WWE Night of Champions 2026: Card, Time and Picks

WWE Night of Champions 2026 takes place Saturday, June 27, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the main card starting at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, which is 10:30 p.m. in India. The event streams live in the United States on the ESPN App for subscribers with an ESPN Unlimited plan, with the opening hour simulcast on linear ESPN. Six matches make up the card, headlined by Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Gunther and Sami Zayn.

What time does Night of Champions start

ESPN's official coverage begins with a two-hour Countdown show from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, followed immediately by the main card at 1 p.m. ET. For viewers outside the U.S., Netflix carries the event in most international markets, though availability varies by country depending on local broadcast deals.

In other common time zones, that puts the bell time at roughly 6 p.m. in the U.K., 10:30 p.m. in India and 3 a.m. Sunday in eastern Australia. Fans should check their own region's listing rather than rely on a single converted time.

The full six-match card

The event features three championship matches, the King and Queen of the Ring tournament finals, and a steel cage match. Both tournament winners earn a championship opportunity at SummerSlam in August.

How the main event came together

Rhodes enters as champion after a disputed win over Gunther at Clash in Italy on May 31, where Gunther's foot was under the bottom rope during the pinfall. That set up a rematch on the June 19 episode of SmackDown, with Gunther selecting Sami Zayn as special guest referee, a choice designed to exploit the deteriorating friendship between Rhodes and his former ally.

Zayn's officiating produced a fast count in Rhodes' favor during that match. When Rhodes asked for the match to be restarted with a neutral referee, Zayn attacked both men, laying out Gunther and then accidentally striking Rhodes with the championship belt before storming out of the ring. Rhodes subsequently asked SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis to book a three-way match at Night of Champions to settle the dispute, which Aldis made official.

The same June 19 SmackDown saw Ricky Saints defeat Carmelo Hayes to become the No. 1 contender to Trick Williams' United States Championship. Saints, a former NXT Champion who moved to the main roster after WrestleMania 42, is making his first main-roster Premium Live Event appearance.

The June 26 go-home SmackDown, taped in London at The O2 Arena, included B-Fab and Michin defeating Tiffany Stratton and Alexa Bliss with outside interference from Jade Cargill, followed by Chelsea Green coming to Stratton's aid with a kendo stick. Cargill subsequently received a separate singles match against Green on the same broadcast, which she won with Jaded. Cargill then attacked Stratton again in the post-match. The show closed with Rhodes, Zayn, Gunther, Jey Uso and Oba Femi all brawling in the ring.

Tournament finals carry SummerSlam stakes

Oba Femi and Jey Uso meet in the King of the Ring final after both won first-round Fatal 4-Way matches and a semifinal. Femi and Brock Lesnar split their last two encounters, with Femi winning at WrestleMania 42 and Lesnar taking the rematch at Clash in Italy, leaving that rivalry tied 1-1 heading into Saturday.

IYO SKY faces Liv Morgan in the Queen of the Ring final. Morgan already holds the Women's World Championship but entered the tournament anyway, saying she wants to become a double champion by also winning the WWE Women's Championship. The 2025 King and Queen of the Ring tournament required winners to face their respective brand's world champion at SummerSlam, the 2026 bracket states each winner earns a championship match, with Morgan's participation suggesting the format may allow the winner to target either world title.

Gunther's slot in the main event marks his third documented Undisputed WWE Championship match since Clash in Italy, having challenged at the pay-per-view on May 31 and again on the June 19 SmackDown. Sami Zayn is challenging for a world championship for the first time since the Royal Rumble.

Two matches-built on unfinished business

Tiffany Stratton defends the Women's United States Championship against Jade Cargill in a feud rooted in their history over the WWE Women's Championship. At Night of Champions 2025, Cargill defeated Asuka to win the Queen of the Ring tournament and earned a shot at Stratton's title. She challenged at SummerSlam 2025 but fell short, with Stratton retaining. Cargill eventually ended Stratton's 301-day reign as WWE Women's Champion at Saturday Night's Main Event in November 2025, before losing that title to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 42. Saturday's Women's United States Championship match is their latest chapter.

Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker settle their rivalry inside a steel cage after splitting two prior singles matches, Breakker winning at Backlash with outside interference and Rollins winning on the June 1 episode of Raw. The two were allies in The Vision before Breakker and Bronson Reed turned on Rollins last October.

What happens next

The King and Queen of the Ring winners will receive championship matches at SummerSlam, scheduled for August 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. WWE has not yet announced which champions those winners will face. Night of Champions is the last main-roster Premium Live Event before SummerSlam, NXT Great American Bash airs the following night, Sunday June 28, on The CW, with Saturday Night's Main Event set for July 18.

Predictions on Saturday's card remain split among wrestling outlets. CBS Sports and Forbes contributor Blake Oestriecher both picked Rhodes, Jey Uso and Trick Williams to retain or advance, while SI Fantasy's predictions favored IYO SKY and Jade Cargill in their respective matches. None of those picks were verified before the bell, and Night of Champions results will only become official once the matches actually take place.