Jump to content

Saudi Pro League

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2601:4a:c200:4e70:b4:4df1:2c32:c636 (talk) at 14:53, 29 July 2023 (→‎Competition format). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Saudi Pro League
Organising bodySaudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF)
Founded1976; 48 years ago (1976)
CountrySaudi Arabia
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams18 (since 2023–24)
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toFirst Division
Domestic cup(s)King Cup
Super Cup
International cup(s)AFC Champions League
Arab Club Champions Cup
GCC Champions League
Current championsAl-Ittihad (9th title)
(2022–23)
Most championshipsAl-Hilal (18 titles)
Most appearancesMohamed Al-Deayea (406)
Top goalscorerMajed Abdullah (189 goals)
TV partnersShahid and SSC (MENA)
Websitespl.com.sa
Current: 2023–24 Saudi Professional League

The Saudi Pro League (SPL,[1] Arabic: دوري المحترفين السعودي), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL, Arabic: دوري روشن السعودي, Dawriyy Roshan as-Suʿūdī) for sponsorship reasons,[2][3] is the highest division of association football in the Saudi league system. It had been operating as a round-robin tournament from it 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 having successful and consistent performances in the AFC Champions League by its clubs.

The first season of competition was the 1976–77 season.[4] Al-Hilal is the most successful team, holding 18 titles in its history and most recently winning the title in 2021–22.

History

Up until the late 1950s, football in Saudi Arabia was organized on a regional basis, with the only nationwide tournament being the King's Cup. 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.[citation needed]

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.

In December 1990, the Saudi 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.[5]

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.

The league made international headlines in the summer of 2023 due to many top players from across the footballing world transferring to clubs in the league for the 2023–24 season.

Sponsorship

Starting in the 2009–10 season, the league was sponsored by Zain Group.[6] From the 2013–14 season until the 2017–18 season, Abdul Latif Jameel was sponsor and the league was known as Dawry Jameel, until a major restructuring of Saudi football, under which the league's name reverted to the Saudi Professional League.[7][6][8] From 2022, for a five-year period, the sponsor of the league is Roshn, a real estate division of the Public Investment Fund.[2]

Competition format

Competition

There are 18 clubs in the Saudi Professional 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.

Promotion and relegation

A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Saudi Professional League and Saudi First Division League. The three lowest-placed teams in the Saudi Professional League are relegated to the First Division and the top three teams from the First Division are promoted to the Saudi Professional League.

Current teams

For details on the 2023–24 Saudi Professional League season, see here.

class=notpageimage|
Locations of teams in the 2023–24 Saudi Professional League
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Abha Abha Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium 20,000[9]
Al-Ahli Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City 62,345
Al-Ettifaq Dammam Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium 35,000[10]
Al-Fateh Al-Hasa (Hofuf) Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium 26,000[11]
Al-Fayha Al Majma'ah Al Majma'ah Sports City 7,000
Al-Hazem Ar Rass Al-Hazem Club Stadium 8,000[12]
Al-Hilal Riyadh King Fahd International Stadium 68,752
Al-Ittihad Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City 62,345
Al-Khaleej Saihat Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium (Dammam) 35,000
Al-Nassr Riyadh Al-Awwal Park 25,000
Al-Okhdood Najran Prince Hathloul Stadium 12,000[13]
Al-Raed Buraidah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium 25,000
Al-Riyadh Riyadh Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium 15,000[14]
Al-Shabab Riyadh Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium 22,500
Al-Taawoun Buraidah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium 25,000
Al-Tai Ha'il Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa'ed Stadium 12,000[15]
Al-Wehda Mecca King Abdul Aziz Stadium 38,000
Damac Khamis Mushait Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium (Abha) 20,000

Champions

List of champions

No Season Champion Runners Up
1 1974–75 Al-Nassr Al-Hilal
- 1975–76 Canceled
2 1976–77 Al-Hilal Al-Nassr
3 1977–78 Al-Ahli Al-Nassr
4 1978–79 Al-Hilal Al-Nassr
5 1979–80 Al-Nassr Al-Hilal
6 1980–81 Al-Nassr Al-Hilal
7 1981–82 Al-Ittihad Al-Shabab
8 1982–83 Al-Ettifaq Al-Hilal
9 1983–84 Al-Ahli Al-Ittihad
10 1984–85 Al-Hilal Al-Shabab
11 1985–86 Al-Hilal Al-Ittihad
12 1986–87 Al-Ettifaq Al-Ahli
13 1987–88 Al-Hilal Al-Ettifaq
14 1988–89 Al-Nassr Al-Shabab
15 1989–90 Al-Hilal Al-Ahli
16 1990–91 Al-Shabab Al-Nassr
17 1991–92 Al-Shabab Al-Ettifaq
18 1992–93 Al-Shabab Al-Hilal
19 1993–94 Al-Nassr Al-Riyadh
20 1994–95 Al-Nassr Al-Hilal
21 1995–96 Al-Hilal Al-Ahli
22 1996–97 Al-Ittihad Al-Hilal
23 1997–98 Al-Hilal Al-Shabab
24 1998–99 Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli
25 1999–00 Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli
26 2000–01 Al-Ittihad Al-Nassr
27 2001–02 Al-Hilal Al-Ittihad
28 2002–03 Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli
29 2003–04 Al-Shabab Al-Ittihad
30 2004–05 Al-Hilal Al-Shabab
31 2005–06 Al-Shabab Al-Hilal
32 2006–07 Al-Ittihad Al-Hilal
33 2007–08 Al-Hilal Al-Ittihad
34 2008–09 Al-Ittihad Al-Hilal
35 2009–10 Al-Hilal Al-Ittihad
36 2010–11 Al-Hilal Al-Ittihad
37 2011–12 Al-Shabab Al-Ahli
38 2012–13 Al-Fateh Al-Hilal
39 2013–14 Al-Nassr Al-Hilal
40 2014–15 Al-Nassr Al-Ahli
41 2015–16 Al-Ahli Al-Hilal
42 2016–17 Al-Hilal Al-Ahli
43 2017–18 Al-Hilal Al-Ahli
44 2018–19 Al-Nassr Al-Hilal
45 2019–20 Al-Hilal Al-Nassr
46 2020–21 Al-Hilal Al-Shabab
47 2021–22 Al-Hilal Al-Ittihad
48 2022–23 Al-Ittihad Al-Nassr

Performance by club

# Club Winners Runners-up
1 Al-Hilal
18
15
2 Al-Ittihad
9
8
3 Al-Nassr
9
7
4 Al-Shabab
6
6
5 Al-Ahli
3
9
6 Al-Ettifaq
2
2
7 Al-Fateh
1
0
8 Al-Riyadh
0
1

Total titles won by city

City Number of titles Clubs
Riyadh
33
 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)

League participation

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.

Top scorers

See also: List of Saudi Professional League hat-tricks

All-time top scorers

As of matches played 1 July 2023[16][17]

Boldface indicates a player still active in the Pro League.

Rank Player Goals Apps Ratio First Last Club(s)
1 Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah 189 194 0.97 1977 1997 Al-Nassr
2 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani 167 301 0.55 2003 2019 Al-Wehda, Al-Shabab, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad
3 Syria Omar Al Somah 144 180 0.8 2014 2023 Al-Ahli
4 Saudi Arabia Fahd Al-Hamdan 120 252 0.48 1984 2000 Al-Riyadh
5 Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani 112 206 0.54 2000 2018 Al-Qadsiah, Al-Hilal
6 Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah 110 113 0.97 2018 2023 Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad
7 Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Sahlawi 106 244 0.45 2005 2022 Al-Qadsiah, Al-Nassr, Al-Shabab, Al-Taawoun
8 Saudi Arabia Sami Al-Jaber 101 268 0.38 1988 2007 Al-Hilal
9 Saudi Arabia Hamzah Idris 96 – – 1992 2007 Ohod, Al-Ittihad
10 Saudi Arabia Obeid Al-Dosari 91 – – 1996 2005 Al-Wehda, Al-Ahli

Top scorers by season

Season Nat. Top scorer(s) Club(s) Goals
1975–76 Saudi Arabia Mohammad S. Abdeli Al-Nassr 13
1976–77 Saudi Arabia Nasser Eid Al-Qadsiah 7
1977–78 Saudi Arabia Motamad Khojali Al-Ahli 14
1978–79 Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 18
1979–80 Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 17
1980–81 Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 21
1981–82 Saudi Arabia Khalid Al-Ma'ajil Al-Shabab 22
1982–83 Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 14
1983–84 Saudi Arabia Hussam Abu Dawood Al-Ahli 14
1984–85 Saudi Arabia Hathal Dosari Al-Hilal 15
1985–86 Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 15
1986–87 Saudi Arabia Mohammad Suwaidi Al-Ittihad 17
1987–88 Saudi Arabia Khalid Al-Ma'ajil Al-Shabab 12
1988–89 Saudi Arabia Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 19
1989–90 Saudi Arabia Sami Al-Jaber Al-Hilal 16
1990–91 Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Mehallel Al-Shabab 20
1991–92 Saudi Arabia Saeed Al-Owairan Al-Shabab 16
1992–93 Saudi Arabia Sami Al-Jaber Al-Hilal 18
1993–94 Senegal Moussa Ndao Al-Hilal 15
1994–95 Saudi Arabia Fahd Al-Hamdan Al-Riyadh 15
1995–96 Ghana Ohene Kennedy Al-Nassr 14
1996–97 Morocco Ahmed Bahja Al-Ittihad 21
1997–98 Saudi Arabia Sulaiman Al-Hadaithy Al-Najma 15
1998–99 Saudi Arabia Obeid Al-Dosari Al-Wehda 20
1999–00 Saudi Arabia Hamzah Idris Al-Ittihad 33
2000–01 Angola Paulo da Silva Al-Ettifaq 13
2001–02 Senegal Diene Faye Al-Riyadh 10
2002–03 Ecuador Carlos Tenorio Al-Nassr 15
2003–04 Ghana
Ivory Coast		 Godwin Attram
Kandia Traoré		 Al-Shabab
Al-Hilal		 15
2004–05 Senegal Mohammed Manga Al-Shabab 15
2005–06 Saudi Arabia Essa Al-Mehyani Al-Wehda 16
2006–07 Ghana Godwin Attram Al-Shabab 13
2007–08 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Shabab 18
2008–09 Saudi Arabia
Morocco		 Nasser Al-Shamrani
Hicham Aboucherouane		 Al-Shabab
Al-Ittihad		 12
2009–10 Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Shalhoub Al-Hilal 12
2010–11 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Shabab 17
2011–12 Saudi Arabia
Brazil		 Nasser Al-Shamrani
Victor Simões		 Al-Shabab
Al-Ahli		 21
2012–13 Argentina Sebastián Tagliabué Al-Shabab 19
2013–14 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Hilal 21
2014–15 Syria Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli 22
2015–16 Syria Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli 27
2016–17 Syria Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli 24
2017–18 Chile Ronnie Fernández Al-Fayha 13
2018–19 Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Al-Nassr 34
2019–20 Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Al-Nassr 29
2020–21 France Bafétimbi Gomis Al-Hilal 24
2021–22 Nigeria Odion Ighalo Al-Hilal 24
2022–23 Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Al-Ittihad 21

Broadcasters

Country Broadcaster Ref
 Middle East and North Africa Shahid
SSC channels
 Austria Sportdigital [18]
 Germany
 Switzerland
 Australia 10 Play [19]
Balkans Sport Klub
 Brunei Astro SuperSport
 Malaysia
Caribbean DirecTV
South America
 France RMC Sport [20]
 Greece Cosmote Sport
 Hong Kong TVB
 India Sony Sports Network [21]
 Indonesia MNC Group (iNews, MNC Sports) [22]
 Italy Sportitalia [23]
 Portugal Sport TV
 Myanmar Sky Net
 Romania Sport Extra
Sub-saharan Africa StarTimes Sports [24]
 Thailand True Sport
 Turkey S Sport, TVNET [25]
 Vietnam FPT

See also

References

  1. ^ The logo also used "MBS" as an abbreviation for the MBS Pro League (Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Professional League) until the 2021-22 season.
  2. ^ a b "Saudi Pro League renamed to Roshn Saudi League". SPL. 23 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Official SAFF site in English". Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Live Scores – Clubs: Al Hilalclub_hint=Al Nassr". FIFA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ a b "الرياض نت : "عبداللطيف جميل" ترعى الدوري السعودي للمحترفين". web.archive.org. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  7. ^ "إلغاء مسمى دوري جميل السعودي للمحترفين وكأس ولي العهد". بوابة الأهرام (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  8. ^ The untold story of the rise of the Saudi football league, retrieved 5 July 2023
  9. ^ "Prince Sultan Sport City Stadium (Mahalah)".
  10. ^ "Prince Mohammed Bin Fahad Stadium".
  11. ^ "Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium".
  12. ^ "Alhazm Club Stadium".
  13. ^ "افتتاح مدينة الأمير هذلول بن عبدالعزيز الرياضية في نجران". 31 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium".
  15. ^ "استاد الأمير عبدالعزيز بن مساعد بن جلوي". kooora.com. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  16. ^ "احصائيات هدافي الدوري تاريخيا والاكثر حصولا على لقب الهداف". Archived from the original on 5 January 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  17. ^ "ماجد عبد الله، السهلاوي والقحطاني وأبرز الهدافيين التاريخيين في الدوري السعودي". Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Al-Nassr vs. Ettifaq: Das Debüt von Cristiano Ronaldo heute im TV und LIVE STREAM - gibt es eine Übertragung? | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "Arabie saoudite: à quelle heure et sur quelle chaîne regarder le premier match de Ronaldo avec Al-Nassr". RMC SPORT (in French). Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  21. ^ "Sony Networks brings Saudi Pro League action to Indian subcontinent". The Financial Express. 8 February 2023. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  22. ^ @officialinewstv (21 January 2023). ""SAUDI PRO LEAGUE 2023 RONALDO ON THE COURT! Represent Al-Nassr! Saksikan debut Ronaldo di awal tahun dalam liga sepakbola bergengsi "SAUDI PRO LEAGUE" Al-Nassr VS Al-Ettifaq 23 Januari 00.20 WIB (dini hari) LIVE di iNews" (in Indonesian) – via Instagram.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "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.
  25. ^ "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.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saudi_Pro_League&oldid=1167731351"