Saudi Pro League narrows gap at the top, outpaces Europe in competitiveness: report

A recent international report has highlighted improved competitiveness in the Saudi Pro League for the 2025-2026 season, with the gap between the champion and fourth place narrowing to nine points, compared to an average of 21 points in Europe’s top five leagues.

The report, published by management consultancy Bain & Company and sports analytics firm Twenty First Group, noted that the top five clubs accounted for 76% of the league’s total squad value, up from 70% the previous season.

Financial support distribution and new funding mechanism

In May, the Saudi Pro League announced a new mechanism for distributing allocations from the player recruitment program through 2030. The system combines equal shares for clubs with criteria based on sporting performance, TV viewership, and commercial results, linking funding to both sporting and commercial outcomes.

The study relied on market data, analytics, public sources, and interviews with industry participants, without access to internal league or club data, and indicated that the findings reflect signs of growing competition.

Top teams’ gap continues to shrink

According to the comparison by the two firms, the gap between first and fourth place in the Saudi Pro League dropped from 37 points in the 2023-2024 season to 15 points the following year, and then to nine points last season, outperforming the English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French leagues.

Al-Nassr crowned, Ronaldo shines

The title race went down to the final round, with Al-Nassr clinching the championship after defeating Damac 4-1, finishing the season with 86 points—two ahead of Al-Hilal—to reclaim the title for the first time since 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the decisive match.

Al-Hazem and standout Saudi participation

Al-Hazem stood out as the team that most exceeded its squad quality ranking, finishing ninth despite being rated last in player quality. Saudi players accounted for 55% of Al-Hazem’s playing minutes—the highest among clubs—compared to a league average of 40%.

Saudi participation in defensive roles

Although the average participation of Saudi players fell from 42% last season to 40%, it remained higher than Germany (38%), France (35%), Italy (31%), and England (25%), while Spain led with 57%.

The report revealed that most Saudi playing minutes were in defensive positions (60%), compared to 19% for midfielders and 18% for forwards, highlighting the need to increase opportunities for local talent in attacking roles.

Youth and match attendance

The share of under-23 players of all nationalities rose from 14% to 15%, while the proportion of Saudis in this group fell from 9% to 7%. The report recommended developing pathways linking academies to first teams and giving young players more opportunities.

Regarding attendance, average crowds dropped by about 7% to 7,800 per match, driven by a 47% decline at Al-Ittihad games. However, seven clubs saw attendance rise, with Al-Ahli leading with an average of 23,400 fans, while Al-Nassr achieved the highest stadium occupancy rate at 83%.