44-588: The Saudi Pro League ( SPL ), known as the Roshn Saudi League ( RSL ) 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 . 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
88-456: 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. League Format (1974–2007) In 1974–75, the Saudi football league was known as
132-467: A ' shamateur ' basis using side jobs, either real or fabricated, to facilitate payment. The FA espoused the ideal of amateurism promoted by the likes of Corinthian F.C. from whom the phrase "Corinthian Spirit" came into being. The differences between the amateur idealists from southern England and the increasingly professionalised teams from northern industrial towns came to a head in 1884. After Preston North End won an FA Cup match against Upton Park ,
176-703: A common occurrence among Lancashire clubs. In 1880, a dispute began between the FA and Bolton Wanderers (founded in 1874), who had unofficially offered professional terms to Scottish players. Scottish players who played in England professionally were known as the Scotch Professors . The subject remained a heated one through the 1880s, directly or indirectly involving many other clubs besides Bolton. Their neighbours, Blackburn Rovers (founded in 1875) and Darwen (founded in 1870) had also signed Scottish players on
220-709: A majority of their team being made up of Scottish players. In the first season, they went undefeated both in the league and the FA Cup , which led to them being known as " the Invincibles ". The Scottish Football League launched on an amateur basis in 1890 but the nation's most famous club and founders of both the passing and international game, Queen's Park , initially refused to participate as they predicted that professionalism would follow. This suspicion proved correct, with bans issued to clubs for making payments or playing against others who had, and clear indicators that
264-727: A rival British Football Association if the FA did not permit professionalism. 18 months later the FA relented, and in July 1885 professionalism was formally legalised in England. Though English clubs employed professionals, the Scottish Football Association continued to forbid the practice, withdrawing their clubs from the FA Cup in protest against the development, temporarily in 1885 then permanently in 1887. Consequently, many Scottish players migrated southward (although it also meant they were forbidden from playing for
308-479: A round-robin format during the regular season, where each team played home and away matches against all other teams. The league typically operated with 10 to 12 teams during this period, though the number of teams fluctuated slightly from season to season. In 1981–82, the league underwent a significant change: it was merged with the First Division to create a single 20-team league for that season. This merger
352-411: A unified single tournament. This merger led to the introduction of the playoff system (locally known as the "Golden Box" or "Golden Four"), which would feature the top 4 teams of the regular league season competing in a knockout competition to determine the overall champion. The playoff system served as an end-of-season competition, adding an extra layer of excitement to the league. In the 1991–92 season,
396-447: 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, Each club can have a total of 30 players, 10 foreigners. 8 of them can be any age, and 2 must be under 20 at the time of signing. 20 Saudi players 15 of them can be of any age, and 5 can be called up from
440-540: Is set to host 2034 FIFA World Cup matches. Official Website Professionalism in association football Association football is the world's most popular sport and is worth US$ 600 billion worldwide. By the end of the 20th century it was played by over 250 million players in over 200 countries. Around the world, the sport is played at a professional level by professional footballers, and millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite football teams , while billions more watch
484-476: The 2009–10 season until the 2012–13 season , the league was sponsored by Zain Group and was known as " Zain league ", 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", From
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#1732786773104528-548: The Communist bloc , athletes were presented as amateurs, even if they were de facto professional. Football clubs were no exception, and they were mostly linked to trade unions or government offices, with players being written down as workers of those particular industries. With the collapse of the Soviet Union , clubs and players officially gained professional status. By 2023, the top 3 highest-paid football players in
572-548: The Scotland national team ). At first the FA put residential restrictions in place to prevent this trend, but these were abandoned by 1889. In the inaugural season of the Football League (1888–89), champions Preston North End fielded ten Scottish professionals. One of the teams to benefit from the move of Scottish players to England was Sunderland , located close to the border. The club went professional in 1885, and
616-489: The 2022–23 season, for a five-year period, the sponsor of the league is Roshn and the league is known as " Roshn League ". (Sources ) 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
660-743: The 2024–25 season. Teams denoted in bold are current participants. Boldface indicates a player still active in the Pro League. Roshn Roshn (stylized ROSHN ; Arabic : روشن ) is a real estate development company based in Saudi Arabia . The company was founded in August 2020 by the Saudi Public Investment Fund as one of its Megaprojects . As one of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals, Roshn aims to enable home ownership to 70% of Saudi nationals. Roshn
704-552: The Categorization League. This league was introduced to replace the previously existing regional leagues and to determine which teams would play in the Premier League and which would compete in the First Division. The Categorization League had 16 teams, divided into two groups. Only two teams from each group advanced to a decisive final match to determine the champion. From 1975–76, the league transitioned to
748-690: The English Premier League, according to Deloitte . According to Spanish publication Marca the league has "shaken up the European transfer market". 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. These actions have been criticised by many sporting journalists and human rights activists, who have described
792-617: The King's Cup was not the league winner. In 1974, a one-time league was founded to end the regional leagues and decide which clubs would play in the upcoming Premier and first division leagues, the league was the Categorization League , 1976–77 season saw the start of the first-ever Premier 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
836-538: The Londoners protested, seeking the result to be overturned due to the presence of paid players in the Preston ranks. This sparked a series of events which threatened to split the FA. Preston withdrew from the competition, and fellow Lancashire clubs Burnley and Great Lever followed suit. The protest gathered momentum to the point where more than 30 clubs, predominantly from the north, announced that they would set up
880-590: The SFA allowed ' Anglos ' to play for the national team, prompted by poor results in the British Home Championship . Queen's Park remained outside the league until 1900, and remained committed to the amateur principles even after entering into competition with professional clubs. They never claimed another major trophy, but remained an amateur club until January 2020. In the Soviet Union and
924-538: The Saudi Premier League formally implemented the playoff system. The league still used the round-robin format during the regular season, but after that, the top 4 teams advanced to the playoffs, which were held to determine the champion. The playoff system meant that even if a team finished first in the regular season, they still had to win the knockout rounds (including semi-finals and final) to be crowned champion. League Format (2007–Present) In 2006–07,
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#1732786773104968-473: The amateur ethos. In fact, the entire Sunderland lineup in the 1895 World Championship was made up of Scottish players. On 5 April 1890, the Football League 's founder, William McGregor , labelled Sunderland as "the team of all talents" stating that they had "a talented man in every position". Preston North End, the first English team to win the Championship and Cup " double " in 1889 , did so with
1012-732: The best league in Asia and is nicknamed the Premier League of Asia. 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's Cup qualify for the AFC Champions League Two . If the winner of the King's Cup is also among the top three teams then
1056-568: The club recruited a number of Scotsmen the same year, their first internationally capped players. Founder James Allan left Sunderland in 1888 because of his dislike for the "professionalism" that had been creeping into the club, and subsequently formed Sunderland Albion . The wealthy mine owner Samuel Tyzack funded the professional advancement of the club, often pretending to be a priest while scouting for players in Scotland, as Sunderland's recruitment policy enraged many Scottish fans who supported
1100-562: The club to become its platinum sponsor. In September 2023, Roshn signed a 45-month deal worth $ 2.06 billion with China Harbour Engineering Company to develop Riyadh's Sedra and Warefa communities. The following list contains all of the residential communities currently being developed by Roshn: In July 2024, Roshn announced “Roshn Stadium”, a stadium with a capacity of 45,000 in Southwest Riyadh . The stadium spans over an area of more than 450,000 square meters. Roshn Stadium
1144-480: 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
1188-586: The fourth-best team qualifies for the AFC Champions League Two . 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 . A record-breaking transfer window took place ahead of the 2023 – 24 season; Saudi Pro League clubs spent close to $ 1 billion, acquiring 94 overseas players from Europe’s major leagues. These leagues include France’s Ligue 1, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga and
1232-424: 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,
1276-617: The late 1950s, football in Saudi Arabia was organized on a regional basis under the Saudi Regional Leagues, 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
1320-414: 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. Up until
1364-542: The likes of newly-formed Celtic 's accumulation of some of the best talent in the country involved unofficial financial incentives. Faced with this, the Scottish FA lifted its ban on professionalism in 1893, whereupon 560 players were registered as professionals; however, despite the distinction of status between the home players and the England-based players having been removed, it was another three years before
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1408-568: 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
1452-411: The playoff system was still in use, with the top 4 teams advancing to knockout rounds to decide the champion. Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal finished at the top of the table, but the playoff system decided the final winner. This was the last season the playoff system was used. In 2007–08, the league switched to the traditional format, where the team finishing first in the regular season was crowned champion, and
1496-424: The playoffs were abolished. This system continued in the Saudi Pro League from 2008–09 onward. Al-Hilal won the title in 2007–08 after finishing tied with Al-Ittihad on 48 points. The title was decided by the head-to-head record, where Al-Hilal had the better result against Al-Ittihad. In 2008–09, the league was rebranded as the Saudi Pro League (SPL). This rebranding formalized the shift to a traditional system where
1540-521: The rebranding, the league underwent significant changes. From 2010–11 to 2017–18, the league expanded to 14 teams, continuing with the round-robin format. Then, from 2018–19 to 2022–23, the league grew again to 16 teams. Finally, in the 2023–24 season, the Saudi Pro League expanded to 18 teams. As of 2024, 39 clubs have participated in the Saudi football top division. There have only been three clubs that haven’t been relegated, Al-Nassr , Al-Hilal , Al-Ittihad . Note: The tallies below include up to
1584-492: The sport on television or on the internet. Football has the highest global television audience in sport. The sport had amateur origins and evolved into the modern professional competition. Association football was first codified in 1863, with the formation of the Football Association (FA) in England. At this time the sport was played mainly by public schools , or teams with public school roots, and amateurism
1628-527: The top team in the regular season is crowned champion, and the playoffs were abolished. The rebranding also meant that the statistics and titles from the Saudi Premier League (1974–2007) were considered separate from those of the newly established Saudi Pro League. This mirrors the situation in the English Premier League (established in 1992), where records and titles are kept separate from the former Football League First Division . Following
1672-620: The transfers as part of a sportswashing scheme by the Saudi government. Cristiano Ronaldo was the first star signing to the league, with the BBC deeming that he led this "revolution" in Asian football. Upon his move to Al-Hilal, Neymar also credited Ronaldo for the immediate transformation of the league. 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 . From
1716-413: The youth sector if needed or wanted. For each league game, managers can select 8 of the 10 foreigners to be included in the squad. 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,
1760-399: 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, the league has always been
1804-500: Was driven by concerns over World Cup qualifying, as Saudi Arabia sought to strengthen its domestic competition and provide more opportunities for players to develop ahead of international fixtures. After this one-off expansion, the league returned to its usual structure with 10 to 12 teams. In December 1990, the Saudi Football Federation decided to merge the Saudi Premier League with the King's Cup competition into
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1848-494: Was later increased to 12 in the 1984–85 season. In December 1990, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation decided to merge the league with the King's 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
1892-481: Was officially launched by the Saudi Public Investment Fund on 19 August 2020 as one of its 5 megaprojects, which are: Neom , Red Sea Project , Qiddiya , and Diriyah Company. On 24 August 2022, Roshn secured naming rights to the Saudi Pro League in a five-year deal worth $ 127 million. Following Karim Benzema 's signing with Ittihad football club in June 2023, Roshn signed a three-year deal with
1936-431: Was the norm. This remained the case until the 1880s, when working-class teams began to vie for supremacy. Blackburn Olympic , a team composed mainly of factory workers, won the 1883 FA Cup Final . They were the first working-class team to win the competition since its inception in 1870. Though professionalism was not permitted, Olympic arranged jobs for their players, and supplemented their income with additional payments,
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