WTA Finals to be held in Indian Wells this year after early end to Saudi hosting deal

The new location

The 2026 WTA Finals will be staged at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the same site that each March hosts the BNP Paribas Open, a combined ATP and WTA 1000 event often called the "fifth Slam". The November tournament brings together the top eight singles players and doubles teams. WTA chair Valerie Camillo said the venue "provides an exceptional stage" and praised its "world-class facilities and passionate fan base".

From its world-class facilities and passionate fan base to its proven ability to deliver premier tennis events, the venue offers everything needed to showcase the very best of women's tennis.

Philippe Dore, marketing director of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, called the event "a tremendous opportunity to celebrate women's tennis" and promised "a world-class venue and atmosphere".

We are honoured to partner with the WTA to host the WTA Finals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Welcoming the best players on the women's tour is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate women's tennis. We look forward to delivering a world-class venue and atmosphere worthy of one of the sport's flagship events.

Why the event was moved

A joint statement on July 1 confirmed the WTA requested relocation, the Saudi Tennis Federation accepted the proposal, and the two parties mutually concluded the hosting arrangement. Neither the WTA nor the federation publicly gave a reason, but several outlets pointed to the war in the Middle East that followed US-Israeli military strikes on Iran in late February. France 24 noted that "a number of high-profile sporting events in the region have been cancelled" since the war began, and multiple sources said the WTA did not want to hold its flagship tournament in Riyadh amid active conflict.

The New York Times, citing people briefed on Saudi Arabia’s sports ministry operations, reported that by spring the WTA Tour Finals had "outlived its usefulness to Saudi Arabia’s wider ambitions" in tennis. The kingdom plans to host a new ATP Masters 1000 event, likely from 2028, which may have displaced the women's finals in its strategy.

Controversy around the Saudi deal

The three-year Riyadh agreement, announced in April 2024, brought a record prize pot of $15.25 million, a 66% increase over 2023. Elena Rybakina earned $5,235,000 for winning the 2025 edition, beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final, a sum described as the largest payout in women’s sports history. Yet the tournament attracted sharp criticism from human rights advocates and tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who argued the WTA’s values were at odds with Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. The kingdom, which has invested heavily in soccer, golf and Formula One, denies accusations of "sportswashing" and says it protects national security through its laws.

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.

Community programmes and attendance

During the two-year stint, the WTA and Saudi federation said they reached more than 30,000 people through community programmes, including workshops for women coaches, training for physical education teachers and tennis clinics for breast cancer survivors. Attendance grew 20% year on year, with sell-out crowds across the final days of the 2025 tournament.

What happens next

The event now lands in a time zone friendly for its primary television markets in North America and Europe. The WTA told Reuters earlier this year it was already talking to potential global partners for a permanent home from 2027 onwards. For 2026, the tour’s top eight women will compete in the California desert, returning the season-ending championship to a venue deeply familiar to tennis fans.