The WTA Finals will leave Saudi Arabia one year early and move to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California this November.
The season-ending event, in which the top eight singles players and doubles teams compete, is the governing body’s flagship tournament and has been held in Riyadh since 2024, a move that was negotiated as a three-year contract.
It will instead head to the site of the Indian Wells Open, the prestigious ATP and WTA 1000 event and will take place between 8 and 15 November this year.
In a joint statement, the WTA and Saudi Tennis Federation said: “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.”
Last year, Elena Rybakina received $5,235,000 after triumphing against Aryna Sabalenka in the tournament’s final, earning her the largest prize money payout in the history of women’s sports.
The WTA’s presence in Saudi Arabia has been the subject of significant controversy, with its critics accusing the tour of aiding in the sportswashing of Saudi Arabia, particularly as it was the first major annual women’s sporting event to be held in the kingdom.
The WTA and the Saudi Arabia Tennis Federation have presented the event as helping with the growth of women’s sport and tennis in the region.
While the WTA Finals is moving from Saudi Arabia, the kingdom has continued to expand its presence in men’s tennis. The nation will host a new ATP Masters 1000 tournament, which will likely begin in 2028.
The statement between the Saudi Tennis Federation and the WTA read: “Together, the organizations reached more than 30,000 people through community programs, including workshops for women coaches, training for physical education teachers, and tennis clinics for breast cancer survivors and connected with girls and young women through participation initiatives designed to inspire future generations of players and fans.
“The partnership increased the visibility of women’s tennis across the kingdom and globally, with the event delivering 20% year-on-year growth in attendance including sell‑out crowds across the final days.”
The WTA Finals has had a turbulent recent history. It was initially supposed to be part of a 10-year contract in Shenzhen, China from 2019 but the deal was torn up following the Covid-19 pandemic and the disappearance of the Chinese player Peng Shuai. Between 2021 and 2023, the event moved between Guadalajara, Fort Worth and Cancún.
