WWE King and Queen of the Ring Brackets Revealed for Road to Night of Champions After Clash in Italy

WWE revealed the brackets for its 2026 King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments after Clash in Italy on Sunday.

Both tournaments will start off with 16 Superstars. After first-round Fatal 4-Way matches, the field will be whittled down to four apiece, and following the semifinals, the winners of the tournaments will be determined in the finals matches at the Night of Champions premium live event on June 27.

Once a staple in WWE, the King of the Ring tournament has returned to being a yearly fixture since 2024, which is also the case for the Queen of the Ring tournament.

King of the Ring was an annual tournament from 1993 to 2002. It was held sporadically in the years that followed. A three-year hiatus ensued after the 2021 King of the Ring, but this is the third straight year the tourney has occurred.

Then called the Queen's Crown tournament, Queen of the Ring debuted in 2021 with Zelina Vega winning the tournament. Like King of the Ring, no Queen of the Ring was held in 2022 or 2023, but it has become a yearly tournament since 2024.

Since King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring were re-established in 2024, the tournaments have included major stakes.

The winner of each tournament earns a world title match at SummerSlam, meaning King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring could serve as a launching pad to two stars on the rise.

On the men's side, Oba Femi quickly established himself as the Superstar to beat, as he won a first-round Fatal 4-Way against Penta, Solo Sikoa and Carmelo Hayes on Monday's episode of Raw.

It was a huge bounce-back performance for The Ruler after suffering his first singles loss on the main roster to Brock Lesnar at Clash in Italy.

In the semifinals, Femi will face the winner of Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Damian Priest.

On the other side of the men's bracket, six-time world champion Seth Rollins may be the favorite, but if he makes it out of the first round, a tough semifinal matchup with Jey Uso, LA Knight, Finn Balor or Royce Keys looms.

The women's tournament is arguably even more wide open with no clear and obvious winner at first glance.

On the left side of the bracket, a semifinal matchup pitting women's world champion Liv Morgan or Becky Lynch against Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair or women's intercontinental champion Sol Ruca is a possibility.

Iyo Sky feels like the top contender on the right side, facing Roxanne Perez, Giulia and Lash Legend in the first round before a potential semifinal clash with Jacy Jayne, Bayley, Raquel Rodriguez or Kiana James.