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Saudi Pro League
Top-division association football league in Saudi Arabia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Saudi Pro League (SPL),[b] also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL)[c] for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as the premier football league in Asia, having the highest ranking among AFC club competitions.
The origins of the Saudi top division league trace back to the establishment of the His Majesty's League in 1956, which lasted until 1974. It was succeeded by a single transitional season known as the 1974–75 Saudi Categorization League. Following that, the first official season of the Saudi Premier League the 1976–77 season.[1] The league operated as a round-robin tournament from its inaugural season until the 1989–90 season. After that, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation decided to merge the football league with the King's Cup into one tournament, adding the Golden Box. The Golden Box was an end-of-season knockout competition played between the top four teams of the regular league season. These teams would compete in a semi-final stage to crown the champions of Saudi Arabia. The league reverted to a round-robin system in the 2007–08 season and was rebranded as the Saudi Pro League in 2008. While the Saudi Pro League is an evolution of the earlier Saudi top division league formats, its statistics and records are maintained separately, in a manner similar to how the English Premier League is treated as distinct from the former Football League First Division.
Al-Hilal is the most successful club in Saudi football history, amassing a record 19 titles, with their latest triumph in the 2023–24 season. Other prominent clubs, such as Al-Shabab, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Nassr, have contributed significantly to the league's history. Since 2023, the SPL has achieved greater global recognition, fueled by strategic developments under the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative. The nation's Public Investment Fund acquired 75% stakes in four foundational clubs—Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr, investing large amounts of money to bring players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema to the league. These efforts have increased the prominence of the SPL in world football.[2][3]
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History
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Up until the late 1950s, football in Saudi Arabia was organized on a regional basis under the Saudi Regional Leagues, 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.[4]
In 1974, a one-time league was founded to end the regional leagues and decide which clubs would play in the upcoming Premier and first division leagues, the league was the Categorization League, 1976–77 season saw the start of the first-ever Premier 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 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's 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.
As of 2024, depending on the nation's coefficient, three teams from Saudi Arabia qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite annually. This includes the top three positions of the league, the winner of the King's Cup qualify for the AFC Champions League Two. If the winner of the King's Cup is also among the top three teams then the fourth-best team qualifies for the AFC Champions League Two.
Saudi football revolution (2023–)
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. A record-breaking transfer window took place ahead of the 2023–24 season; Saudi Pro League clubs spent close to $1 billion, acquiring 94 overseas players from Europe’s major leagues. These leagues include France’s Ligue 1, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga and the English Premier League, according to Deloitte.[5] According to Spanish publication Marca the league has "shaken up the European transfer market".[6]
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.[7] These actions have been criticised by many sporting journalists and human rights activists, who have described the transfers as part of a sportswashing scheme by the Saudi government.[8][9] In response to these allegations, several Saudi journalists and commentators have defended the Public Investment Fund's involvement in Saudi football, arguing that it represents a strategic move to elevate the sport and diversify the national economy in line with Vision 2030.[10]
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first star signing to the league, with the BBC deeming that he led this "revolution" in Asian football.[11] Upon his move to Al-Hilal, Neymar also credited Ronaldo for the immediate transformation of the league.[12] 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.[8][13]
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Sponsorship
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Official match ball suppliers
Competition format
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Competition
- As of the 2024–25 Season
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
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[20] 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.
Format history
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League Format (1974–2007)
In 1974–75, the Saudi football league was known as the Categorization League. This league was introduced to replace the previously existing regional leagues and to determine which teams would play in the Premier League and which would compete in the First Division. The Categorization League had 16 teams, divided into two groups. Only two teams from each group advanced to a decisive final match to determine the champion.
From 1975–76, the league transitioned to a round-robin format during the regular season, where each team played home and away matches against all other teams. The league typically operated with 10 to 12 teams during this period, though the number of teams fluctuated slightly from season to season.
In 1981–82, the league underwent a significant change: it was merged with the First Division to create a single 20-team league for that season. This merger was driven by concerns over World Cup qualifying, as Saudi Arabia sought to strengthen its domestic competition and provide more opportunities for players to develop ahead of international fixtures. After this one-off expansion, the league returned to its usual structure with 10 to 12 teams.
In December 1990, the Saudi Football Federation decided to merge the Saudi Premier League with the King's Cup competition into a unified single tournament. This merger led to the introduction of the playoff system (locally known as the "Golden Box" or "Golden Four"), which would feature the top 4 teams of the regular league season competing in a knockout competition to determine the overall champion. The playoff system served as an end-of-season competition, adding an extra layer of excitement to the league.
In the 1991–92 season, the Saudi Premier League formally implemented the playoff system. The league still used the round-robin format during the regular season, but after that, the top 4 teams advanced to the playoffs, which were held to determine the champion. The playoff system meant that even if a team finished first in the regular season, they still had to win the knockout rounds (including semi-finals and final) to be crowned champion.
League Format (2007–Present)
In 2006–07, the playoff system was still in use, with the top 4 teams advancing to knockout rounds to decide the champion. Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal finished at the top of the table, but the playoff system decided the final winner. This was the last season the playoff system was used.
In 2007–08, the league switched to the traditional format, where the team finishing first in the regular season was crowned champion, and the playoffs were abolished. This system continued in the Saudi Pro League from 2008–09 onward. Al-Hilal won the title in 2007–08 after finishing tied with Al-Ittihad on 48 points. The title was decided by the head-to-head record, where Al-Hilal had the better result against Al-Ittihad.
In 2008–09, the league was rebranded as the Saudi Pro League[21] (SPL). This rebranding formalized the shift to a traditional system where the top team in the regular season is crowned champion, and the playoffs were abolished. The rebranding also meant that the statistics and titles from the Saudi Premier League (1974–2007) were considered separate from those of the newly established Saudi Pro League. This mirrors the situation in the English Premier League (established in 1992), where records and titles are kept separate from the former Football League First Division.
Following the rebranding, the league underwent significant changes. From 2010–11 to 2017–18, the league expanded to 14 teams, continuing with the round-robin format. Then, from 2018–19 to 2022–23, the league grew again to 16 teams. Finally, in the 2023–24 season, the Saudi Pro League expanded to 18 teams.
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Current clubs
Locations of teams in the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League
Stadiums
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Personnel and kits
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Champions
List of champions
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Performance by club
Total league titles won (all eras)
Total titles won by city
Performance by league
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AFC ranking
- As of 17 April 2025
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Saudi Arabian clubs in Asian football
Saudi Arabian clubs have a distinguished history in Asian football, having won a total of 16 titles across continental competitions. This makes Saudi Arabia the most successful country in Asian club football history. The table below provides a summary of these achievements.
League participation
As of the 2024–25 season, 39 clubs have participated in the Saudi top division league, with only three clubs — Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ittihad — never being relegated.
- Bold indicates clubs currently competing in the Saudi Pro League.
- Note: This count includes only seasons from the inception of the Saudi Premier League to the present day.
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Top scorers
All-time top scorers
- 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.
Top scorers by season
- Record
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SPL Awards
The Saudi Pro League Awards are presented annually to recognize the best performers in the League. The awards were first held for the 2018–19 season but were paused from 2019 to 2023. They resumed partially for the 2023–24 season and have continued in full from the 2024–25 season onward, with all major categories awarded.
Records
- As of the 31th round of the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League
Broadcasters
- As of 20 October 2024
Notes
See also
References
External links
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