Saudi Arabia have qualified for six of the last eight World Cups, but the Saudi Pro League has not exactly been competing with Europe’s top-five leagues.
Big names have been involved in the league in the past, with Roberto Donadoni finishing his playing career in Saudi Arabia and Fabio Cannavaro managing in the Pro League for a short time, yet interest in Europe has been minimal. That looks set to change.
The Pro League’s standing in world football has altered drastically due to vast investment. Cristiano Ronaldo’s move before the 2022 World Cup opened the floodgates.
Instead of luring players at the very end of their careers, Saudi Arabia’s topflight is attracting household names who can still compete in the upper echelons of football betting, including 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
Naturally, the interest in Pro League sports betting is going to soar in the coming years. The most successful Saudi Arabian football clubs are collecting elite talents in an effort to boost the league so it can rival the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.
Here’s a list of the biggest football clubs in Saudi Arabia, courtesy of Football Database…
Damac
Finishing fifth in 2021-22 and eighth in 2022-23, Damac have established themselves as a Pro League team in recent years after earning promotion in 2018-19.
The club are based in Khamis Mushayt and had a highest attendance of 13,434 in 2022-23.
Former wonderkid Adam Maher is the most well-known player in their current squad after joining from Utrecht in 2022.
Al-Ettifaq
Champions twice in the 1980s, Al-Ettifaq are historically one of the biggest clubs in the country, but they have been a long way off the pace set by the top teams in recent years.
In 2023, the appointment of Steven Gerrard ensured the club made headlines in England.
Having not appeared in the AFC Champions League since 2012, The Commandos will be hoping Gerrard can return the club to former glories.
Al-Raed
Ninth in the all-time Pro League standings, Al-Raed finished 10th in the 2022-23 campaign. Just four teams had a higher maximum attendance in 2022-23.
The club does not have a history of attracting big names like some of their domestic rivals, but they have built a solid foundation as a mid-table Pro League outfit over the last few seasons.
Al-Fateh
Home to former Barcelona winger Cristian Tello and managed by Slaven Bilić, Al-Fateh have been a regular in the top half of the Pro League over the last half decade or so.
They won their lone league title in 2012-13, becoming the only club from outside of Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam to lift the trophy.
Al-Ahli
The 2022-23 season was the first Al-Ahli spent outside the Pro League after suffering relegation in the prior campaign.
Unsurprisingly, Al Malaki bounced back at the first time of asking, topping the second tier in 2022-23.
Upon their return, Al-Ahli wasted no time bolstering their squad, adding Edouard Mendy and Roberto Firmino in the 2023 summer transfer window.
Serhiy Rebrov, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Vitor Pereira are among their former managers.
Al-Taawoun
After narrowly avoiding the drop in 2021-22, Al-Taawoun were only just outside the Champions League places in 2022-23.
The club saw a 40% increase in its attendance from 2021-22 to 2022-23, and they have competed in the Champions League three times since 2017.
Yet to splash the cash like many of their peers, it will be interesting to see how Al-Taawoun fare in the coming years if they do not add any established stars from Europe.
Linked with Mauro Icardi, keep an eye out for Péricles Chamusca’s side in the transfer market.
Al-Shabab
Six-time Pro League champions (thrice in the 1990s, twice in the noughties and once in the 2010s), Al-Shabab are consistently in the mix for Champions League qualification, though they have not placed in the top four since 2013-14.
The club’s most well-known player at the moment is Ever Banega – chairman Khalid Al-Baltan will surely be looking to add further starpower alongside the Argentine.
Crowds have not been great in recent years, with only an average attendance of 4,591 in 2022-23. Al-Shabab’s trophy cabinet maintains their status as one of the biggest Pro League clubs.
Al-Ittihad
One of three teams to have competed in every Pro League season, Al-Ittihad are tied with Al-Nassr on nine league titles after finishing five points clear at the summit in 2022-23.
It was some overdue success for the club, who hadn’t topped the table since 2009.
Their average attendance was north of 40,000 in 2022-23, which is over double the next highest in the league.
Al-Ittihad famously signed Roberto Donadoni in 1999, and had Jared Borgetti for a brief stint in the 2000s.
Their trend of signing world-famous stars has continued into the 2020s, with the acquisitions of N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema.
Al-Nassr
Al-Nassr have won three of their 10 league titles in the last 10 seasons. They have finished outside the top three just once in that span.
Regulars in the Champions League, Al-Nassr frequently find their way into the knockout rounds, but are yet to win the continent’s primary club competition.
Even prior to the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo Brozovic, the club had a history of luring big names.
Walter Zenga, Fabio Cannavaro and René Higuita have managed the club, while former Ballon d’Or winner Hristo Stoichkov, ex-Bayern midfielder Luiz Gustavo and Euro 2004 hero Angelos Charisteas have pulled on the yellow and blue jersey.
Al-Hilal
The most successful club in world football, Al-Hilal have won 18 Pro League titles.
A third place finish in 2022-23 ended a run of three consecutive league titles – they have not placed outside the top three since 2003-04.
Their four Champions League triumphs are the most in competition history. Paired with five runners-up berths, Al-Hilal have appeared in nine finals, which is five more than any other club.
Despite playing in a stadium with an almost 70,000 capacity, Al-Hilal’s attendance figures are often underwhelming.
With Jorge Jesus returning for a second stint in charge and a number of eye-catching signings, Al-Hilal will be hoping they can return to the top of the table in 2023-24.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
