The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the top-tier professional association football league in Saudi Arabia. It is the highest level of the Saudi football league system and is governed by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
History
Early history (1957–2022) The origins of the Saudi top division date back to the establishment of the His Majesty's League in 1957, which continued until 1974. It was followed by the 1974–75 Saudi Categorization League, a transitional season before the introduction of the Saudi Premier League. The first official season of the Saudi Premier League was the 1976–77 season.
The league used a round-robin tournament format from its first season until the 1989–90 season. Following changes by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, the league was merged with the King's Cup and the Golden Box format was introduced. The format included a final knockout stage involving the top four teams from the regular season to decide the champion.
The round-robin format returned in the 2007–08 season. The competition was renamed the Saudi Pro League in 2008, while records from previous league formats continued to be maintained separately.
The league has used several names throughout its history. For the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons, it was named the Prince Mohammad bin Salman League in honour of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In 2019, the General Sports Authority (later transformed into the Ministry of Sport) launched the Sports Clubs Support Strategy to improve governance, infrastructure, and fan engagement within Saudi clubs.
In 2022, Roshn, owned by the Public Investment Fund, signed a title sponsorship agreement with the league. The competition was renamed the Roshn Saudi League from the 2022–23 season.
Saudi Pro League expansion (2023–present) In June 2023, the Public Investment Fund acquired 75% stakes in Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli as part of wider development plans linked to Saudi Vision 2030.
The league attracted global attention in 2023 after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr. Other international players, including Neymar, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, and N'Golo Kanté, later joined Saudi clubs during the same period.
The privatization process continued with several clubs changing ownership. In 2025, Al-Kholood became the first Saudi football club to be fully owned by foreign investors after being sold to The Harburg Group, led by American businessman Ben Harburg.
The league's development has received international attention and criticism. Some observers have described the investments as sportswashing, while Saudi officials have presented the reforms as part of sports development and economic diversification plans.
Sponsorship Period Sponsor Brand1957–1974 No sponsor His Majesty's League1974–1975 No sponsor Saudi Categorization League1975–2007 No sponsor Saudi Premier League2008 No sponsor Saudi Pro League2009–2013 Zain Zain Pro League2014–2017 Abdul Latif Jameel Abdul Latif Jameel Pro League2018–2021 No sponsor Saudi Pro League2022–present Roshn Roshn Saudi League
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 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 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.
Current clubs
Stadium Note: Table lists in alphabetical order. Team Location Stadium CapacityAbhaAbhaAl-Mahalah StadiumDamac Club Stadium Al-Ahli Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City StadiumAl-Faisal StadiumAl-DiriyahDiriyahSHG ArenaAl-Awwal Park Al-Ettifaq Dammam EGO StadiumAl-FaisalyHarmahAl-Majma'ah Sports City Stadium Al-Fateh Al-Mubarraz Maydan Tamweel Aloula Al-Fayha Majmaah Majmaah Sports City StadiumAl-HazemAr RassAl-Hazem Club Stadium Al-Hilal Riyadh Kingdom Arena Al-Ittihad Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City StadiumAl-Faisal Stadium Al-Khaleej Saihat Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium Al-Kholood Ar Rass Al-Hazem Club Stadium Al-Nassr Riyadh Al-Awwal Park Al-Qadsiah Khobar Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium Al-Riyadh Riyadh SHG Arena Al-Shabab Riyadh SHG Arena Al-Taawoun Buraidah King Abdullah Sports City Stadium BuraidahAl-Taawoun Stadium Neom Tabuk King Khalid Sport City Stadium
Personnel and kits Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Main sponsor Other sponsors Red Sea Global TBA Kammelna None HH Sports Basic Electronics Company Yelo NHC Innovation None Yelo Rent a Car Kappa Yelo Rent a Car Humain Aloula Aviation Science Technology Jetour Aldyar Alarabiya TBA Oxagon
Champions List of champions Sources:
No Season Champion Runners-up His Majesty's League1957–197411957–58Al-WehdaAl-Ittihad21958–59Al-IttihadAl-Wehda31959–60Al-IttihadAl-Wehda41960–61Al-IttihadAl-Wehda51961–62Al-HilalAl-Wehda61962–63Al-AhliAl-Riyadh71963–64Al-IttihadAl-Hilal81964–65Al-HilalAl-Ittihad91965–66Al-AhliAl-Ettifaq101966–67Not completed111967–68Not held121968–69Al-AhliAl-Ettifaq131969–70Cancelled141970–71Al-AhliAl-Wehda151971–72Al-AhliAl-Nassr161972–73Al-AhliAl-Nassr171973–74Al-NassrAl-Ahli Saudi Categorization League1974–1975181974–75Al-NassrAl-Hilal Saudi Premier League1975–2007191975–76Cancelled201976–77Al-HilalAl-Nassr211977–78Al-AhliAl-Nassr221978–79Al-HilalAl-Nassr231979–80Al-NassrAl-Hilal241980–81Al-NassrAl-Hilal251981–82Al-IttihadAl-Shabab261982–83Al-EttifaqAl-Hilal271983–84Al-AhliAl-Ittihad281984–85Al-HilalAl-Shabab291985–86Al-HilalAl-Ittihad301986–87Al-EttifaqAl-Hilal311987–88Al-HilalAl-Ettifaq321988–89Al-NassrAl-Shabab331989–90Al-HilalAl-Ahli341990–91Al-ShababAl-Nassr351991–92Al-ShababAl-Ettifaq361992–93Al-ShababAl-Hilal371993–94Al-NassrAl-Riyadh381994–95Al-NassrAl-Hilal391995–96Al-HilalAl-Ahli401996–97Al-IttihadAl-Hilal411997–98Al-HilalAl-Shabab421998–99Al-IttihadAl-Ahli431999–2000Al-IttihadAl-Ahli442000–01Al-IttihadAl-Nassr452001–02Al-HilalAl-Ittihad462002–03Al-IttihadAl-Ahli472003–04Al-ShababAl-Ittihad482004–05Al-HilalAl-Shabab492005–06Al-ShababAl-Hilal502006–07Al-IttihadAl-Hilal Saudi Pro League2008–present512007–08Al-HilalAl-Ittihad522008–09Al-IttihadAl-Hilal532009–10Al-HilalAl-Ittihad542010–11Al-HilalAl-Ittihad552011–12Al-ShababAl-Ahli562012–13Al-FatehAl-Hilal572013–14Al-NassrAl-Hilal582014–15Al-NassrAl-Ahli592015–16Al-AhliAl-Hilal602016–17Al-HilalAl-Ahli612017–18Al-HilalAl-Ahli622018–19Al-NassrAl-Hilal632019–20Al-HilalAl-Nassr642020–21Al-HilalAl-Shabab652021–22Al-HilalAl-Ittihad662022–23Al-IttihadAl-Nassr672023–24Al-HilalAl-Nassr682024–25Al-IttihadAl-Hilal692025–26Al-NassrAl-Hilal
League championship records
Titles by club # Club Titles Runners-up 1 Al-Hilal 21 18 2 Al-Ittihad 14 10 3 Al-Nassr 11 10 4 Al-Ahli 9 10 5 Al-Shabab 6 6 6 Al-Ettifaq 2 4 7 Al-Wehda 1 5 8 Al-Fateh 1 0 9 Al-Riyadh 0 2
Titles by city Province City Titles Clubs Riyadh Province Riyadh 38 Al-Hilal (21),Al-Nassr (11),Al-Shabab (6) Mecca Province Jeddah 23 Al-Ittihad (14),Al-Ahli (9) Eastern Province Dammam 2 Al-Ettifaq (2) Eastern Province Al-Mubarraz 1 Al-Fateh (1) Mecca Province Mecca 1 Al-Wehda (1)
Titles by competition era Competition Champions Pro League Al-Hilal (8),Al-Nassr (4),Al-Ittihad (3),Al-Fateh (1),Al-Ahli (1),Al-Shabab (1) Premier League Al-Hilal (11),Al-Ittihad (7),Al-Nassr (5),Al-Shabab (5),Al-Ettifaq (2),Al-Ahli (2) Categorization League Al-Nassr (1) His Majesty's League Al-Ahli (6),Al-Ittihad (4),Al-Hilal (2),Al-Wehda (1),Al-Nassr (1)
Saudi clubs in Asia
Saudi Arabian clubs have won 17 continental titles in AFC competitions. The table below lists their achievements.
Club AFC Champions League Elite Asian Cup Winners' Cup Asian Super Cup TotalAl-Hilal4 (1991, 2000, 2019, 2021)2 (1997, 2002)2 (1997, 2000)8Al-Ittihad2 (2004, 2005)1 (1999)—3Al-Ahli2 (2025, 2026)——2Al-Nassr—1 (1998)1 (1998)2Al-Shabab—1 (2001)—1Al-Qadsiah—1 (1994)—1Total86317
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.
RankPlayerGoalsAppsRatioClub(s) 1 Majed Abdullah 189 194 1977 1997Al-Nassr 2 Nasser Al-Shamrani 166 301 2003 2019Al-Wehda, Al-Shabab, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad 3 Omar Al Somah 161 222 2014 2026Al-Ahli, Al-Orobah, Al-Hazem 4 Abderrazak Hamdallah 158 179 2018 2026Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Shabab, Al-Taawoun 5 Fahd Al-Hamdan 120 252 1984 2000Al-Riyadh 6 Yasser Al-Qahtani 112 206 2000 2018Al-Qadsiah, Al-Hilal 7 Mohammad Al-Sahlawi 111 257 2005 2022Al-Qadsiah, Al-Nassr, Al-Shabab, Al-Taawoun 8 Cristiano Ronaldo 105 112 2023 2026Al-Nassr 9 Sami Al-Jaber 101 268 1988 2007Al-Hilal 10 Hamzah Idris 96 – – 1992 2007Ohod, Al-Ittihad
Top scorers by season
Season Nat. Top scorer(s) Club(s) Goals 1974–75 Mohammad S. Abdeli Al-Nassr 13 1976–77 Nasser Eid Al-Qadsiah 7 1977–78 Motamad Khojali Al-Ahli 14 1978–79 Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 18 1979–80 Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 17 1980–81 Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 21 1981–82 Khalid Al-Ma'ajil Al-Shabab 22 1982–83 Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 14 1983–84 Hussam Abu Dawood Al-Ahli 14 1984–85 Hathal Al-Dosari Al-Hilal 15 1985–86 Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 15 1986–87 Mohammad Suwaidi Al-Ittihad 17 1987–88 Khalid Al-Ma'ajil Al-Shabab 12 1988–89 Majed Abdullah Al-Nassr 19 1989–90 Sami Al-Jaber Al-Hilal 16 1990–91 Fahd Al-Mehallel Al-Shabab 20 1991–92 Saeed Al-Owairan Al-Shabab 16 1992–93 Sami Al-Jaber Al-Hilal 18 1993–94 Moussa N'Daw Al-Hilal 15 1994–95 Fahd Al-Hamdan Al-Riyadh 15 1995–96 Ohene Kennedy Al-Nassr 14 1996–97 Ahmed Bahja Al-Ittihad 21 1997–98 Sulaiman Al-Hadaithy Al-Najma 15 1998–99 Obeid Al-Dosari Al-Wehda 20 1999–00 Hamzah Idris Al-Ittihad 33 2000–01 Paulo Silva Al-Ettifaq 13 2001–02 Sérgio Ricardo Al-Ittihad 16 2002–03 Carlos Tenorio Al-Nassr 15 2003–04 Godwin AttramKandia Traoré Al-ShababAl-Hilal 15 2004–05 Mohammed Manga Al-Shabab 15 2005–06 Essa Al-Mehyani Al-Wehda 16 2006–07 Godwin Attram Al-Shabab 13 2007–08 Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Shabab 18 2008–09 Hicham AboucherouaneNasser Al-Shamrani Al-IttihadAl-Shabab 12 2009–10 Mohammad Al-Shalhoub Al-Hilal 12 2010–11 Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Shabab 17 2011–12 Victor SimõesNasser Al-Shamrani Al-AhliAl-Shabab 21 2012–13 Sebastián Tagliabúe Al-Shabab 19 2013–14 Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Hilal 21 2014–15 Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli 22 2015–16 Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli 27 2016–17 Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli 24 2017–18 Ronnie Fernández Al-Fayha 13 2018–19 Abderrazak Hamdallah Al-Nassr 34 2019–20 Abderrazak Hamdallah Al-Nassr 29 2020–21 Bafétimbi Gomis Al-Hilal 24 2021–22 Odion Ighalo Al-Hilal 242022–23 Abderrazak HamdallahAl-Ittihad 212023–24 Cristiano RonaldoAl-Nassr352024–25 Cristiano Ronaldo Al-Nassr252025–26 Julián Quiñones Al-Qadsiah33
Awards