A new update has emerged on how WWE is shaping the match lineup for the 2026 Royal Rumble. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the current working plan is for the event to feature just four matches in total.

The show is expected to include the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches along with two championship bouts. While that would make it one of the smallest Rumble cards ever in terms of match count, the Rumble matches traditionally run well over an hour each, giving the event its usual lengthy runtime.

In the Observer, Dave Meltzer noted that although the structure is set, the title matches themselves have not yet been finalized. He wrote, “The current plan for Royal Rumble is a four-match show with two title matches and the two Rumble matches. The two matches are not finalized even though it’s just under two months away. WrestleVotes first reported this and we confirmed that as the current plan.”

This approach reflects the direction often seen under Triple H’s leadership, where premium live events lean toward shorter cards with more time dedicated to each match. Even so, four matches would be slimmer than the five or six typically featured at recent major shows. As of now, the internal expectation is that the layout will remain, but the championship match selections are still being determined.

The 2026 Royal Rumble takes place Saturday January 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the first time a traditional Rumble has been hosted outside of North America. Although nothing is locked in, WrestleVotes has indicated that Bron Breakker is viewed as the current favourite to win the Men’s Rumble. Breakker is also set to challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship on the January 5 edition of Raw, a match that could influence plans moving forward.

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