The 2021–22 Saudi Professional League is the 46th 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 t ...

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 Phil ...

. Fixtures for the 2021–22 season were announced on 18 July 2021.

Al-Hilal Hilal or Al-Hilal may refer to: *Hilal ( ar, هلال, ''hilāl''), a crescent ** the crescent Moon visible after a new Moon, determining the beginning of a month in the Islamic calendar * Banu Hilal, a confederation of tribes of Arabia Arts ...

are the two-time defending champions after winning their 17th title last season. Al-Fayha, Al-Hazem, and Al-Tai join as the three promoted clubs from the 2020–21 MS League. They replace

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-Qadsiah, and Al-Wehda who were relegated to the 2021–22 MS League.

Overview

Sponsorship

On 8 August 2021, the Saudi Professional League announced that they had signed a sponsorship deal with real estate company Roshn. On 9 August 2021, the Saudi FF signed a sponsorship deal with Chinese tech company

Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related se ...

to become the official technology partner of all Saudi football competitions.

Changes

On 8 August 2021,

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 they had increased the capacity limit from 40% to 60% in all stadiums. It was also announced that children under 12 wouldn't be allowed to attend matches and that the attendance would be limited to those who are fully vaccinated.

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-Hazem, who were promoted following a 4–2 away win against Al-Sahel on 20 April 2021. Al-Hazem will play in the top flight of Saudi football after a season's absence. Al-Hazem were crowned champions following a 1–0 away win against Hajer on 21 May 2021. The second club to be promoted was Al-Fayha, following a 0–0 home draw with Al-Tai on 20 May 2021. Al-Fayha will play in the top flight of Saudi football after a season's absence. The third and final club to be promoted was Al-Tai who were promoted on the final matchday following a 2–0 away win over

Arar Arar or Ar-Ar may refer to: Geography and history * Arar, Saudi Arabia, the capital of Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah (The Northern Border) province ** Arar border crossing, a Saudi-Iraqi border crossing near Arar, Saudi Arabia and Nukhayb, Iraq * Arar, ...

. Al-Tai will play in the top flight of Saudi football for the first time since the 2007–08 season. Teams who were relegated to the MS League The first club to be relegated was

, who were relegated after only a year in the top flight 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 yellow ...

on 14 May 2021. 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. Abha' ...

and a loss against Al-Shabab respectively. Al-Qadsiah were relegated after only a year in the top flight while Al-Wehda were relegated after three years in the top flight.

Stadiums

:Note: Table lists in alphabetical order. 1: Al-Faisaly play their home games in Al Majma'ah.
2: Al-Hilal 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 archi ...

(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 The King Cup (sometimes spelled King's), officially known as The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Cup ( ar, كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين), is the Saudi Arabian football knockout cup competition, run by the Saudi Arabian Foot ...

, 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

Most assists

Clean sheets

Discipline

Player

* Most yellow cards: 10 **

Saeed Al-Rubaie Saeed Al-Rubaie ( ar, سعيد الربيعي ; born 4 June 1994) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Al-Okhdood. Career Al-Rubaie began his career at Al-Okhdood before joining Al-Ahli in 2013. On 12 Septemb ...

(Al-Ettifaq) * Most red cards: 2 ** Marwane Saâdane (Al-Fateh) **

Ammar Al-Daheem Ammar Al-Daheem ( ar, عمار الدحيم; born August 31, 1993) is a Saudi football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally mea ...

(Al-Fateh) ** Abdullah Al-Shammeri (Al-Hazem) ** Mohammed Al-Khabrani (Al-Ahli)

Club

* Most yellow cards: 68 ** Al-Taawoun * Most red cards: 7 ** Al-Ettifaq ** Al-Fateh

Attendances

By round

By team

A match played behind closed doors is not included.

Awards

Monthly awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 Saudi Professional League 1 Saudi Professional League seasons

Saudi Arabia, 1