Saudi Pro League
 | |
| Organising body | Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957
|
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of clubs | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Saudi First Division League |
| Domestic cup(s) | King's Cup Saudi Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two Gulf Club Champions League Arab Club Champions Cup |
| Current champions | Al-Nassr (11th title) (2025–26) |
| Most championships | Al-Hilal (21 titles) |
| Most appearances | Mohamed Al-Deayea (406) |
| Top scorer | Majed Abdullah (189) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Thmanyah |
| Sponsor(s) | Roshn |
| Website | spl.com.sa |
| Current: 2025–26 Saudi Pro League | |
The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the top-tier professional association football league in Saudi Arabia. It is the highest level of the Saudi football league system and is governed by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
History
[edit]Early history (1957–2022)
[edit]The origins of the Saudi top division date back to the establishment of the His Majesty's League in 1957, which continued until 1974. It was followed by the 1974–75 Saudi Categorization League, a transitional season before the introduction of the Saudi Premier League. The first official season of the Saudi Premier League was the 1976–77 season.
The league used a round-robin tournament format from its first season until the 1989–90 season. Following changes by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, the league was merged with the King's Cup and the Golden Box format was introduced. The format included a final knockout stage involving the top four teams from the regular season to decide the champion.
The round-robin format returned in the 2007–08 season. The competition was renamed the Saudi Pro League in 2008, while records from previous league formats continued to be maintained separately.
The league has used several names throughout its history. For the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons, it was named the Prince Mohammad bin Salman League in honour of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.[1]
In 2019, the General Sports Authority (later transformed into the Ministry of Sport) launched the Sports Clubs Support Strategy to improve governance, infrastructure, and fan engagement within Saudi clubs.[2]
In 2022, Roshn, owned by the Public Investment Fund, signed a title sponsorship agreement with the league. The competition was renamed the Roshn Saudi League from the 2022–23 season.[3]
Saudi Pro League expansion (2023–present)
[edit]In June 2023, the Public Investment Fund acquired 75% stakes in Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli as part of wider development plans linked to Saudi Vision 2030.[4][5][6]
The league attracted global attention in 2023 after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr. Other international players, including Neymar, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, and N'Golo Kanté, later joined Saudi clubs during the same period.[7][8]
The privatization process continued with several clubs changing ownership. In 2025, Al-Kholood Club became the first Saudi football club to be fully owned by foreign investors after being sold to The Harburg Group, led by American businessman Ben Harburg.[9]
The league's development has received international attention and criticism. Some observers have described the investments as sportswashing, while Saudi officials have presented the reforms as part of sports development and economic diversification plans.[10]
Sponsorship
[edit]| Period | Sponsor | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| 1957–1974 | No sponsor | His Majesty's League[11] |
| 1974–1975 | No sponsor | Saudi Categorization League |
| 1975–2007 | No sponsor | Saudi Premier League |
| 2008–2008 | No sponsor | Saudi Pro League |
| 2009–2013 | Zain | Zain Pro League |
| 2014–2017 | Abdul Latif Jameel | Abdul Latif Jameel Pro League[12] |
| 2018–2021 | No sponsor | Saudi Pro League[13] |
| 2022–present | Roshn | Roshn Saudi League[14] |
Competition format
[edit]Competition
[edit]- As of the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League
There are 18 clubs in the Saudi Pro League. During the course of a season (usually from August to May), each club plays every other club twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at their opponent's, for a total of 34 games. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked on the league table based on points first, then head-to-head record in case of a tie, followed by goal difference.
Each club is allowed a maximum of 25 players, including up to 10 foreign players. Of these 10 foreign players, 8 can be of any age, and 2 must be under 20 years old at the time of signing. The remaining 15 players must be Saudi nationals, with a maximum of 5 players allowed to come from the youth sector if needed or wanted.
For each league game, managers can select up to 8 foreign players to be included in the matchday squad.
Promotion and relegation
[edit]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, in the first division the top two teams are promoted to the Pro League directly, a play-off system[15] to determine the third team to be promoted alongside the two. Teams placed between third and sixth position take part in the promotion play-offs. The fifth-placed would face the fourth, while the sixth-placed team would face the third. The final would be single-legged, hosted by the higher-placed team.
Current clubs
[edit]
Stadium
[edit]- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Personnel and kits
[edit]| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Main sponsor | Other sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli |  Matthias Jaissle
|
 Édouard Mendy
|
Adidas | Red Sea Global | List
|
| Al-Ettifaq |  Saad Al-Shehri
|
 Georginio Wijnaldum
|
Adidas | Kammelna | List
|
| Al-Fateh |  José Gomes
|
Mohammed Al-Fuhaid
|
100° | Theeb Rent A Car | List
|
| Al-Fayha | Pedro Emanuel
|
Sami Al-Khaibari
|
HH Sports | Basic Electronics Company | List
|
| Al-Hazem |  Jalel Kadri
|
Abdulrahman Al-Dakheel
|
Right Away Sport | Yelo | |
| Al-Hilal |  Simone Inzaghi
|
Salem Al-Dawsari
|
Puma | Savvy Games Group | List
|
| Al-Ittihad | Sérgio Conceição
|
 Karim Benzema
|
Nike | Roshn | List
|
| Al-Khaleej |  Georgios Donis
|
Fábio Martins
|
Laser | Yelo Rent a Car | List
|
| Al-Kholood |  Des Buckingham
|
 Marcelo Grohe
|
Renown | Yelo Rent a Car | List
|
| Al-Najma | Mário Silva
|
Ziyad Al-Qahtani
|
Puma | Yelo | List
|
| Al-Nassr | Jorge Jesus
|
Cristiano Ronaldo
|
Adidas | KAFD | List
|
| Al-Okhdood | Paulo Sérgio
|
Hussain Al-Zabdani
|
Skillano | Yelo Rent a Car | List
|
| Al-Qadsiah |  Brendan Rodgers
|
 Nacho
|
Nike | Aloula Aviation | List
|
| Al-Riyadh | Javier Calleja
|
Abdullah Al-Khaibri
|
Black Panther | Science Technology | List
|
| Al-Shabab | Imanol Alguacil
|
 Yannick Carrasco
|
Offside | Theeb Rent A Car | List
|
| Al-Taawoun | Péricles Chamusca
|
Aschraf El Mahdioui
|
Macron | Aldyar Alarabiya | List
|
| Damac | Armando Evangelista
|
 Farouk Chafaï
|
Skillano | Basic Electronics Company | List
|
| Neom | Christophe Galtier
|
Salman Al-Faraj
|
Puma | None | List
|
Champions
[edit]List of champions
[edit]League championship records
[edit]Titles by club
[edit]| # | Club | Titles | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 21 | 18 |
| 2 | Al-Ittihad | 14 | 10 |
| 3 | Al-Nassr | 11 | 10 |
| 4 | Al-Ahli | 9 | 10 |
| 5 | Al-Shabab | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | Al-Ettifaq | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Al-Wehda | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | Al-Fateh | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | Al-Riyadh | 0 | 2 |
Titles by city
[edit]| Province | City | Titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riyadh Province | Riyadh | 38 | Al-Hilal (21), Al-Nassr (11), Al-Shabab (6) |
| Mecca Province | Jeddah | 23 | Al-Ittihad (14), Al-Ahli (9) |
| Eastern Province | Dammam | 2 | Al-Ettifaq (2) |
| Eastern Province | Al-Mubarraz | 1 | Al-Fateh (1) |
| Mecca Province | Mecca | 1 | Al-Wehda (1) |
Titles by competition era
[edit]| Competition | Champions |
|---|---|
| Pro League | Al-Hilal (8), Al-Nassr (4), Al-Ittihad (3), Al-Fateh (1), Al-Ahli (1), Al-Shabab (1) |
| Premier League | Al-Hilal (11), Al-Ittihad (7), Al-Nassr (5), Al-Shabab (5), Al-Ettifaq (2), Al-Ahli (2) |
| Categorization League | Al-Nassr (1) |
| His Majesty's League | Al-Ahli (6), Al-Ittihad (4), Al-Hilal (2), Al-Wehda (1), Al-Nassr (1) |
Saudi clubs in Asia
[edit]Saudi Arabian clubs have won 17 continental titles in AFC competitions. The table below lists their achievements.
| Club | AFC Champions League Elite | Asian Cup Winners' Cup | Asian Super Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Hilal | 4 (1991, 2000, 2019, 2021) | 2 (1997, 2002) | 2 (1997, 2000) | 8 |
| Al-Ittihad | 2 (2004, 2005) | 1 (1999) | — | 3 |
| Al-Ahli | 2 (2025, 2026) | — | — | 2 |
| Al-Nassr | — | 1 (1998) | 1 (1998) | 2 |
| Al-Shabab | — | 1 (2001) | — | 1 |
| Al-Qadsiah | — | 1 (1994) | — | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 3 | 17 |
Top scorers
[edit]All-time top scorers
[edit]- As of the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League[20][21]
- Bold indicates a player still active in the Pro League.
- Note: This count includes only seasons from the inception of the Saudi Categorization League to the present day.
| 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 |  Omar Al Somah
|
161 | 222 | 0.73 | 2014 | 2026 | Al-Ahli, Al-Orobah, Al-Hazem |
| 4 |  Abderrazak Hamdallah
|
157 | 179 | 0.88 | 2018 | 2026 | Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Shabab |
| 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 | Cristiano Ronaldo
|
102 | 107 | 0.95 | 2023 | 2026 | Al-Nassr |
| 9 | Sami Al-Jaber
|
101 | 268 | 0.38 | 1988 | 2007 | Al-Hilal |
| 10 | Hamzah Idris
|
96 | – | – | 1992 | 2007 | Ohod, Al-Ittihad |
Top scorers by season
[edit]
- Record
Awards
[edit]At the end of each season, individual awards are presented to players and managers in recognition of their performances.
| Season | Manager of the Season | Player of the Season | Saudi Player of the Season | Best young player | Best Goalkeeper | Top Scorer | Goal of the Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Pedro Emanuel[22]
|
Abderrazak Hamdallah[23]
|
Mohamed Kanno[24]
|
Muteb Al-Mufarrij[25]
|
Farouk Ben Mustapha[26]
|
Abderrazak Hamdallah[27]
|
Not awarded |
| 2023–24 | Jorge Jesus[28]
|
Not awarded | Yassine Bounou[29]
|
Cristiano Ronaldo[30]
| |||
| 2024–25 | Laurent Blanc
|
Karim Benzema
|
Salem Al-Dawsari
|
Musab Al-Juwayr
|
Koen Casteels
|
Cristiano Ronaldo
|
Cristiano Ronaldo[31]
|
| 2025–26 | Jorge Jesus
|
João Félix
|
Musab Al-Juwayr
|
Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa
|
Édouard Mendy
|
 Julián Quiñones
|
Cristiano Ronaldo[32]
|
Broadcasters
[edit]| Country | Broadcaster | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
 Middle East and North Africa
|
Thmanyah | [33] |
 Afghanistan
|
SolhSport BEGIN | |
 Pakistan
| ||
 Albania
|
SuperSport | |
 Kosovo
| ||
 Armenia
|
Setanta Sports | |
 Azerbaijan
| ||
 Estonia
| ||
 Georgia
| ||
 Kazakhstan
| ||
 Kyrgyzstan
| ||
 Latvia
| ||
 Lithuania
| ||
 Moldova
| ||
 Tajikistan
| ||
 Turkmenistan
| ||
 Ukraine
| ||
 Uzbekistan
| ||
 Australia
|
10 | [34] |
 Austria
|
Sportdigital | |
| Germany
| ||
 Switzerland
| ||
 Bangladesh
|
FanCode | [35] |
 India
| ||
 Nepal
| ||
 Sri Lanka
| ||
| Brazil
|
Grupo Globo | |
| Canal GOAT | ||
| Grupo Bandeirantes | ||
 Bulgaria
|
Max Sport | |
| Caribbean | Fox Sports | [36] |
| Latin America (exc. Brazil) | ||
 United States
| ||
 China
|
Star Sports | |
| Qiukedao | ||
| TikTok | ||
| Zhibo8 | ||
 Croatia
|
Sport Klub | |
 Slovenia
| ||
 Czech Republic
|
Strike TV | |
 Slovakia
| ||
| France
|
ZackNani | |
| Greece
|
Cosmote Sport | [37] |
 Hungary
|
Spíler TV | [38] |
| Italy
|
Como TV | |
| Sportitalia | ||
 Japan
|
SPOTV | |
 Mongolia
| ||
| Southeast Asia | ||
 Taiwan
| ||
 Poland
|
Polsat Sport 1 | |
| Portugal
|
Sport TV | [39] |
 Romania
|
Voyo | |
 Russia
|
Okko | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | StarTimes Sports | [40] |
| ESPN | ||
| SportyTV | ||
| New World TV | ||
| ZAP | ||
| Azam TV | ||
| Spain
|
Movistar Plus+ | [41] |
 Turkey
|
S Sport | [42] |
| TV8.5 |
See also
[edit]- King's Cup
- Saudi Super Cup
- Crown Prince Cup
- Saudi Founder's Cup
- Sport in Saudi Arabia
- Football in Saudi Arabia
- Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cup
- Saudi Women's Premier League
- Saudi Arabian Football Federation
- List of Saudi Pro League hat-tricks
- List of football clubs in Saudi Arabia
- List of football stadiums in Saudi Arabia
References
[edit]- ^ "Saudi Football Professional League renamed after Crown Prince for second season". Saudi Gazette. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia announces ambitious strategy to support sports clubs". Ajel English. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ "Roshn clinches biggest sponsorship deal in Saudi Pro League history". Arab News. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ Walid, Ahmed (5 June 2023). "PIF to take control of Saudi Arabia's four biggest clubs as part of major shake-up in Pro League". The Athletic. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Why has Saudi sovereign fund taken over kingdom's football clubs?". Al Jazeera. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ "Saudi Pro League: the key factors that will decide project's global impact". The Guardian. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Woodyatt, Amy; Shveda, Krystyna; Cubero, Antonio Jarne (20 September 2023). "Saudi Arabia is trying to disrupt soccer's world order. The reasons why might surprise you". CNN. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Saudi wealth shaping football's new reality". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "First foreign firm takes ownership of Saudi football club". The New Arab. 24 July 2025.
- ^ BBC Sport (21 September 2023). "Mohammed bin Salman: 'I don't care' about 'sportswashing' accusations". BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ "الكشف عن نتائج مشروع توثيق تاريخ كرة القدم السعودية.. وتفاصيل رفض نادي الشباب". صحيفة اليوم. 22 April 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ "الرياض نت : "عبداللطيف جميل" ترعى الدوري السعودي للمحترفين". 14 January 2014. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "إلغاء مسمى دوري جميل السعودي للمحترفين وكأس ولي العهد". بوابة الأهرام (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Saudi Pro League renamed to Roshn Saudi League". SPL. 23 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ ""PLAY-OFF» يحدد صاعدي «يلو"".
- ^ "مدينة الملك خالد.. 30 عاماً في خدمة الشباب والرياضة".
- ^ "Storied history of football in Saudi Arabia celebrated through landmark collaboration project". FIFA. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia officially documents 123 years of football history". Saudi Gazette. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "AFC President congratulates SAFF on completion of historic football heritage project". Asian Football Confederation. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "احصائيات هدافي الدوري تاريخيا والاكثر حصولا على لقب الهداف". Archived from the original on 5 January 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "ماجد عبد الله، السهلاوي والقحطاني وأبرز الهدافيين التاريخيين في الدوري السعودي". Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "مدرب فريق #التعاون بيدرو مانويل يحصل على جائزة #أفضل_مدرب".
- ^ "لاعب فريق #النصر عبدالرزاق حمدالله يحصل على جائزة #أفضل_لاعب".
- ^ "لاعب فريق #الهلال محمد كنو يحصل على جائزة #أفضل_لاعب_سعودي".
- ^ "لاعب فريق #التعاون متعب المفرج يحصل على جائزة #أفضل_لاعب_واعد".
- ^ "حارس فريق #الشباب فاروق بن مصطفى يحصل على جائزة #القفاز_الذهبي".
- ^ "لاعب فريق #النصر عبدالرزاق حمدالله يحصل على جائزة #الحذاء_الذهبي".
- ^ "مدرب الهلال خورخي خيسوس يحصل على جائزة أفضل مدرب لموسم 2023–24".
- ^ "حارس الهلال ياسين بونو يحصل على جائزة أفضل حارس".
- ^ "رونالدو يفوز بجائزة الحذاء الذهبي لموسم 2023–24".
- ^ "Benzema, Blanc, Al Dawsari, Ronaldo honoured at SPL Awards". Saudi Pro League. 29 May 2025.
- ^ "2025-26 SPL Awards winners: Felix, Jesus, Al Juwayr, Al Elewa honoured". Saudi Pro League. 23 May 2026.
- ^ "SRMG's Thmanyah nets SPL exclusivity to 2031". SportBusiness. 16 June 2025.
- ^ "How to watch Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in Australia: TV channel and live stream for Saudi Pro League". The Sporting News. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ "Where to watch Ronaldo's Al Nassr in Saudi Pro League action from India?". Sportstar. 28 August 2025.
- ^ "FOX Sports secures US media rights to Saudi Pro League with league's acquisition of global stars". MARCA. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Saudi Pro League signs deals with broadcasters for rights to screen games in over 170 countries". Arab News. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ Nagy, Bálint (11 August 2023). "A Spíler TV-n lehet majd nézni Ronaldo és Benzema meccseit" [You can watch Ronaldo and Benzema on Spíler TV]. Telex.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ "Saudi Pro League lands rights deals in Portugal and Italy". SportBusiness. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ^ "MATCHDAY LIVE ⚽️ Saudi Pro League Al-Nassr 🆚 Al-Ettifaq 📆 Sun, 22nd Jan ⏱ 8:30PM >> Stream live on StarTimes ON App". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ "Where to Watch Saudi Pro League Football: Broadcast Channels". SPL. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ "Cristian Ronaldo ve Suudi Arabistan Ligi S Sport Plus'ta". ajansspor.com (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- MBS League SAFF
- Abdul Latif Jameel League (in Arabic)
- Saudi Arabia Football Federation at FIFA.com
- Saudi Arabia – List of Champions at RSSSF.com
- Saudi Pro League summary at Soccerway
- Saudi Pro League Official Mascot Designs Gallery - A gallery with all official mascots created for the Saudi Pro League.
- Saudi Pro League predictions at MaTips
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||