WWE WrestleMania returns to Philadelphia in 2024 at Lincoln Financial Field

It will be body slams and elbow drops instead of tackles and sacks at Lincoln Financial Field when WWE’s WrestleMania returns to Philadelphia in 2024 for the first time in 25 years.

The event — which will be the 40th edition of professional wrestling’s signature showcase — will take place on April 6 and 7 of 2024.

WrestleMania is the latest in a series of big sporting events that are coming to Philadelphia as the FIFA men’s World Cup and MLB All-Star Game have been announced for 2026 and the U.S. Open will return to Merion Golf Club in 2030.

WWE started holding WrestleMania over two nights in 2020 and the event has been held exclusively in football stadiums since 2007, except when ‘Mania was moved in 2020 during the pandemic. Last year’s WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium — the home of the Dallas Cowboys — drew 156,352 fans over two nights. Next year’s event is at SoFi Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.

“The Philadelphia Eagles are thrilled to partner with WWE as WrestleMania makes its much-anticipated return to Philadelphia in 2024,” said Eagles president Don Smolenski. “We are excited to help showcase the industry’s most iconic event in front of a global viewing audience and look forward to providing WWE fans in attendance with a first-class experience at Lincoln Financial Field.”

WrestleMania will bring more to town than just two nights of wrestling as WWE will bookend the event by hosting Smackdown on Friday night and Raw on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center along with the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, which is usually held the night before WrestleMania. WWE will also hold fan events at the Convention Center.

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In recent years, rival companies have held events in the host city of WrestleMania during that week to capitalize on the fans who are already traveling there to see WWE’s signature event.

“The Stadium District is a unique, invaluable asset to the City of Philadelphia, and we’re thrilled to help host a week’s worth of events surrounding WrestleMania 40 at the new Wells Fargo Center,” said Valerie Camillo, president of the Wells Fargo Center, which is undergoing a “full transformation” that will be finished before WrestleMania. “The South Philadelphia Stadium District is a real draw for major events like this one, and we’re working every day to create the world’s best sports and entertainment district right here on South Broad Street.”

A study released earlier this month by the mayor of Arlington, Texas, said last year’s WrestleMania generated an economic impact of $206.5 million for the Dallas/Arlington area. WWE said it was the highest-grossing and most-attended event in company history. They said fans came to Texas from all 50 states and 53 countries.

“We are proud to welcome WWE fans from around the world to Philadelphia to be a part of the historic 40th WrestleMania in 2024,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “The weeklong series of events will help put a global spotlight on our great city while also generating a major impact for our local economy.”

WrestleMania’s lone appearance in Philadelphia was in 1999 when 20,276 fans packed the Wells Fargo Center — then called the First Union Center — as Steve Austin and The Rock met in the main event. It was held at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall in 1988 and 1989.

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WWE returns to Philadelphia on Oct. 8 for its Extreme Rules pay-per-view at the Wells Fargo Center. This weekend, their annual SummerSlam event will take place at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, the home of the Tennessee Titans. It’s the second straight year they’ve held SummerSlam in a football stadium as even that event is outgrowing arenas.

WWE has tended to target football stadiums in warmer climates for WrestleMania — except for two at North Jersey’s MetLife Stadium — as the event is held in the first weeks of spring. And that seemed to keep Philly out of the running until now for hosting another WrestleMania.

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“We are thrilled to bring WrestleMania back to the City of Brotherly Love,” said WWE executive vice president of special events John Saboor. “We thank all of our local partners who were integral in making this long-awaited return a reality.”

The company faced upheaval this month when Vince McMahon, who created WrestleMania in 1985 and built WWE into a juggernaut, retired as chairman and CEO amid an investigation by WWE’s board into alleged misconduct by McMahon concerning payments made to a former female employee following a consensual affair.

In addition, federal prosecutors and the SEC have launched probes into allegations of sexual misconduct and payments McMahon made to allegedly settle affairs, according to the Wall Street Journal. The WWE said Monday that they will revise financial statements dating to 2019 with $14.6 million in payments made by McMahon that should have been recorded as personal expenses. WWE said the investigation into allegations of McMahon’s misconduct “remains ongoing.”

Paul Levesque, McMahon’s son-in-law better known as Triple H, returned to the company last week as executive vice president of talent relations, replacing McMahon as the leader of the company’s creative direction. Stephanie McMahon, Levesque’s wife, replaced her father as CEO, a title she is sharing with Nick Khan, a former Hollywood agent who joined WWE in 2020.

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