Saudi Arabia Pro League Information

The Saudi Professional League is the current official name of the top division of professional football in Saudi Arabia. The competition gathers 16 teams who play each other twice, home and away. This makes a total of 30 rounds, and the team who collects the most points wins the title.

The top two teams qualify for the group stage of the AFC Champions League. The third-placed team secures a spot in the qualification playoffs round of that competition. The bottom three clubs lose their place in the Saudi Arabia Pro League for the next season.

The Saudi Professional League allows foreign players to play for its teams. However, a single club can only register seven foreign players per season.

Saudi Arabia Pro League History

The first edition of a national football league in Saudi Arabia took place in 1957. It gathered clubs in four regional tournaments, with the winners qualifying for the King’s Cup. The winner of that tournament was the overall league champion.

The first Saudi Premier League was organized in 1976/77. Al Hilal won their first title among eight competing clubs. The league changed formats several times and became professional in 2007. It also changed names on a few occasions and was called the Abdul Latif Jameel League for sponsorship reasons. Today, 16 teams participate in the league, and the best-placed clubs get considerable financial rewards.

Saudi Arabia Pro League Clubs

Al Hilal are the most successful club in Saudi Arabia Pro League history. They have won 17 titles and have ended as runners-up on 13 occasions.

Here are some impressive statistics about Saudi clubs:

• Al Hilal have the biggest stadium in the country. King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh has a capacity of 68,752.
• Only seven clubs have won the Saudi Professional League in its history. Al Hilal and Al-Nassr have 26 titles combined, which is five more than the other five winners together.
• Clubs from Riyadh have won 32 titles in the Saudi Arabia Pro League. Jeddah have 12 championships, Dammam two, and Al-Hasa one.
• Al Hilal have won the most points in the competition’s history (875). Al-Nassr are second with 755 points overall.

Saudi Arabia Pro League Players

Mohamed Abdullaziz Al-Deayea is among the most notable names in Saudi football. He has 406 caps in the top-tier league and 173 official caps for the national team. As for foreigners, Bafétimbi Gomis, Carlos Tenorio and Ronnie Fernández are among the most notable names.

Here are some other Saudi Professional League player statistics:

• Majed Abdullah scored 189 goals in the Saudi Arabia Pro League. He played for Al-Nassr from 1977 to 1997.
• Abderrazak Hamdallah scored the most goals in a single season. The forward from Morocco scored 34 goals in the 2018/19 season.
• Ahmed Abuanza was the youngest player ever in the Saudi Professional League. He was only 13 years and 10 months old when he debuted for Al Fateh in 2011.
• Essam El Hadary was the oldest player to play in the Saudi Arabia Pro League. He was 45 years old when his Al-Taawoun FC beat Al-Shabab in 2018.