According to data from Google, searches for the Saudi Football League increased 10,000x between July 2021 and July 2023 in the UK alone.
Why? Quite simply, it has become one of the most prominent global football leagues in that timeframe, with first Cristiano Ronaldo and then a handful of other world-renowned stars heading to the Middle East for cultural enrichment/bank balance enhancement* (delete as appropriate).
In the summer of 2023 alone, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Marcelo Brozovic and Roberto Firmino all joined a Saudi Football League club, with many more big names – some still in the peak of their careers – also linked with a move east.
As for their reason to moving to a country that is not traditionally a footballing hotbed, perhaps former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves summed it up best.
“The project, but the main factor of course was my family. The chance to give my family the life I always dreamed. That was the biggest reason for me not to have any doubts,” he said after joining Al-Hilal.
“I have three kids, I have a lovely wife, so I need to take care of them. The biggest trophy in my career is them so that was really important to my decision as well.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Saudi Football League.
What is the Format of the Saudi Football League?
As is the case in England and many other European countries, the format in Saudi Arabia sees the Professional League as the top tier (the equivalent of the Premier League), with relegation and promotion up and down the ladder from the First Division, Second Division and so on.
Saudi Arabia Football League Teams (2023/24)
| Saudi Professional League | Saudi First Division League |
|---|---|
| Abha | Al-Adalah |
| Al-Ahli | Al-Ain |
| Al-Ettifaq | Al-Arabi |
| Al-Fateh | Al-Batin |
| Al-Fayha | Al-Bukiryah |
| Al-Hazem | Al-Faisaly |
| Al-Hilal | Al-Jabalain |
| Al-Ittihad | Al-Jandal |
| Al-Khaleej | Al-Kholood |
| Al-Nassr | Al-Najma |
| Al-Okhdood | Al-Orobah |
| Al-Raed | Al-Qadsiah |
| Al-Riyadh | Al-Qaisumah |
| Al-Shabab | Al-Safa |
| Al-Taawoun | Al-Taraji |
| Al-Tai | Hajer |
| Al-Wehda | Jeddah |
| Damac | Ohod |
From the 2023/24 season eighteen teams will make up both the Saudi Professional League and First Division League, the top division having been expanded after the 2022/23 campaign. The champions will qualify automatically for the AFC Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Those that finish second and third also get a crack at the AFC Champions League, the premier inter-continental tournament in Asia and the Middle East.
At the other end of the table, the bottom two clubs in the league are relegated to the Saudi First Division.
Who are the Best Saudi Football League Teams?
Given the influx of new talent into the Saudi Football League, it’s likely that past history will count for very little going forwards – those clubs with the deepest pockets are the most likely to thrive.
Al-Ittihad won the Saudi Professional League during the 2022/23 season. Managed by former Wolves and Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo, they conceded just 13 goals in their 30 games.
Saudi Arabia Professional League 2022/23 Final Standings
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Al-Ittihad | 30 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 60 | 13 | 47 | 72 |
| 2nd | Al-Nassr | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 63 | 18 | 45 | 67 |
| 3rd | Al-Hilal | 30 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 54 | 29 | 25 | 59 |
| 4th | Al-Shabab | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 57 | 33 | 24 | 56 |
| 5th | Al-Taawoun | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 46 | 34 | 12 | 55 |
| 6th | Al-Fateh | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 48 | 43 | 5 | 43 |
| 7th | Al-Ettifaq | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 28 | 36 | −8 | 37 |
| 8th | Damac | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 43 | −10 | 36 |
| 9th | Al-Tai | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 41 | 49 | −8 | 34 |
| 10th | Al-Raed | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 41 | 49 | −8 | 34 |
| 11th | Al-Fayha | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 33 |
| 12th | Abha | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 33 | 52 | −19 | 33 |
| 13th | Al-Wehda | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 43 | −17 | 32 |
| 14th | Al-Khaleej | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 30 | 44 | −14 | 31 |
| 15th | Al-Adalah | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 56 | −26 | 28 |
| 16th | Al-Batin | 30 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 27 | 63 | −36 | 20 |
Captained by former West Brom centre back Ahmed Hegazy, Al-Ittihad’s ranks were swelled by the likes of Benzema, Kante and former Celtic ace Jota in the summer of 2023.
They beat Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr into second place – the Portuguese ace has since been joined at the club by the likes of Brozovic, Talisca and former Arsenal shot-stopper David Ospina.
Frustrated to finish third in 2022/23, Al-Hilal have acted by splashing the best part of £100 million on Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, while one of the most interesting Saudi clubs for fans of English football to follow could be Al-Ahli – they have Firmino, Edouard Mendy and former Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski on their books.
Who Has Won the Most Saudi Football League Titles?
Al-Ittihad’s title win was their first since 2008/09 and their ninth in total – but that haul is dwarfed by the dominance of Saudi Arabian football by Al-Hilal.
They have won the championship 18 times – around 40% of all editions given that the Saudi Professional League wasn’t founded until 1974, and in a single league format since 1976.
Al-Nassr have also won nine titles – aided largely by the goals of Majed Abdullah, the Saudi ace who blitzed 189 goals in 194 games in the league. He remains the all-time leading goalscorer in the Saudi Football League.
For context, Ronaldo scores 14 goals in 16 games in his inaugural season in Saudi Arabia.
Is the Saudi Football League a Threat to the Premier League?
The average age of players that left the Premier League for the Saudi Pro League in the first half of summer 2023 was 30.4.
There is only one reason that they made the switch – all the more apparent when you learn how much the players get paid there, and so the litmus test will be determining how many elite footballers have that ‘mercenary’ streak to them and how many would prefer to battle for the sport’s most famous prizes in Europe.
There are parallels between the overnight fame and fortune of the Saudi Pro League and the Chinese Super League, where teams shelled hundreds of millions on talent in a bid to become football’s superpower in the 2010s. Today, there’s barely any household names plying their trade there, with a handful of clubs present during the league’s heyday now faded into obscurity or even bankrupt.
The difference with the Saudi Pro League is that a handful of clubs are state-funded, rather than bankrolled by private commerce as was the case in China. The number of overseas players allowed in each squad has already been increased – a nod to the aristocracy’s bid for sportswashed global domination.
It’s unlikely that the money tap will be switched off in Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future, and while the country and its football will remain soulless and devoid of meaning, there will be plenty of heads turned by football stars seeking the easiest of paydays in the sun.