ANB Arena
 Interactive map of ANB Arena | |
| Former names | The Venue (2024) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7516 Takhassusi Road, Ar Rahmaniyah District, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Coordinates | 24°46′34.0″N 46°36′24.1″E / 24.776111°N 46.606694°E |
| Owner | Public Investment Fund |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | October 16, 2024 |
ANB Arena, formerly known as The Venue and stylized as anb Arena, is an indoor arena located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The arena first opened in conjunction with the 2024 Riyadh Season.
History
The Venue first opened on October 16, 2024 with the first event being the 2024 Six Kings Slam tennis tournament. In December 2024, Sela announced that they had signed a naming rights deal with the Arab National Bank, renaming The Venue to the ANB Arena.
On February 1, 2025, the arena hosted its first mixed martial arts event with UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov.
Since 2025, the ANB Arena has hosted the Riyadh Comedy Festival, a stand-up comedy festival which featured stand-up comedians such as Kevin Hart, Gabriel Iglesias, and Dave Chappelle. The festival had received backlash for its inaugural by human rights groups and various stand-up comedians accusing the Saudi government of using the event to whitewash the country's image.
On October 30, 2026, WWE announced that the Crown Jewel premium live event would be moved from the Riyadh Season Stadium to the ANB Arena due to the October 2026 attacks on Saudi airports.
References
- ↑ "Get Your Tickets for Riyadh 6 Kings Slam Tennis Tournament". Boulevard Riyadh. September 30, 2024.
- ↑ "Six Kings Slam: Rafael Nadal beaten by Novak Djokovic in final clash between two tennis greats". Sky Sports. October 20, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ↑ "The Venue has a new name". Time Out Riyadh. December 4, 2024.
- ↑ Staff (September 12, 2024). "A professional slap-fighting contest heads to Riyadh Season". saudimoments.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ↑ King, Nolan (November 16, 2024). "UFC announces 2025 schedule including slew of new events". USA Today. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ↑ "Riyadh Comedy Festival tickets set to go on sale August 1 to see biggest global stand up acts". General Entertainment Authority. August 2, 2025. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025.
- ↑ Veltman, Chloe (September 27, 2025). "Marc Maron, Human Rights Watch and others slam Saudi comedy festival". NPR. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Major U.S. comedians set to perform in Saudi Arabia urged not to help cover up "abuses of a repressive regime"". CBS News. September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ↑ Currier, Joseph (October 30, 2026). "New venue listed for WWE Crown Jewel 2026". F4WONline.
- ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (October 31, 2026). "WWE Crown Jewel Venue Moved For Safety Reasons". Fightful.