The 2020–21 Saudi Professional League was the 45th edition of the
Saudi Professional League
The Saudi Pro League (SPL for short) ( ar, دوري المحترفين السعودي, link=no, ''Dawriyy al-Muḥtarifayni as-Suʿūdī''), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL for short) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of associat ...
, the top Saudi professional league for
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
clubs, since its establishment in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
. The season began on 17 October 2020 as a consequence of the postponement of the previous season's conclusion due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Fixtures for the 2020–21 season were announced on 29 September 2020.
Al-Hilal are the defending champions after winning the Pro League for the 16th time last season.
Al-Ain
Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is bordered to the east by the Omani ...
,
Al-Batin, and
Al-Qadsiah join as the three promoted clubs from the
2019–20 MS League. They replace
Al-Adalah,
Al-Fayha, and
Al-Hazem who were relegated to the
2020–21 MS League.
On 29 March, the
Ministry of Sports
A Ministry of Sports or Ministry of Youth and Sports is a kind of government ministry found in certain countries with responsibility for the regulation of sports, particularly those participated in by young people.
The Ministry of Youth and Sp ...
announced that fans will be allowed to return to stadiums for the final three rounds of matches with a maximum of 40% capacity.
On 23 May,
Al-Hilal secured their seventeenth league title with one match to spare following a 1–0 away win against
Al-Taawoun. It was also the club's second consecutive title and fourth in the last five seasons.
Al-Ain
Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is bordered to the east by the Omani ...
were the first team to be relegated following a 2–0 defeat away to
Al-Nassr
Al Nassr Football Club ( ar, نادي النصر السعودي; '' Naṣr'' meaning ''Victory'') is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yello ...
on 14 May. In the final matchday, both
Al-Qadsiah and
Al-Wehda were relegated following a draw with
Abha
Abha ( ar, أَبْهَا, ') is the capital of 'Asir Region in Saudi Arabia, with a population of 1,093,705 as of 2021. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abh ...
and a loss against
Al-Shabab respectively.
Teams
Sixteen teams will compete in the league – the top thirteen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the
MS League.
Teams who were promoted to the Pro League
The first club to be promoted was
Al-Batin, who were promoted following
Al-Bukayriyah's 1–1 draw with
Al-Ain
Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is bordered to the east by the Omani ...
on 1 September 2020. Al-Batin will play in the top flight of Saudi football after a season's absence. Al-Batin were crowned champions following their 1–1 draw with Al-Bukayriyah on the final matchday.
The second club to be promoted was
Al-Ain
Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is bordered to the east by the Omani ...
, who were promoted on 10 September 2020 following their 2–0 win at home against
Ohod. Al-Ain will play in the top flight of Saudi football for the first time in history. Al-Ain became the first team from the
Al Bahah Region
Al-Bahah Province ( ' ) is a province of Saudi Arabia. It is located in the southwestern part of the Hejazi region. It has an area of 9,921 km2, and a population of 476,172 (2017). Its capital is Al Bahah. The region includes Al-Baḥah C ...
to play in the Pro League.
The third and final club to be promoted was
Al-Qadsiah, following their 3–1 home win against an already promoted Al-Batin side on 10 September 2020. Al-Qadsiah will play in the top flight of Saudi football after a season's absence.
Teams who were relegated to the MS League
The first club to be relegated was
Al-Adalah, who were relegated after only a year in the top flight following a 1–1 home draw with
Al-Raed.
On 4 September 2020,
Al-Hazem became the second club to be relegated following a 1–0 defeat away to
Al-Shabab. Al-Hazem were relegated after two years in the top flight.
On 9 September 2020,
Al-Fayha became the third and final club to be relegated following a 1–0 defeat away to
Al-Taawoun in the final matchday. Al-Fayha were relegated after three years in the Pro League. This was Al-Fayha's first relegation from the top flight of Saudi football.
Stadiums
:Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
1: Al-Faisaly play their home games in Al Majma'ah.
2: Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab also use Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium (Arabic: ملعب الأمير فيصل بن فهد) (formerly the Malab Reayat Al Shabab Stadium, ملعب رعاية الشباب بالرياض) is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by arch ...
(22,500 seats) as a home stadium.
Personnel and kits
*
1 On the back of the strip.
*
2 On the right sleeve of the strip.
*
3 On the shorts.
Managerial changes
Foreign players
The policy of foreign players remained unchanged. Clubs can register a total of seven foreign players over the course of the season.
Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
League table
Positions by round
The following table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve the chronological evolution, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterward. If a club from the Saudi Professional League wins the
King Cup, they will qualify for the AFC Champions League, unless they have already qualified for it through their league position. In this case, an additional AFC Champions League group stage berth will be given to the 3rd placed team, and the AFC Champions League play-off round spot will be given to 4th.
Results
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
Hat-tricks
;Notes
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 Player scored 4 goals
Most assists
Clean sheets
Discipline
Player
* Most yellow cards: 12
**
Anselmo (Al-Wehda)
* Most red cards: 2
**
Mohamed Fouzair (Al-Raed)
Club
* Most yellow cards: 78
** Al-Taawoun
* Most red cards: 7
** Al-Qadsiah
Awards
Monthly awards
Number of teams by region
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 Saudi Professional League
1
Saudi Professional League seasons
Saudi Professional League
The Saudi Pro League (SPL for short) ( ar, دوري المحترفين السعودي, link=no, ''Dawriyy al-Muḥtarifayni as-Suʿūdī''), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL for short) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of associat ...
Saudi Professional League, 2020-21