Saudi Pro League
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.
| Organising body | Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 18 (since 2023–24) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Saudi First Division League |
| Domestic cup(s) | King Cup Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League Arab Club Champions Cup |
| Current champions | Al-Ittihad (9th title) (2022–23) |
| Most championships | Al-Hilal (18 titles) |
| Most appearances | Mohamed Al-Deayea (406) |
| Top goalscorer | Majed Abdullah (189 goals) |
| TV partners | Shahid and SSC (MENA) |
| Website | spl.com.sa |
| Current: 2023–24 Saudi Pro League | |
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 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 the highest coefficient in Asia due to successful and consistent performances in the AFC Champions League by its clubs. Al-Hilal is the most successful team, holding 18 titles in its history and most recently winning the title in 2021–22. Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr are also some of the most successful teams in the league.
Beginning in 2023, 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.