Elimination Chamber 2026: Who will book their tickets to WrestleMania 42?

The elimination chamber 2026 arrives at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday at 7 p. m. ET, where winners of the men’s and women’s matches will punch their tickets to WrestleMania 42. The card will be available on Unlimited, and a brief Cody Rhodes preview of his Chamber match ran 1: 04.

How the match works and what to watch in Chicago

The ring will sit inside a giant steel structure that rises from the floor up to a metal roof. Four glass booths — called pods — sit in each corner and will release their occupants one at a time at preordained intervals. Six competitors appear in each Chamber: two start in the ring and four begin locked in pods; eliminations come only by pinfall or submission and there are no disqualifications.

Key participants and a short list of contenders

Cody Rhodes is set to face Randy Orton, LA Knight, Je'Von Evans and Trick Williams as he aims for a Mania match. The men’s side and the women’s side both use triple-threat qualifier matches held on Raw and SmackDown to determine the full fields.

• Tiffany Stratton — defeated Chelsea Green and Lash Legend on the Feb. 6 episode of SmackDown; her prior title reign ended at over 300 days when Jade Cargill beat her on Saturday Night's Main Event in November 2025.
• Rhea Ripley — defeated Ivy Nile and Lyra Valkyria on Raw on Feb. 9; Ripley has not held the WWE Women's Championship since 2021, and her one and only reign lasted 379 days.
• Alexa Bliss — defeated women's United States Champion Giulia and Zelina on the Feb. 13 SmackDown, pinning Zelina after a Sister Abigail in the middle of the ring; Bliss is a three-time Women's Championship holder.
• Asuka — defeated Bayley and Nattie on Raw three days after Feb. 13; Asuka has never won a match at WrestleMania.
• Kiana James — was a surprise entrant after upsetting Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax on the latest SmackDown; James slid underneath while Flair was doing her bridge figure four th.

Stakes: Mania matchups and the champions waiting

The winner of each Elimination Chamber match will receive a championship match at WrestleMania 42. After Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble in January, he selected world heavyweight champion CM Punk as his WrestleMania opponent; on Raw, fellow Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan selected WWE women's world champion Stephanie Vaquer, doing so by sucker-punching Vaquer with the mic in her hand. That sequencing means the men's Chamber winner will challenge for the Undisputed WWE Championship currently held by Drew McIntyre, and the women's Chamber winner will earn a shot at the WWE Women's Championship currently held by Jade Cargill.

Notable past moments and reminders for fans

The Elimination Chamber has no disqualifications — a lesson CM Punk learned when an eliminated Seth Rollins stomped his head to set up John Cena's win at last year's Chamber. It has been a year since John Cena's shocking heel turn at that event, a moment the show still references in its storytelling. The structure, called a cell by some, is framed as a place for decisive, often brutal outcomes rather than fanfare; the pods borrow a pop-culture nickname from a Netflix show, but the expectation inside is pain, not romance.

Streaming access and a technical hiccup

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Next: the Elimination Chamber matches begin Saturday at 7 p. m. ET at the United Center in Chicago; winners will advance to challenge Drew McIntyre and Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42.