have a whole team kind of working on this, and kind of when—and if that doesn’t happen, where we can move it. It’s a daily monitoring.”
Crown Jewel is still scheduled for November 7 at Riyadh Season Stadium, but the clock is getting pretty tight. With the U.S. government now ordering some of its own personnel and their families out of Saudi Arabia while placing airport restrictions on those who remain, WWE has another serious development to factor into whatever decision comes next.
What do you think WWE should do with Crown Jewel as the security situation in Saudi Arabia continues to develop? Let us know in the comments below.
