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Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League (SPL),[b] known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL)[c] 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 the successful and consistent performances in the AFC Champions League Elite, Asian Super Cup & Asian Cup Winners' Cup by its clubs. Al-Hilal is the most successful team, holding 19 titles in its history and most recently winning the title in 2023–24. Al-Shabab, 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.

History

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 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 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 Cup qualify for the AFC Champions League Two. If the winner of the King Cup is also among the top three teams then the fourth-best team qualifies for the AFC Champions League Two.

2023 Saudi "Revolution"

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 human rights activists, who have described the transfers as part of a sportswashing scheme by the Saudi government.[6][10]

Sponsorship

From 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]

Sponsorship names

Competition format

Competition

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]

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 to determine the third team to be promoted alongside the two. Teams placed between third and sixth position took 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

Saudi Pro League is located in Saudi Arabia
Al-Ahli Al-Ittihad
Al-Ettifaq
Al-Fateh
Al-Fayha
Al-Hilal Al-Nassr Al-Riyadh Al-Shabab
Al-Khaleej
Al-Kholood
Al-Okhdood
Al-Orobah
Al-Qadsiah
Al-Raed Al-Taawoun
Al-Wehda
Damac
class=notpageimage|
Locations of teams in the 2024–25 Saudi Professional League

Stadiums

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.

Personnel and kits

Champions

List of champions

Performance by club

Total titles won by city

League participation

As of 2024, 39 clubs have participated in the Saudi football top division.


Only three clubs didn't get relegated,  Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad.

Note: The tallies below include up to the 2024–25 season. Teams denoted in bold are current participants.[citation needed]

Top scorers

All-time top scorers

As of matches played 23 May 2024[22][23]

Boldface indicates a player still active in the Pro League.

Top scorers by season

Records

Broadcasters

As of 18 June, 2024

Notes

  1. ^ King's Cup Winners or league fourth placed team,If the cup winner finishes in the top 3 in the Saudi Pro League, which means they will go to the AFC Champions League Elite, the slot goes to the fourth placed team in the table
  2. ^ Arabic: دوري المحترفين السعودي; The logo also used "MBS" as an abbreviation for the MBS Pro League (Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Professional League) until the 2021–22 season.
  3. ^ Arabic: دوري روشن السعودي; Dawri Rushan as-Suʿūdī

See also

References

  1. ^ "Live Scores – Clubs: Al Hilalclub_hint=Al Nassr". FIFA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009.
  2. ^ Amin Sawati. موسوعة تاريخ الحركة الرياضية في المملكة العربية السع ودية: بمناسبة مرور مائة عام على تأسيس المملكة العربية السعودية. مدينة الطيبات العالمية للعلوم والمعرفة،. ISBN 9789960351148.
  3. ^ "Morocco's Abderrazak Hamdallah breaks scoring record in Saudi Arabia". BBC Sport. 19 April 2019. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Saudi wealth shaping football's new reality". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Neymar credits Ronaldo for Saudi Pro League transformation". Reuters. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b Michaelson, Ruth (26 July 2023). "Revealed: Saudi Arabia's $6bn spend on 'sportswashing'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  7. ^ Smith, Rory; Panja, Tariq; Al Omran, Ahmed (13 July 2023). "Inside the Saudi Gold Rush". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Neymar, the latest star of the Saudi Pro League, the new order of soccer". MARCA. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Panja, Tariq; Al Omran, Ahmed (2 June 2023). "Saudi Soccer League Creates Huge Fund to Sign Global Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  11. ^ a b "الرياض نت : "عبداللطيف جميل" ترعى الدوري السعودي للمحترفين". 14 January 2014. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  12. ^ "إلغاء مسمى دوري جميل السعودي للمحترفين وكأس ولي العهد". بوابة الأهرام (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  13. ^ The untold story of the rise of the Saudi football league, 5 July 2023, retrieved 5 July 2023
  14. ^ "Saudi Pro League renamed to Roshn Saudi League". SPL. 23 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Al Ettifaq Club Stadium". Stadium Database.
  16. ^ "Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium".
  17. ^ "Alhazm Club Stadium".
  18. ^ "افتتاح مدينة الأمير هذلول بن عبدالعزيز الرياضية في نجران". 31 August 2020.
  19. ^ "ملعب نادي العروبة – AlOrubah Club Stadium".
  20. ^ "استاد مدينة الأمير سعود بن جلوي الرياضية (الراكة)".
  21. ^ "Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium".
  22. ^ "احصائيات هدافي الدوري تاريخيا والاكثر حصولا على لقب الهداف". Archived from the original on 5 January 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  23. ^ "ماجد عبد الله، السهلاوي والقحطاني وأبرز الهدافيين التاريخيين في الدوري السعودي". Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  24. ^ a b c "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.
  25. ^ Nair, Rohith (9 August 2023). Ferris, Ken (ed.). "DAZN to stream Saudi Pro League matches in six countries including UK, Germany". Soccer. Reuters. Bengaluru. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ "IMG Locks Multiple International Broadcast Deals For Saudi Pro League". deadline.com. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "Sony Sports Network to Broadcast Saudi Pro League in India for Two Seasons". News18. 17 August 2023.
  30. ^ "Saudi Pro League secures major international broadcast deals in 130+ territories, taking Roshn Saudi League to football fans around the world". Innovators in Sport. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  31. ^ "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.
  32. ^ "Saudi football sells TV rights in hope of net profit". AGBI. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Ronaldo and Benzema playing for Saudi Arabia in Asia's top 5 leagues, Korea-Southeast Asia". SPOTV. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  34. ^ "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.
  35. ^ "La Liga saudí, en exclusiva y gratis en MARCA.com: podrás ver en directo a Cristiano, Benzema, Neymar..." MARCA (in Spanish). 10 August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  36. ^ "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.
  37. ^ "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.
  38. ^ "Đón xem Saudi Pro League 2023/24 trên VieON". vieon.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 15 August 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saudi Pro League.