The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the organizer of the elite women’s tour, has announced the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Los Angeles will host this year’s WTA Finals after ending its hosting contract with the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) one year early.
The season-ending tournament features the top eight singles players and doubles teams and has been staged in Riyadh since 2024 as part of a three-year contract between the WTA and the STF running through 2027.
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However, the governing body announced this year’s edition will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Los Angeles, California, from November 8 to 15.
In a joint statement, the WTA and STF 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 STF 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 contract between the two proved controversial when first announced, given it was the first major annual women’s event to be held in the kingdom.
At the time, critics accused the WTA Tour of being complicit with the kingdom’s attempts to use its sports investments to shield the kingdom from public criticism of its environmental and human rights record.
In their joint statement, the WTA and STF highlighted the agreement’s contribution to the growth of women’s tennis, adding: “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 news comes eight months after the STF ended its hosting contract with the men’s ATP Next Gen Finals, the end-of-season under-21 event.
Saudi city Jeddah was meant to be the host for the event for the 2023-27 cycle, following a “competitive” bid process handled by professional services heavyweight Deloitte’s Sports Business Group (SBG).
However, the tennis property has now announced a new tender to find a new host for the event from the 2026 edition onwards after the STF decided to trigger an opt-out clause after three years of the five-year deal.
No reason has been given for the move, with this year’s edition, which will run between December 17 and 21, to be the last staged in the kingdom.
The STF has insisted that the early termination of the two hosting contracts will not reduce Saudi Arabia’s involvement in tennis, with the kingdom announced as a new host of a new ATP Masters 1000 tournament due to be launched in 2028.
Saudi Arabia and its Public Investment Fund are still the official naming partner of both the ATP and WTA rankings.
Meanwhile, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden’s expansive grounds are home to the Indian Wells Open, which is considered one of the biggest tennis events outside the four Grand Slams. The tournament is part of the men’s ATP Masters 1000 and women’s WTA 1000 series.
Commenting on the new hosting deal, Valerie Camillo, Chair of the WTA, said: “The Indian Wells Tennis Garden provides an exceptional stage for the WTA Finals.
“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. We are excited to bring the WTA Finals to Southern California and continue building one of the premier championships in global sport."
The Indian Wells Open and grounds have experienced significant growth, which can be attributed to American billionaire and tennis enthusiast Larry Ellison, who purchased the tournament and venue in 2009.
Since then, he has pumped tens of millions of dollars into building out the tournament and upgrading the Tennis Garden.
Philippe Dore, chief marketing officer at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, said: “Welcoming the top women’s players to the home of the BNP Paribas Open for the year-end Finals is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate women’s tennis. We look forward to providing a world-class venue and atmosphere worthy of one of the sport’s premier events.”
