RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA NOVEMBER 4, 2025:Coco Gauff of the United States plays against Jasmine Paolini of Italy during their second group-stage match on Day 4 of the 2025 WTA Finals, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at King Saud University Indoor Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 4, 2025. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
After a controversial two-year tenure in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the WTA Finals are headed to Indian Wells, Calif. later this year.
The WTA announced the move Thursday on social media.
The event has been held in several locations in the past, including Singapore (2014-18), China (2019) and Mexico (2021).
The WTA said its partnership with the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) had accomplished several goals.
“The partnership increased the visibility of women’s tennis across the Kingdom and globally, with the event delivering 20 percent year-on-year growth in attendance including sell-out crowds across the final days,” according to a WTA release.
“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 undefeated singles champion at the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Elena Rybakina, took home a record $5,235,000. This marked the largest prize money payout in the history of women’s sports. Runner-up Aryna Sabalenka earned $2,695,000 across the tournament.
Before going to Riyadh in 2024, there was much debate within the tennis world about the pros and cons of getting involved with Saudi Arabia due to its dismal record on human rights.
“We’d obviously have to see there be a lot of pros overweighing the cons to feel comfortable going there, whether that’s seeing them as a group, maybe have to donate money to women’s sports or women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, to see some sort of change or action going towards helping those causes in their country,” Jessica Pegula, whose family owns the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, said in 2024. “I think that would be something really important that, if we did end up going there, we would want to see.”
She added: “I think it’s just going to have to be the right arrangement and we’re going to have to know if we go there, okay, well, we want to be making a change, and you need to help us do that.
“If that was the case, I think unfortunately a lot of places don’t pay women a lot of money, and it’s unfortunate that a lot of women’s sports, like we don’t have the luxury to say no to some things.”