Organising body | Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) |
---|---|
Founded | 1976 |
Country | Saudi Arabia |
Confederation | AFC |
Number of teams | 18 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Saudi First Division League |
Domestic cup(s) | King Cup Super Cup |
International cup(s) | AFC Champions League Arab Club Champions Cup |
Current champions | Al-Ittihad (9th title) (2022–23) |
Most championships | Al-Hilal (18 titles) |
Most appearances | Mohamed Al-Deayea (406) |
Top goalscorer | Majed Abdullah (189 goals) |
TV partners | Shahid and SSC (MENA) |
Website | spl.com.sa |
Current: 2023–24 Saudi Pro League |
The Saudi Pro League (SPL), [lower-alpha 1] known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) [lower-alpha 2] for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of association football in the Saudi league system.
The first season of competition was the 1976–77 season. [1] The league had been operating as a round-robin tournament from its inaugural season until the 1989–90 season, after that the Saudi Federation decided to merge the football League with the King's Cup in one tournament and the addition of the Golden Box. The Golden Box would be an end of season knockout competition played between the top four teams of the regular league season. These teams would play at a semi-final stage to crown the champions of Saudi Arabia. The league reverted to a round-robin system in the 2007–08 season.
The association is also regularly ranked with the highest coefficient in Asia due to successful and consistent performances in the AFC Champions League by its clubs. Al-Hilal is the most successful team, holding 18 titles in its history and most recently winning the title in 2021–22. Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr are also some of the most successful teams in the league.
Beginning in 2023, the league started experiencing widespread international exposure due to attracting numerous top level players from European leagues through financially lucrative contracts, immediately becoming a star-studded league. The nation's Public Investment Fund took 75% stakes in four founding members (Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr) in the same year as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program.
Up until the late 1950s, football in Saudi Arabia was organized on a regional basis, with the King's Cup being the only nationwide tournament. In 1957, the first qualification process consolidated the regional tournaments of the Central, West, East, and North regions. Clubs competed in their regional leagues to qualify for the King's Cup, which was the final stage of the competition. The winner of the King's Cup was not the league winner. [2]
1976 saw the start of the first-ever professional football league in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with eight teams, the following season the number of clubs increased to ten. The 1981–82 season saw the merger of both the Saudi Premier League and the Saudi First Division for that season exclusively to the concern of the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification process. Twenty teams were divided into two groups, A and B. The top two in each group would enter a semi-final stage to determine the overall champions. In the following season which reverted back to regular round-robin competition, the number of first-division clubs was later increased to 12 in the 1984–85 season.[ citation needed ]
In December 1990, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation decided to merge the league with the King Cup in one tournament, it was decided to revamp local competitions and introduce professional football. A new league championship was formed called "The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques League Cup", which was a two-stage championship. The first stage was a regular double round-robin league competition with the top 4 qualifying for the final knockout stage, called the golden box. Clubs were allowed to sign players on a professional basis making the league semi-professional. This system lasted for seventeen seasons before reverting to a regular round-robin competition. The league became fully professional in 2007. [3]
As of 2008, depending on the nation's coefficient, four teams from Saudi Arabia qualify for the AFC Champions League annually. This includes the top three positions of the league, together with the winner of the King Cup. If the winner of the King Cup is also among the top three teams then the fourth-best team qualifies for the play-offs, and if the winner of the King Cup is not in the top three league positions in the league, the top two will qualify directly for the group stages while the third team will qualify for the AFC Champions League play-offs.[ citation needed ]
The Saudi Pro League made international headlines in 2023 due to many players from other leagues, particularly those in Europe, transferring to clubs for the 2023–24 season. Cristiano Ronaldo was the first star signing to the league, with the BBC deeming that he led this "revolution" in Asian football. [4] Upon his move to Al-Hilal, Neymar also credited Ronaldo for the immediate transformation of the league. [5] Other players who joined the league include Ballon d'Or-holder Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kanté, Roberto Firmino, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Sadio Mané, Riyad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson. [6] [7] According to Spanish publication Marca the league has "shaken up the European transfer market". [8] The nation's Public Investment Fund took 75% stakes in four founding members (Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr) in June 2023 as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program. [9] These actions have been criticised by many sporting journalists and who have described the transfers as part of a sportswashing scheme by the Saudi government. [6] [10]
Starting in the 2009–10 season until the 2012-13 season, the league was sponsored by Zain Group.and was known as "Zain league" [11] From the 2013–14 season until the 2017–18 season, Abdul Latif Jameel was the sponsor and the league was known as "Jameel league", from the 2018–19 season until the 2021-22 season major restructuring of Saudi football, under which the league's name reverted to the "Saudi Pro League". [12] [11] [13] From the 2022-23 season, for a five-year period, the sponsor of the league is Roshn and the league is known as "Roshn Saudi league", Roshn is a real estate division of the Public Investment Fund. [14]
There are 18 clubs in the Saudi Pro League. During the course of a season (usually from August to May) each club plays the other clubs twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for 34 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by position on the league table depending on points, then the head-to-head record between the tied teams is taken into consideration, and then goal difference.[ citation needed ]
A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Saudi Pro League and Saudi First Division League. The three lowest-placed teams in the Saudi Pro League are relegated to the First Division and the top three teams from the First Division are promoted to the Saudi Pro League.[ citation needed ]
For details on the 2023–24 Saudi Pro League season, see here.
# | Club | Winners | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Al-Hilal | 18 | 14 |
2 | Al-Ittihad | 9 | 8 |
3 | Al-Nassr | 9 | 7 |
4 | Al-Shabab | 6 | 6 |
5 | Al-Ahli | 3 | 9 |
6 | Al-Ettifaq | 2 | 3 |
7 | Al-Fateh | 1 | 0 |
8 | Al-Riyadh | 0 | 1 |
City | Number of titles | Clubs |
---|---|---|
Riyadh | 32 | Al-Hilal (18), Al-Nassr (9), Al-Shabab (6) |
Jeddah | 12 | Al-Ittihad (9), Al-Ahli (3) |
Dammam | 2 | Al-Ettifaq (2) |
Al-Ahsa | 1 | Al-Fateh (1) |
As of 2023, 38 clubs have participated in the Saudi football top division.
Note: The tallies below include up to the 2023–24 season. Teams denoted in bold are current participants.[ citation needed ]
Boldface indicates a player still active in the Pro League.
Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Ratio | First | Last | Club(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Majed Abdullah | 189 | 194 | 0.97 | 1977 | 1997 | Al-Nassr |
2 | Nasser Al-Shamrani | 167 | 301 | 0.55 | 2003 | 2019 | Al-Wehda, Al-Shabab, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad |
3 | Bushra Wahba | 144 | 180 | 0.80 | 1969 | 1999 | Al-Hilal |
4 | Abderrazak Hamdallah | 128 | 132 | 0.97 | 2018 | 2023 | Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad |
5 | Fahd Al-Hamdan | 120 | 252 | 0.48 | 1984 | 2000 | Al-Riyadh |
6 | Yasser Al-Qahtani | 112 | 206 | 0.54 | 2000 | 2018 | Al-Qadsiah, Al-Hilal |
7 | Mohammad Al-Sahlawi | 111 | 257 | 0.43 | 2005 | 2022 | Al-Qadsiah, Al-Nassr, Al-Shabab, Al-Taawoun |
8 | Sami Al-Jaber | 101 | 268 | 0.38 | 1988 | 2007 | Al-Hilal |
9 | Hamzah Idris | 96 | – | – | 1992 | 2007 | Ohod, Al-Ittihad |
10 | Obeid Al-Dosari | 91 | – | – | 1996 | 2005 | Al-Wehda, Al-Ahli |
Season | Nat. | Top scorer(s) | Club(s) | Goals |
1975–76 | Mohammad S. Abdeli | Al-Nassr | 13 | |
1976–77 | Nasser Eid | Al-Qadsiah | 7 | |
1977–78 | Motamad Khojali | Al-Ahli | 14 | |
1978–79 | Majed Abdullah | Al-Nassr | 18 | |
1979–80 | Majed Abdullah | Al-Nassr | 17 | |
1980–81 | Majed Abdullah | Al-Nassr | 21 | |
1981–82 | Khalid Al-Ma'ajil | Al-Shabab | 22 | |
1982–83 | Majed Abdullah | Al-Nassr | 14 | |
1983–84 | Hussam Abu Dawood | Al-Ahli | 14 | |
1984–85 | Hathal Dosari | Al-Hilal | 15 | |
1985–86 | Majed Abdullah | Al-Nassr | 15 | |
1986–87 | Mohammad Suwaidi | Al-Ittihad | 17 | |
1987–88 | Khalid Al-Ma'ajil | Al-Shabab | 12 | |
1988–89 | Majed Abdullah | Al-Nassr | 19 | |
1989–90 | Sami Al-Jaber | Al-Hilal | 16 | |
1990–91 | Fahad Al-Mehallel | Al-Shabab | 20 | |
1991–92 | Saeed Al-Owairan | Al-Shabab | 16 | |
1992–93 | Sami Al-Jaber | Al-Hilal | 18 | |
1993–94 | Moussa N'Daw | Al-Hilal | 15 | |
1994–95 | Fahd Al-Hamdan | Al-Riyadh | 15 | |
1995–96 | Ohene Kennedy | Al-Nassr | 14 | |
1996–97 | Ahmed Bahja | Al-Ittihad | 21 | |
1997–98 | Sulaiman Al-Hadaithy | Al-Najma | 15 | |
1998–99 | Obeid Al-Dosari | Al-Wehda | 20 | |
1999–00 | Hamzah Idris | Al-Ittihad | 33 | |
2000–01 | Paulo da Silva | Al-Ettifaq | 13 | |
2001–02 | Diene Faye | Al-Riyadh | 10 | |
2002–03 | Carlos Tenorio | Al-Nassr | 15 | |
2003–04 | | Godwin Attram Kandia Traoré | Al-Shabab Al-Hilal | 15 |
2004–05 | Mohammed Manga | Al-Shabab | 15 | |
2005–06 | Essa Al-Mehyani | Al-Wehda | 16 | |
2006–07 | Godwin Attram | Al-Shabab | 13 | |
2007–08 | Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Shabab | 18 | |
2008–09 | | Nasser Al-Shamrani Hicham Aboucherouane | Al-Shabab Al-Ittihad | 12 |
2009–10 | Mohammad Al-Shalhoub | Al-Hilal | 12 | |
2010–11 | Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Shabab | 17 | |
2011–12 | | Nasser Al-Shamrani Victor Simões | Al-Shabab Al-Ahli | 21 |
2012–13 | Sebastián Tagliabué | Al-Shabab | 19 | |
2013–14 | Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Hilal | 21 | |
2014–15 | Omar Al Somah | Al-Ahli | 22 | |
2015–16 | Omar Al Somah | Al-Ahli | 27 | |
2016–17 | Omar Al Somah | Al-Ahli | 24 | |
2017–18 | Ronnie Fernández | Al-Fayha | 13 | |
2018–19 | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Al-Nassr | 34 | |
2019–20 | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Al-Nassr | 29 | |
2020–21 | Bafétimbi Gomis | Al-Hilal | 24 | |
2021–22 | Odion Ighalo | Al-Hilal | 24 | |
2022–23 | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Al-Ittihad | 21 |
Country | Broadcaster | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Middle East and North Africa | Shahid SSC channels | [24] |
Austria | DAZN | [25] |
Belgium | ||
Canada | ||
Germany | ||
Ireland | ||
United Kingdom | ||
Australia | 10 Play | [26] |
Balkans | Sport Klub | [24] |
Brazil | Grupo Band | |
Canal GOAT | ||
Caribbean | DSports | |
South America | ||
China | Bilibili Migu tv Tencent Zhibo8 | |
France | Canal+ | [27] |
Greece | Cosmote Sport | [24] |
Hungary | Spíler TV | [28] |
India | Sony Sports Network | [29] |
Italy | La7 | |
Sportitalia | ||
Japan | Abema | |
Myanmar | Sky Net | [30] |
Portugal | Sport TV | [31] |
Romania | Prima Sport | [32] |
South Korea | SPOTV | [33] |
Hong Kong | ||
South East Asia | ||
Sub-Saharan Africa | StarTimes Sports | [34] |
Spain | Marca.com | [35] |
Turkey | S Sport | [36] |
TV8.5 | ||
United States | Fox Sports | [37] |
Vietnam | VieON | [38] |
Al Hilal Saudi Football Club, simply known as Al Hilal is a professional multi-sports club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their football team competes in the Saudi Professional League. In Arabic, Al Hilal means the crescent moon. They are the most decorated club in Asia, winning 67 official trophies. Al Hilal also hold the record for the most continental trophies in Asia, as well as a record 18 Professional League titles.
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