WWE starts building Crown Jewel's Riyadh stadium with a WrestleMania 43 date soon

WWE is pressing ahead with Crown Jewel even as the US government tells citizens to reconsider travelling to Saudi Arabia. Fightful Select reports that building work on the show's temporary stadium in Riyadh begins later this week, and the long-awaited WrestleMania 43 date could finally be announced around that same time — if not before.

The backdrop is a fresh US State Department Level 3 advisory for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which urges people to "reconsider travel" because of "risk of Iranian drone and missile targeting of American interests, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans, and local laws regarding social media activity." That warning has left some of the WWE roster uneasy, particularly with Crown Jewel locked in for November 7 in Riyadh.

According to Fightful, the Crown Jewel venue — Riyadh Seasonal Stadium — will be a temporary outdoor stadium. It is a fresh build, and the site work is due to get underway later this week, underlining just how serious WWE's commitment to the event remains.

The WrestleMania 43 countdown

WrestleMania 43 is also set for Riyadh, but it still has no official date. WWE sources told Fightful the company is hoping the date for the "Showcase of the Immortals" is announced around the time of Crown Jewel, "if not before then."

The Saudi side, for its part, has made its ambitions clear. Fightful reported that Saudi representatives were at WWE headquarters a few weeks ago to discuss plans for the 2027 event, which the hosts want to make "as big as possible."

The wait for a date is rippling beyond WWE, too. Independent wrestling promotions are holding off on planning their usual WrestleMania Week shows, with several said to be building plans around a major US-held AEW event in and around the traditional WrestleMania timeframe.

For fans, the next few weeks are the ones to watch — both for the Crown Jewel build getting off the ground and for the announcement that finally locks in the biggest show of the year.