2025–26 Saudi First Division League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 September 2025 – 23 May 2026 |
| Matches | 142 |
| Goals | 388 (2.73 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sylla Sow (16 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Diriyah 5–1 Al-Arabi (28 November 2025) Al-Ula 5–1 Al-Jandal (21 December 2025) Al-Bukiryah 5–1 Al-Batin (6 January 2026) Al-Tai 5–1 Al-Batin (12 January 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Al-Wehda 0–5 Al-Ula (13 September 2025) |
| Highest scoring | Al-Adalah 4–4 Al-Raed (12 September 2025) Al-Faisaly 5–3 Al-Raed (1 January 2026) |
| Longest winning run | Abha (6 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Abha Al-Faisaly (13 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Al-Batin (15 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Al-Jubail (7 matches) |
| Average attendance | 604 |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 13 January 2026. | |
The 2025–26 First Division League (known as the Yelo League for sponsorship reasons) is the fifth season of the Saudi First Division League after its rebrand, and the 69th season of the Saudi First Division since its establishment in 1957. The season began on 11 September 2025 and will conclude with the play-off finals on 23 May 2026.[1]
Overview
Changes
On 29 May 2024, the SAFF announced that foreign goalkeepers would not be allowed to play in the First Division League starting from the 2025–26 season.[2]
Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2024–25 season.
To the First Division LeaguePromoted from Second Division Relegated from Pro League |
From the First Division LeaguePromoted to Pro League Relegated to Second Division
|
Teams
A total of 18 teams will be contesting the league, including 12 sides from the 2024–25 season, the three promoted teams from the Second Division and the three relegated sides from the Saudi Pro League.
Al-Raed were the first team to be relegated following a 1–0 defeat away to Damac on 11 May 2025.[3] Al-Raed were relegated after 17 consecutive seasons in the flight. On 25 May 2025, Al-Orobah became the second team to be relegated after they were docked three points for fielding an ineligible player against Al-Nassr.[4] Al-Orobah were relegated after one season in the top flight. Al-Wehda were the third and final club to be relegated, following a 2–1 away defeat to Al-Ettifaq on the final matchday.[5] Al-Wehda were relegated after three seasons in the top flight. Al-Raed will play in their 17th season in the FD League, while Al-Orobah will play in their 16th season and Al-Wehda in their 10th season.
The first club to be promoted was Al-Diriyah who did so after a 1–0 away win against Jerash on 10 February 2025.[6] On 14 March 2025, Al-Ula became the second club to be promoted following a 6–0 away win against Bisha.[7] The third and final club to be promoted was Al-Anwar, who did so after defeating Al-Jeel 3–1 on penalties (1–1 after extra time) in the promotion play-off final.[8]
Al-Diriyah were crowned champions for the second time after defeating Al-Ula 1–0 in the final.[9]
Al-Diriyah return to the First Division League after an absence of three years. They return to the league for the first time since the 2021–22 season and will play in their 6th overall season. Both Al-Anwar and Al-Ula were promoted to the First Division League for the first time in history.
Stadium and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha |  Damir Burić
|
 Zakaria Sami
|
Offside | Yelo |
| Al-Adalah |  Didier Gomes Da Rosa
|
Abdullah Al-Yousef
|
Al-Adalah | Yelo |
| Al-Anwar |  Mohammed Adnan Ayoub
|
Faisal Al-Mujalli
|
Terio | Yelo |
| Al-Arabi |  Ghazi Ghrairi
|
Wesam Wahib
|
RightAway Sport | Naqi Water, Yelo |
| Al-Batin | .svg.png){kind=small} Paulo Alves
|
Mazyad Freeh
|
Hattrick | Yelo, Almaali Hospital2 |
| Al-Bukiryah |  Leonardo Ramos
|
 Hicham Faik
|
RightAway Sport | Yelo, Rassin |
| Al-Diriyah | Alfred Schreuder
|
Waleed Abdullah
|
Macron | Yelo, Rassin |
| Al-Faisaly |  Giovanni Solinas
|
Yassin Barnawi
|
Adidas | Aldrees, Yelo |
| Al-Jabalain | Ricardo Chéu
|
Abdullah Al-Harbi
|
Offside | Abar, Yelo |
| Al-Jandal | Abderrazek Chebbi
|
Hammad Al-Shartan
|
Skillano | Yelo |
| Al-Jubail | Khalid Al-Nuaimi
|
Salman Al-Moasher
|
RightAway Sport | Yelo |
| Al-Orobah |  Slavche Vojneski
|
Rafea Al-Ruwaili
|
Offside | Yelo |
| Al-Raed | Jorge Mendonça
|
 Oumar Gonzalez
|
Challenge | Yelo |
| Al-Tai | Amin Zubair (caretaker)
|
Ibrahim Al-Nakhli
|
Duneus | Abar, Yelo |
| Al-Ula | José Peseiro
|
Mohammed Al-Owais
|
Kappa | |
| Al-Wehda |  Rusmir Cviko
|
Waleed Bakshween
|
Offside | Yelo |
| Al-Zulfi | Habib Ben Romdhane
|
Salman Al-Saeed
|
Skillano | Yelo |
| Jeddah |  Robertinho
|
 Faisal Othman
|
Skillano | Yelo |
- 1 On the back of the strip.
- 2 On the right sleeve of the strip.
- 3 On the shorts.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | Abderrazek Chebbi
|
End of contract | 1 June 2025 | Pre-season | Damir Burić
|
1 August 2025[24] |
| Al-Adalah |  Martin Ševela
|
Mohamed Ayari
|
3 August 2025[25] | |||
| Al-Batin | Khalil Al-Masri
|
Grégory Dufrennes
|
3 August 2025[26] | |||
| Al-Diriyah | Fabiano Flora
|
Sabri Lamouchi
|
20 July 2025[27] | |||
| Al-Faisaly |  Pablo Franco
|
Giovanni Solinas
|
27 July 2025[28] | |||
| Al-Jabalain | Jorge Mendonça
|
Ricardo Chéu
|
11 August 2025[29] | |||
| Al-Jandal | Ziyad Al-Afar
|
 Zoran Milinković
|
5 August 2025[30] | |||
| Al-Jubail | Khalid Al-Nuaimi
|
Pedro Rodrigues
|
10 August 2025[31] | |||
| Al-Orobah | Antonio Cazorla
|
Slavche Vojneski
|
1 August 2025[32] | |||
| Al-Raed | Krešimir Režić
|
Jorge Mendonça
|
4 September 2025[33] | |||
| Al-Tai | Zdravko Logarušić
|
Carlos Inarejos
|
14 July 2025[34] | |||
| Al-Wehda | José Daniel Carreño
|
 José Luis Sierra
|
1 September 2025 | |||
| Jeddah | Iván Carrasco
|
Robertinho
|
13 August 2025[35] | |||
| Al-Anwar | Sultan Khamis
|
Resigned | 25 July 2025[36] | David Patrício
|
25 July 2025[37] | |
| Al-Tai | Carlos Inarejos
|
6 October 2025[38] | 15th | Khalil Al-Masri
|
8 October 2025[39] | |
| Al-Adalah | Mohamed Ayari
|
Sacked | 29 October 2025 | 15th | Abdulhadi Al-Abdullah (caretaker)
|
29 October 2025 |
| Al-Wehda | José Luis Sierra
|
Mutual consent | 6 November 2025 | 17th |  Mahmoud Abbas (caretaker)
|
6 November 2025 |
| Al-Adalah | Abdulhadi Al-Abdullah (caretaker)
|
End of caretaker period | 18 November 2025 | 15th | Didier Gomes Da Rosa
|
18 November 2025[40] |
| Al-Anwar | David Patrício
|
Sacked | 24 November 2025 | 14th | Abdullah Mohammed Al-Dawsari (caretaker)
|
24 November 2025 |
| Al-Batin | Grégory Dufrennes
|
Mutual consent | 27 November 2025 | 17th | Abdulaziz Nasser (caretaker)
|
27 November 2025[41] |
| Abdulaziz Nasser (caretaker)
|
End of caretaker period | 1 December 2025 | 17th | Paulo Alves
|
1 December 2025[42] | |
| Al-Zulfi | Khalid Al-Koroni
|
Mutual consent | 2 December 2025[43] | 13th | Habib Ben Romdhane
|
6 December 2025[44] |
| Al-Jubail | Pedro Rodrigues
|
Sacked | 4 December 2025 | 18th | Khalid Al-Nuaimi
|
4 December 2025[45] |
| Al-Arabi | Kiko López
|
5 December 2025 | 14th | Ghazi Ghrairi
|
11 December 2025[46] | |
| Al-Diriyah | Sabri Lamouchi
|
6 December 2025[47] | 4th | Alfred Schreuder
|
6 December 2025[48] | |
| Al-Anwar | Abdullah Mohammed Al-Dawsari (caretaker)
|
End of caretaker period | 11 December 2025 | 12th | Mohammed Adnan Ayoub
|
11 December 2025 |
| Al-Wehda | Mahmoud Abbas (caretaker)
|
15 December 2025 | 15th | Rusmir Cviko
|
15 December 2025[49] | |
| Al-Jandal | Zoran Milinković
|
Mutual consent | 29 December 2025[50] | 12th | Abderrazek Chebbi
|
29 December 2025[51] |
| Al-Ula | Youssef Mannai
|
Sacked | 3 January 2026[52] | 4th | José Peseiro
|
3 January 2026[53] |
| Al-Tai | Khalil Al-Masri
|
Resigned | 8 January 2026 | 11th | Amin Zubair (caretaker)
|
8 January 2026 |
Foreign players
The number of foreign players is limited to 5 players per team, in addition to two slots for U21 players (born in 2004 or after).
- Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- Players in italics were out of the squad or left the club within the season, after the pre-season transfer window, or in the mid-season transfer window, and at least had one appearance.
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=small}
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abha | 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 16 | +28 | 51 | Promotion to the Pro League |
| 2 | Al-Diriyah | 20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 20 | +23 | 43 | |
| 3 | Al-Ula | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 43 | 18 | +25 | 40 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Al-Orobah | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 22 | +11 | 40 | |
| 5 | Al-Jabalain | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 37 | 21 | +16 | 36 | |
| 6 | Al-Bukiryah | 20 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 33 | |
| 7 | Al-Faisaly | 20 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 34 | 23 | +11 | 32 | |
| 8 | Al-Raed | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 28 | |
| 9 | Jeddah | 20 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 27 | |
| 10 | Al-Zulfi | 20 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 23 | 25 | −2 | 25 | |
| 11 | Al-Tai | 20 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 24 | |
| 12 | Al-Anwar | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 23 | |
| 13 | Al-Wehda | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 26 | 39 | −13 | 22 | |
| 14 | Al-Jandal | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 32 | −16 | 21 | |
| 15 | Al-Adalah | 20 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 26 | 43 | −17 | 15 | |
| 16 | Al-Arabi | 20 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 31 | −23 | 13 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 17 | Al-Batin | 20 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 21 | 43 | −22 | 8 | |
| 18 | Al-Jubail | 20 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 41 | −24 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Total goal difference; 5) Total goals scored; 6) Fair-play points
(Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).[54]
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolution, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterward.
| Promotion to the Pro League | |
| Qualification for the promotion play-offs | |
| Relegation to the Second Division |
Results
Promotion play-offs
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||
Statistics
- As of 13 January 2026
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylla Sow
|
Abha | 16 |
| 2 | Gaëtan Laborde
|
Al-Diriyah | 13 |
 Efthymis Koulouris
|
Al-Ula | ||
| 4 |  Simy
|
Al-Orobah | 12 |
| 5 |  Jonathan Moya
|
Al-Bukiryah | 11 |
| 6 | Tiago Bezerra
|
Al-Anwar | 9 |
| 7 |  Zinho Gano
|
Al-Raed | 8 |
 Henrique Luvannor
|
Al-Faisaly | ||
 Moussa Marega
|
Al-Diriyah | ||
 Törles Knöll
|
Al-Tai |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zinho Gano |
Al-Raed | Al-Adalah | 4–4 (A) | 12 September 2025 | [55] |
| Gaëtan Laborde |
Al-Diriyah | Al-Adalah | 3–1 (H) | 17 September 2025 | [56] |
| Simy |
Al-Orobah | Al-Adalah | 4–1 (A) | 20 October 2025 | [57] |
| Simy |
Al-Orobah | Al-Diriyah | 3–3 (H) | 28 October 2025 | [58] |
| Efthymis Koulouris |
Al-Ula | Al-Jandal | 5–1 (H) | 21 December 2025 | |
| Tiago Bezerra |
Al-Anwar | Al-Adalah | 4–1 (H) | 5 January 2026 | |
| Jonathan Moya |
Al-Bukiryah | Al-Batin | 5–1 (H) | 6 January 2026 |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammed Al-Hassawi
|
Al-Faisaly | 7 |
| Abdullah Al-Jadaani
|
Abha | ||
| 3 | Mohammed Al-Owais
|
Al-Ula | 5 |
| Bader Al-Enezi
|
Al-Bukiryah | ||
| Mohammed Al-Waked
|
Al-Jabalain | ||
| 6 | Abdulrahman Dagriri
|
Al-Tai | 4 |
| Oqbah Al-Mushawah
|
Al-Arabi | ||
| Yasser Al-Mosailem
|
Jeddah | ||
| Jassem Al-Ashban
|
Al-Orobah | ||
| Waleed Abdullah
|
Al-Diriyah |
Number of teams by province
| Rank | Province | Number | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riyadh | 4 | Al-Anwar, Al-Diriyah, Al-Faisaly, and Al-Zulfi |
| 2 | Al-Qassim | 3 | Al-Arabi, Al-Bukiryah, and Al-Raed |
| Eastern Province | Al-Adalah, Al-Batin, and Al-Jubail | ||
| 4 | Al-Jawf | 2 | Al-Jandal and Al-Orobah |
| Ha'il | Al-Jabalain and Al-Tai | ||
| Mecca | Al-Wehda and Jeddah | ||
| 7 | Asir | 1 | Abha |
| Medina | Al-Ula |
See also
References
- ^ "روزنامة الموسم الرياضي 2025-2026".
- ^ "منع الحراس الأجانب في «يلو»".
- ^ "رياضي / الرائد يهبط لدوري الدرجة الأولى".
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- ^ "بدء تنفيذ مشروع منشأة نادي الأنوار بتكلفة (60 مليون ريال)".
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- ^ "Albukiryah Club Stadium".
- ^ "Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium".
- ^ "استاد الأمير عبدالعزيز بن مساعد بن جلوي". kooora.com. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ ""ملعب جامعة الجوف" في أتم جاهزية بعد أعمال التطوير".
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- ^ "العياري يدرب العدالة".
- ^ "غريغوري دوفرينيس مدرباً للسماوي".
- ^ "لموشي يقود الدرعية في «يلو»".
- ^ "الإيطالي جيوفاني سوليناس مدربًا للفريق الأول لكرة القدم".
- ^ "مرحباً بك مدربنا "ريكاردو تشيو" في ناديك".
- ^ "الصـربي "زوران ميلينكوفيتش " مدربًا لـ #مارد_الجوف".
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- ^ "البرتغالي جورجي مندوسا مدرباً للفريق الأول بنادي #الرائد".
- ^ "الطائي يتعاقد مع الإسباني كارلوس هيرنانديز لقيادة الفريق حتى 2026".
- ^ "جدة يتعاقد مع المدرب البرازيلي روبرتو أوليفيرا".
- ^ "إدارة النادي توافق على إعتذار المدرب الوطني سلطان خميس عن عدم الاستمرار في مهمته كمدرب للفريق الأول".
- ^ "وقعت إدارة نادي الأنوار عقداً مع المدرب البرتغالي " ديفيد باتريسيو "".
- ^ "إدارة نادي الطائي تقبل استقالة "كارلوس هيرنانديز"".
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- ^ "العرّاب بن رمضان #زلفاوي".
- ^ "خالد النعيمي مدربًا لفريق الجبيل الأول لكرة القدم".
- ^ ""العربي يتعاقد مع المدرب التونسي غازي الغرايري"".
- ^ "الدرعية يقيل لموشي".
- ^ "الدرعية يتعاقد مع الهولندي شرودر لاستكمال «حلم الصعود»".
- ^ "الوحدة يعيد سفيكو إلى يلو".
- ^ "مجلس إدارة نادي #الجندل يقرر إنهاء عقد المدرب الصربي زوران ميلينكوفيتش".
- ^ "الشـابـي مدرباً لـ #مارد_الجوف".
- ^ "المدرب القدير "يوسف المناعي" ، شكرًا لك".
- ^ "رسميًا.. بيسيرو مدربًا لنادي العلا".
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- ^ "هـــاتــريــك جانو زينهو".
- ^ "صاحب الهاتريك جايتان لابورد".
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- ^ "#العروبة_الدرعية يتقاسمان النقاط".