Breaking: WTA Finals Leaving Saudi Arabia Immediately
Due to war and uncertainty in the Middle East, the marquee women's event will be held at Indian Wells this year.
WIMBLEDON, England — Bounces can report that the WTA is pulling out of the final year of its three-year commitment with the Saudi Tennis Federation to host the WTA Finals in Riyadh this November due to turmoil and uncertainty around war and geopolitical tension in the Middle East.
With the Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran destabilizing the region since February—and leading to retaliatory attacks by Iran on a host of neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia—Riyadh and the wider region are no longer seen as a safe, viable, or reliable option for the tour’s showcase tournament this November.
Bounces readers will recall that I broke the news, back in March, that the WTA had already decided against renewing their stay in Saudi Arabia beyond 2026, despite previously indicating interest to do so. One of the front-running bids to host the event starting in 2027, as I reported, was Charlotte, North Carolina; a bid from Gdansk, Poland also emerged.
But given global geopolitical events, the need to exit Saudi Arabia before the November 2026 edition became more urgent, in order to secure the future and security of the event.
Bounces readers will recall tennis players being stranded in the region—particularly in the United Arab Emirates—when the war first broke out in February on the final day of ATP 500 Dubai.
With peace still uncertain—and Israel’s continued bombardment of Southern Lebanon prolonging instability and undermining truce efforts between the Americans and Iranians—the WTA could not risk staying in a region where world events might force a last-minute cancellation of its crucial flagship tournament.
The WTA Finals, as tennis fans will know, has proven to be a precarious property in recent years. The WTA had originally been slated to have a 10-year residence in Shenzhen, China, which would have run through 2028. But that planned decade only resulted in one year of the event, before the Covid-19 pandemic, economic issues in China, and the disappearance of Peng Shuai complicated matters there.
The 2020 WTA Finals event was canceled entirely; the 2021 event was in Guadalajara; the 2022 event was in Fort Worth; the 2023 event was in Cancun; 2024 and 2025 were in Riyadh, which was already a controversial host because of Saudi Arabia’s treatment of women and the LGBTQ+ community, two core constituencies for women’s tennis.
In a joint statement from the WTA and the Saudi Tennis Federation sent to Bounces, the two sides emphasized their successes together.
Following two impactful years of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the WTA requested to move the 2026 WTA Finals to a new host location. The Saudi Tennis Federation accepted WTA’s proposal, and the two organizations mutually agreed on the conclusion of the hosting arrangement and remain proud of the achievements realized through their partnership.
The WTA thanks the Saudi Tennis Federation, players, fans, volunteers, and partners whose commitment and support contributed to the success of the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
The Saudi Tennis Federation remains committed to expanding opportunities for girls and women in sports and building on the momentum created through different country-wide efforts and avenues, such as the WTA Finals.
The legacy of the partnership will continue through the communities reached, the opportunities created for women and girls, and the increased engagement with tennis generated over the past two years.
In a one-year, stopgap deal, the 2026 WTA Finals will be played this November at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, the outdoor venue in California’s Coachella Valley which hosts the wildly successful ATP-WTA 1000 Indian Wells event (officially known as the BNP Paribas Open) each March.
“The Indian Wells Tennis Garden provides an exceptional stage for the WTA Finals,” said Valerie Camillo, Chair of the WTA, in a statement. “From its world-class facilities and passionate fan base to its proven ability to deliver premier tennis, the venue offers everything needed to showcase the very best of women’s tennis.”
Playing outdoors in Indian Wells from November 8-15 is viable, but because of how cold temperatures can get in the desert after nightfall, it would be advisable for the whole event to be played during daytime, as much as possible.
This mid-Wimbledon news is both a very late announcement and a somewhat early one, by recent WTA standards: in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the host cities for the WTA Finals were announced after the U.S. Open, leaving hosts with little time to prepare and attract fans.
While it loses the WTA Finals and already lost the ATP NextGen event, the Saudi tennis scene won’t be vacant for long: the ATP is still slated to begin hosting a new 10th Masters 1000 event there in 2028.
Hopefully there won’t be any need to pay day laborers to fill the stands there, as happened when Saudi Arabia first hosted the ATP NextGen event, as reported by Bounces back in 2024.
It is unclear if the Saudis are also hosting their lucrative “Six Kings Slam” exhibition event again this year.
When I was searching for information about that event’s possible return in 2026, I did find this horrifying AI slop photo, so I leave you with that.
Thanks for reading Bounces! -Ben
I really appreciate your wording on this entire matter, Ben. Indian Wells will at least have the facilities and hopefully enough fans to make the Finals exciting again. Hope Poland wins the bid for next year!
Interesting choice to use Stadium 2. I want to know what went into that decision. Concerned about not selling out Stadium 1? Cheaper to staff stadium 2? Facility upgrades/maintenance on Stadium 1? Desire to fill up stadium 2 for marketing purposes or variety after this year’s half empty matches on 2?