Latest Saudi Pro League results, standings & top scorers

This summer season’s switch window has seen the rise of the Saudi Professional League.

Often known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship causes, the division has seen a number of high-profile gamers be a part of Cristiano Ronaldo within the Center East, and it’s rapidly changing into one in every of soccer’s greatest speaking factors.

Brazillian celebrity Neymar Jr is the most recent world-renowned footballer to depart Europe in favour of a transfer to Saudi Arabia after he signed with Al-Hilal on a two-year contract that would see him earn a reported $300m (£235.4m).

DAZN just lately secured the rights to broadcast the league’s matches for a two-year interval on a multi-territory foundation, which is able to undoubtedly proceed to lift the profile of the quickly rising division.

Football FanCast brings you the lowdown of all the most recent data and information concerning the competitors.

Saudi Professional League groups

The Saudi Professional League expanded to 18 groups this season. However realistically, solely 4 sides have an actual likelihood of profitable the title.

Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are all owned by the Public Funding Fund (PIF), who’re additionally the bulk house owners of Newcastle United.

Many of the European footballers who’ve left the continent to hitch the RSL this summer season are plying their commerce at one of many aforementioned sides, which seems to have enlarged the gulf in high quality between them and the opposite 14 groups.

Under is a desk displaying all 18 collaborating groups, together with their star gamers and managers.

How the Saudi Professional League works

Every of the 18 groups play a complete of 34 matches all through the season. Just like the Premier League, the perimeters face one another twice, each house and away.

Promotions and relegations exist between the Saudi Professional League and the Saudi First Division League. The underside three groups within the Professional League shall be relegated to the second tier, while the highest three-placed groups within the second tier shall be promoted to the highest flight.

The highest two sides will robotically qualify for the group levels of the AFC Champions League, while the third-placed crew will qualify for the competitors’s play-offs.

If, nevertheless, one of many prime three wins the King Cup – Saudi Arabia’s fundamental home cup competitors – the fourth-best crew can even qualify for the play-offs. Just like the UEFA Champions League, it’s present process a format change in 2024/25.

Groups with essentially the most Saudi Professional League titles

The Saudi Professional League was based in 1976, and was initially made up of eight groups. Al-Hilal have been the primary champions of the competitors after ending two factors away from runners-up Al-Nassr. The inaugural marketing campaign noticed groups play simply 14 matches.

Now, the division has expanded to 18 sides and is plagued by a plethora of high-profile European footballers, which is a far cry from what it as soon as was.

All through its 47-year historical past, there have been seven totally different winners – here is how the numbers rack up:

The most important rivalries within the Saudi Professional League

There are three video games within the Saudi Professional League which can be historically colossal affairs.

The ‘Saudi El Clasico’ between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad has developed right into a hotly anticipated fixture as the 2 groups with essentially the most titles collide. The previous resides within the capital metropolis of Riyadh while the latter are based mostly within the Pink Sea port of Jeddah.

Riyadh and Jeddah are the 2 largest cities in Saudi Arabia, so the 2 golf equipment have naturally typically fought towards one another for the league title through the years.

Unsurprisingly, the head-to-head conferences have seen Al-Hilal come out on prime as a rule, with 47 wins to Al-Ittihad’s 28.

The subsequent assembly between the pair will happen on seventh March 2024 at Al-Hilal’s King Fahd Worldwide Stadium, which additionally hosts worldwide fixtures involving Saudi Arabia, with its earlier tenants together with Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr.

The Riyadh derby between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr can also be an enormous recreation in that individual area, while Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli, who’re each based mostly in Jeddah, can also be a giant fixture.

Gamers who joined the Saudi Professional League this summer season

This summer season’s switch window has been one of many craziest but. And that’s largely because of the variety of distinguished European-based footballers leaving the continent to hitch the Saudi Professional League.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s broadly thought to be one of many biggest footballers of all time, joined the RSL on the finish of 2022, and it seems that switch was the catalyst for quite a few high-calibre gamers to observe go well with.

Al-Hilal signed Neymar Jr from Paris Saint-Germain for a payment believed to be within the area of €100m (£85.2m), while the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Sadio Mané, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Ruben Neves, amongst many others, have additionally joined the division.

Read More: All The Major Saudi Pro League Transfers and Rumours

Al-Hilal additionally made a speculative effort to try to signal French ahead Kylian Mbappé by submitting a £259m bid, however he reportedly rejected the proposal and appears set to remain in Paris, a minimum of for one more 12 months.

Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrović was one of many newest huge names to hitch the RSL after Al-Hilal secured his providers for a payment believed to be within the area of £50m.

Mitrović joined with Moroccan World Cup hero Yassine Bounou, who additionally just lately penned a deal on the Riyadh-based membership, while former Atalanta centre-back Merih Demiral left Serie A to signal with Al-Ahli, who’re spearheaded by Mahrez and Firmino.

21-year-old Gabri Veiga has joined Demiral at Al-Ahli after he completed a €36m (£30.9m) transfer from LaLiga aspect Celta Vigo. The promising teenager had curiosity from a number of sides within the Premier League and in Europe however opted to make the swap to the Center East.

Newest Saudi Professional League outcomes

Al-Hilal stay prime of the league after securing a 2-0 away victory towards Al-Fateh, while Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr picked up a 3rd successive victory following their house win over the relegation-threatened Al-Khaleej.

Al-Taawoun continued their stuttering type after enjoying out a goalless draw towards Damac, and on the foot of the desk, Al-Raed earned a worthwhile level away at Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.

This is how the present standings lie after 12 video games:

Prime goalscorers within the Saudi Professional League

Ronaldo stays prime of the goalscoring charts after netting a perfectly struck long-range effort in his aspect’s 2-0 win towards Al-Khaleej.

Former Fulham ahead Mitrovic continued his spectacular begin to life at Al-Hilal after netting his ninth league purpose of the season, taking his tally to fifteen throughout all competitions.

Newest Saudi Professional League fixtures

Matchweek 13 commences on Thursday, ninth November. Maybe essentially the most notable fixture of the day is the star-studded Al-Ahli’s away conflict at Eleventh-placed Damac.

Two title hopefuls resume motion on Friday, with league leaders Al-Hilal welcoming third-placed Al-Taawoun, while Al-Ittihad host mid-table aspect Abha.

Saturday’s motion sees Al-Nassr make the journey to Al-Wehda, as they give the impression of being to shut the hole on Al-Hilal on the summit of the league desk.