The Saudi Women's Premier League (Arabic: الدوري السعودي الممتاز للسيدات) is the top flight of women's association football in Saudi Arabia.[1]
 | |
| Organising body | Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Saudi Women's First Division League |
| Domestic cup(s) | SAFF Women's Cup Saudi Women's Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Women's Champions League |
| Current champions | Al-Nassr (2nd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Al-Nassr (2 titles) |
| TV partners | SSC Shahid (Streaming) DAZN (outside MENA) Grass Valley |
| Website | saff.com.sa |
| Current: 2024–25 Saudi Women's Premier League | |
History
edit.png)
The first Saudi women's club were King's United based in Jeddah,[2] and Eastern Flames in Dhahran. Both were formed in 2006. Other women's teams were formed after in Riyadh and Dammam. In 2008, the first Saudi women's tournament was held with the participation of seven teams. In December 2019, the Jeddah Women's Football League was held, which was the first women's competition organized by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation; it was won by Jeddah Eagles.[3]
In February 2020, Saudi Arabia decided to launch a football league[4] for women throughout the country.[5] On 17 November 2020, the national league was launched with 24 teams; it was divided into three regions, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam which represent the Women's Community Football League, and the four best teams qualified to the WFL Champions Cup.[6] Challenge Sports Club won the first edition.[7]
In October 2023, the Saudi Women's Premier League partnered with DAZN, giving them rights to stream the league's matches worldwide.[8] This move reflects the league's major advancements in recent years.
On 14 December 2023, the match between Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad witnessed the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino at Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.[9]
On 23 December 2023, the match between Al-Ittihad and Al Nassr witnessed the presence of The Best FIFA Women's Player 2021 and 2022, Spain's Alexia Putellas, at Prince Faisal Bin Fahad stadium (Al-Ittihad Club Stadium) in Jeddah.[10]
In May 2024, Grass Valley announced a cooperation agreement with Saudi Pro League to distribute the 2024–25 Saudi Women's Premier League matches through its digital platform.[11]
On 31 May 2024, the Saudi Football Federation renewed the exclusive partnership agreement with Saudi National Bank for a period of 3 years to sponsor the Saudi Women's Premier League and also the SAFF Women's Cup.[12]
Current teams
editThe following ten teams are competing in the 2024–25 season.
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2023-24 Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli | Jeddah | Al-Ahli Club Stadium | 14,000 | 2nd |
| Al-Amal | Taif | King Fahd Sports City | 20,000 | D1, 3rd |
| Al-Hilal | Riyadh | Inaya Medical Colleges Stadium | 10,000 | 5th |
| Al-Ittihad | Jeddah | Al-Ittihad Club Stadium | 15,000 | 6th |
| Al-Nassr | Riyadh | Al-Awwal Park | 25,000 | 1st |
| Al-Qadsiah | Khobar | Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium | 15,000 | 4th |
| Al-Shabab | Riyadh | Al-Shabab Club Stadium | 15,000 | 3rd |
| Al-Taraji | Qatif | Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Stadium | 12,000 | D1, 2nd |
| Al-Ula | Medina | Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Sports City | 20,000 | D1, 1st |
| Eastern Flames | Dammam | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium | 26,000 | 7th |
Champions
editBy season
edit| Season | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Top goalscorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Al Nassr | Al Hilal | Al-Shabab |  Shokhan Salihi (Al Hilal) |
43 |
| 2023–24 | Al Nassr | Al-Ahli | Al-Shabab |  Ibtissam Jraïdi (Al-Ahli) |
17
|
| 2024–25 |
By team
edit| Club | Winners | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Nassr | 2 | 2022–23, 2023–24 |
Records
editAll-time table
editSeason: 2022-23 and 2024-25
Update: 16 November 2024
| Rank | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Nassr | 33 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 126 | 38 | +88 | 87 |
| 2 | Al-Hilal | 33 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 126 | 51 | +75 | 62 |
| 3 | Al-Shabab | 33 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 100 | 53 | +47 | 60 |
| 4 | Al-Ahli | 33 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 100 | 56 | +44 | 58 |
| 5 | Al-Ittihad | 33 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 88 | 47 | +41 | 50 |
| 7 | Al-Qadsiah | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 15 | +11 | 30 |
| 8 | Al-Yamamah | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 40 | 15 | +25 | 21 |
| 6 | Eastern Flames | 33 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 49 | 98 | −49 | 19 |
| 9 | Al-Ula | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 3 |
| 10 | Al-Riyadh | 14 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 79 | −71 | 1 |
| 11 | Al-Amal | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 16 | -12 | 0 |
| 12 | Al-Taraji | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 25 | -22 | 0 |
| 13 | Sama | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 173 | −172 | 0 |
Top scorers
editSeason: 2022-23 and 2024-25
Update: 16 November 2024
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shokhan Salihi
|
55 |
| 2 | Ibtissam Jraïdi
|
41 |
| 3 | 20 | |
| 4 |  Naomie Kabakaba
|
19 |
| 5 | 15 | |
| 6 |  Noha Tarek
|
15 |
| 7 |  Maysa Jbarah
|
14 |
| 8 |  Oriana Altuve
|
14 |
| 9 |  Mavis Owusu
|
14 |
| 10 |  Clara Luvanga
|
13 |
| 11 | Elizabeth Addo
|
12 |
| 12 |  Daliah Abu Laban
|
12 |
| 13 | Seba Tawfiq
|
11 |
| 14 |  Samia Aouni
|
11 |
| 15 |  Ajara Nchout
|
11 |
Former top league champions
editThe list of champions and runners-up:
| Year | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
Women's Community Football League
| ||
| 2020–21 | Challenge SC | Jeddah Eagles LFC |
SAFF Women's National Football Championship
| ||
| 2021–22 | Al-Nassr | Al-Hilal |
- Al-Hilal (ex. Challenge SC)
- Al-Ittihad Jeddah (ex. Jeddah Eagles LFC)
- Al-Nassr won the 2021-22 title under the name of Al-Mamlaka Before the acquisition
References
edit- ^ Diamond, Drew (29 February 2020). "Saudi Arabia form Women's Football League". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Saudi female athletes challenge Muslim norms". espn. Barbara Surk. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "Jeddah Eagles flying high with women's football win". Arab News. 9 December 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Naidu, Dr Unnati (3 January 2022). "Saudi Arabia: First women's football league from fan's perspective". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia launches a soccer league for women". CNN. Ivana Kottasová & Chandler Thornton. 27 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "الدوري السعودي النسائي". saudileague.com. Muhammad Aamer. 23 November 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "Challenge Team First Winner Of The Saudi WFL". sportsforall.com. 18 December 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "DAZN further invests in women's football with deal to broadcast Saudi Women's Premier League | DAZN News US". DAZN. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "حضور إنفانتينو يؤكد استمرار دعم الكرة النسائية السعودية" [Infantino's presence confirms the continued support for Saudi women's football.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "لاعبة برشلونة تشهد قمة الدوري السعودي للسيدات" [Barcelona player witnesses the summit of the Saudi Women's League.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "الدوري السعودي للسيدات يدخل مرحلة جديدة في البث التلفزيوني" [The Saudi Women's League enters a new phase in television broadcasting.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "كرة القدم النسائية في السعودية تواصل الازدهار" [The Women's football in Saudi Arabia continues to flourish.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
See also
editExternal links
edit