Updated 2026 AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Card and Predictions for Match Order

For the fifth consecutive year, AEW is partnering with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and some of the other biggest wrestling promotions in the world to deliver the Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

Stars from AEW, NJPW, CMLL and Stardom will be featured on the card, which includes some crossover dream matches, as well as some bouts with major implications for AEW moving forward.

Most notably, the Men's and Women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament finals will be contested at Forbidden Door with the winners earning world title matches at All In.

Here is everything you need to know about Forbidden Door 2026, including a rundown of the card, the projected match order and an in-depth look at the top bouts to watch.

Where: SAP Center in San Jose, California

When: Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET (Zero Hour Pre-Show starts at 7 p.m. ET)

Watch: HBO Max, Prime Video, DAZN, Fubo, PPV.com

Forbidden Door Card and Projected Match Order

• Pre-Show TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Skye Blue vs. Maika
• Pre-Show AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship Match: Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne & Lena Kross) (c) vs. Thunder Rosa & Olympia
• AEW World Tag Team Championship: Adam Copeland & Christian Cage (c) vs. The Dogs (David Finlay & Clark Connors)
• IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Shota Umino (c) vs. Pac
• AEW Women's World Championship: Thekla (c) vs. Starlight Kid
• The Young Bucks vs. El Sky Team (Místico & Máscara Dorada) vs. Unbound Co. (Shingo Takagi & Titán)
• AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Bandido
• Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• Women's Owen Hart Cup Final: Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World
• Men's Owen Hart Cup Final: Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland
• 6-on-6 Steel Cage Match: Team MJF (MJF, Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Kazuchika Okada, Andrade El Idolo & Jake Doyle) vs. Team Briscoe (Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Kyle O'Reilly, Konosuke Takeshita & Darby Allin)

Top Forbidden Door Matches to Watch

Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland

In arguably the biggest and most meaningful match on the entire Forbidden Door card, two of AEW's top stars will meet for the chance to challenge for the AEW world title at All In.

Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland impressively made their way through the Men's Owen Hart Cup tournament to the finals with Ospreay beating Samoa Joe and Mark Davis, and Swerve defeating Bandido and Brody King.

In addition to being two of the best in-ring workers in the company, Ospreay and Strickland have a great deal of history with one another, which adds to the intrigue surrounding the match.

Strickland beat Ospreay at Forbidden Door two years ago to retain the AEW World Championship, and they fought to a draw about one year later on Dynamite, which led to them temporarily teaming up to defeat The Young Bucks at All In last year.

Ospreay and Strickland know each other well, and their already-established chemistry should make for a spectacular match with massive stakes hanging in the balance.

Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Much like Ospreay and Strickland, two of the best in-ring performers in the world will do battle at Forbidden Door when AEW's Kenny Omega clashes with NJPW's Zack Sabre Jr.

Interpromotional matches are at the very root of Forbidden Door and why it was originally created, and there is perhaps no bigger AEW vs. NJPW bout that can be put on right now than Omega vs. Sabre.

Omega and Sabre have mixed it up on a few occasions over the years, but their one and only singles bout took place as part of the 2018 NJPW G1 Climax tournament, which saw Omega beat Sabre.

Out to prove that he can beat Omega eight years later, Sabre challenged him to a match at Forbidden Door, and Omega accepted.

Omega expressed his hope that a win over Sabre could be exactly what he needs to get back in AEW world title contention against MJF, but Sabre has plenty to gain by beating one of the top in-ring workers of all time as well.

Thekla vs. Starlight Kid

A rivalry will be renewed at Forbidden Door when Thekla puts the AEW Women's World Championship on the line against Starlight Kid of Stardom.

Thekla had a lengthy run in Stardom before joining AEW, but ahead of Forbidden Door, she decided to bad-mouth her former place of employment, while also challenging a member of the Stardom roster to face her at the pay-per-view.

Starlight Kid was chosen as her opponent, which didn't sit well with Thekla, given her lack of success against the masked high-flyer.

In each of their two singles matches against each other, Starlight Kid was victorious both times, beating The Toxic Spider in 2022 and 2023.

Thekla will have her shot at revenge at Forbidden Door, and she has momentum on her side with victories over Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa, Mina Shirakawa, Jamie Hayter, Alex Windsor and Hikaru Shida during her title run.