Second season of Joy Elite U-21 League kicks off today

The second season of the Joy Elite Under-21 League kicks off today, Sunday, with 24 clubs participating as part of efforts to develop young Saudi players, enhance their technical readiness, and increase opportunities for talent discovery.

This new season builds on the achievements of the inaugural edition, which helped increase playing time for young athletes, serving as a transitional stage to further their development and prepare them for first-team football.

Last season saw 260 matches played, with a total of 778 goals scored—an average of 2.99 goals per match. Of these, 206 games ended in victory, 39 in a score draw, and 15 in a goalless draw. Al-Taawoun’s Basem Al-Oraeni was the league’s top scorer with 20 goals.

Al-Hazem claimed the first title after defeating Al-Fateh 3-1 in the final, which was held at the Tamweel Al-Oula Stadium in Al-Ahsa.

The second season will be played in two stages: an initial league phase followed by a knockout round leading up to the final. Participating clubs will play 20 rounds, with each team playing 20 matches—10 at home and 10 away—under a points-based system.

The top four teams in the standings will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while clubs ranked fifth to twelfth will compete in play-off matches, with four advancing to complete the quarterfinal lineup.

To regulate player participation, the competitions department, in cooperation with the technical department, has set each squad at 25 players. For the 2026-2027 season, players born in 2005, 2006, and 2007 will be eligible, according to the approved and announced quotas for each team.

League regulations allow each team to field three players from their registered first-team squad of 25 in every match, whether Saudi or foreign, to boost competitiveness and foster young talent development.