From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
2020–21 Saudi Pro League
| Season |
|---|
| 17 October 2020 – 30 May 2021 |
| Al-Hilal (17th title) |
| Al-QadsiahAl-WehdaAl-Ain |
| Al-HilalAl-FaisalyAl-ShababAl-Taawoun |
| 240 |
| 746 (3.11 per match) |
| Bafétimbi Gomis(24 goals) |
| Cássio (11 clean sheets) |
| Al-Nassr 7–0 Al-Batin(20 March 2021) |
| Al-Ain 0–5 Al-Hilal(9 February 2021) |
| Al-Ain 3–4 Al-Ahli(7 November 2020)Damac 4–3 Al-Ahli(5 December 2020)Al-Fateh 2–5 Al-Hilal(28 February 2020)Al-Nassr 7–0 Al-Batin(20 March 2021)Abha 3–4 Damac(21 March 2021)Al-Taawoun 3–4 Al-Fateh(25 April 2021)Al-Ettifaq 4–3 Al-Shabab(14 May 2021)Al-Ain 3–4 Al-Batin(30 May 2021) |
| Al-Hilal(5 matches) |
| Al-Ittihad(11 matches) |
| Al-AhliAl-Raed(9 matches) |
| Al-AhliAl-Wehda(7 matches) |
| ← 2019–20 2021–22 → |
| All statistics correct as of 30 May 2021. |
The 2020–21 Saudi Pro League was the 46th edition of the top-tier Saudi football league, established in 1974, and the 13th edition since it was rebranded as the Saudi Pro League in 2008, 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. 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-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 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 were the first team to be relegated following a 2–0 defeat away to Al-Nassr on 14 May. In the final matchday, both Al-Qadsiah and Al-Wehda were relegated following a draw with Abha and a loss against Al-Shabab respectively.
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 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, 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 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.
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | Abha | Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium | 20,000 |
| Al-Ahli | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City | 62,345 |
| Al-Ain | Al Bahah | King Saud Sport City Stadium (Al Bahah) | 10,000 |
| Al-Batin | Hafar al-Batin | Al-Batin Club Stadium | 6,000 |
| Al-Ettifaq | Dammam | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium | 35,000 |
| Al-Faisaly | Harmah | Al Majma'ah Sports City [1] | 7,000 |
| Al-Fateh | Al-Hasa | Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium | 26,000 |
| Al-Hilal | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium [2] | 62,685 |
| Al-Ittihad | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City | 62,345 |
| Al-Nassr | Riyadh | King Saud University Stadium | 25,000 |
| Al-Qadsiah | Khobar | Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium | 15,000 |
| Al-Raed | Buraidah | King Abdullah Sport City Stadium | 25,000 |
| Al-Shabab | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium [3] | 62,685 |
| Al-Taawoun | Buraidah | King Abdullah Sport City Stadium | 25,000 |
| Al-Wehda | Mecca | King Abdul Aziz Stadium | 38,000 |
| Damac | Khamis Mushait | Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium [4] | 20,000 |
1: .mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^ Al-Faisaly play their home games in Al Majma'ah.
2: ^ Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab also use Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium (22,500 seats) as a home stadium.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | Abderrazek Chebbi | Karim Aouadhi | Offside | Yelo, Vveyon, Mezaj Maghribi1, Saudi German Hospital1, ARASCO2 |
| Al-Ahli | Laurențiu Reghecampf | Yasser Al-Mosailem | Xtep | Saudia, MG Cars, Almsakin Palace, Boga Super Foods2, Saudi German Hospital2 |
| Al-Ain | Pablo Machín | Saeed Al-Qarni | Puma | Gento, Ugine1 |
| Al-Batin | Aleksandar Veselinović | Mazyad Freeh | Skillano | Traof, AlNadeg1, Yelo1, ARASCO2, Maroom Medical Center2 |
| Al-Ettifaq | Khaled Al-Atwi | Raïs M'Bolhi | Jako | Al Mattar, Mystery, Kammelna1, Innosoft2, Thouq2, Saudi German Hospital3 |
| Al-Faisaly | Péricles Chamusca | Igor Rossi | adidas | ALDREES, Gree Electric, Yelo1, Roco2, ARASCO2 |
| Al-Fateh | Yannick Ferrera | Mohammed Al-Fuhaid | Offside | Kia Motors, Fuschia, Al Kifah Holding1, Almoosa Hospital1, ARASCO2, B-Care2 |
| Al-Hilal | José Morais | Salman Al-Faraj | Mouj | EMAAR, Jahez, Tawuniya1, Sayyar2, Shawarmer2 |
| Al-Ittihad | Fábio Carille | Karim El Ahmadi | Tamim | B-IT Fitness1, Fakeeh2, Yelo2 |
| Al-Nassr | Mano Menezes | Yahya Al-Shehri | Victory | Etihad Airways, Almsakin Palace, Nejree1, Richy2, Naqi Water2 |
| Al-Qadsiah | Yousef Al Mannai | Naif Hazazi | Puma | MG Cars, Almana Group of Hospital, Ghodran Group1 |
| Al-Raed | Besnik Hasi | Hussain Al-Showaish | Challenge | Yelo, Address Cafe1, ARASCO2, B-Care2 |
| Al-Shabab | Carlos Inarejos | Éver Banega | Xtep | Arkitainer, Aqdar, Bussma, Half Million, The Chefz, Nice One, Saudi German Hospital, Marvel Home1, Sanabel Alsalam1, Tact1, F6or Faris2, QAID2, 3days3, Azom3, HealthZone3, The Real Burger3, Shawarma Classic3, Veloce3 |
| Al-Taawoun | Nestor El Maestro | Ibrahim Al-Zubaidi | Erreà | Fuchs, Nice One, Al Odhaib1, ARASCO2 |
| Al-Wehda | Georgios Donis | Waleed Bakshween | Tamim | Lebs.com, Al Ghazal, QAID2 |
| Damac | Krešimir Režić | Farouk Chafaï | Skillano | Abu Zaid, Bin Thaliba1, Saudi German Hospital1, Bnoon2, Fazzah2, Superano3 |
- 1 On the back of the strip.
- 2 On the right sleeve of the strip.
- 3 On the shorts.
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner ofdeparture | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date ofappointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Wehda | Essa Al-Mehyani (caretaker) | End of caretaker spell | 9 September 2020 | Pre-season | Ivo Vieira | 10 September 2020 |
| Al-Taawoun | Abdullah Asiri (caretaker) | 16 September 2020 | Patrice Carteron | 16 September 2020 | ||
| Al-Ain | Al Habib Ben Ramadan | End of contract | 20 September 2020 | Bruno Baltazar | 2 October 2020 | |
| Bruno Baltazar | Resigned | 12 October 2020 | Michael Skibbe | 12 October 2020 | ||
| Al-Nassr | Rui Vitória | Mutual consent | 27 December 2020 | 15th | Alen Horvat | 27 December 2020 |
| Damac | Noureddine Zekri | 4 January 2021 | 16th | Krešimir Režić | 12 January 2021 | |
| Al-Shabab | Pedro Caixinha | Sacked | 5 January 2021 | 3rd | Carlos Inarejos | 5 January 2021 |
| Al-Ain | Michael Skibbe | 28 January 2021 | 16th | Pablo Machín | 31 January 2021 | |
| Al-Wehda | Ivo Vieira | 2 February 2021 | 10th | Mahmoud Al-Hadid | 2 February 2021 | |
| Al-Hilal | Răzvan Lucescu | Mutual consent | 15 February 2021 | 3rd | Rogério Micale | 15 February 2021 |
| Al-Taawoun | Patrice Carteron | 11 March 2021 | 4th | Nestor El Maestro | 13 March 2021 | |
| Al-Batin | José Garrido | Sacked | 20 March 2021 | 13th | Aleksandar Veselinović | 24 March 2021 |
| Al-Wehda | Mahmoud Al-Hadid | 21 March 2021 | 14th | Georgios Donis | 23 March 2021 | |
| Al-Ahli | Vladan Milojević | Mutual consent | 24 March 2021 | 7th | Laurențiu Reghecampf | 31 March 2021 |
| Al-Nassr | Alen Horvat | Sacked | 9 April 2021 | 5th | Mano Menezes | 9 April 2021 |
| Al-Hilal | Rogério Micale | 2 May 2021 | 1st | José Morais | 2 May 2021 |
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.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 | Player 7 | Former Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | Mehdi Tahrat | Benjamin Tatar | Amine Atouchi | Abdelali Mhamdi | Carlos Strandberg | Karim Aouadhi | Saad Bguir | Craig Goodwin |
| Al-Ahli | Elvis Sarić | Lucas Lima | Driss Fettouhi | Alexandru Mitrita | M'Baye Niang | Ljubomir Fejsa | Omar Al Somah | Marko Marin Samuel Owusu |
| Al-Ain | Bastos | Getterson | Filip Bradarić | Naeem | Amadou Moutari | Badou Ndiaye | Juanpi | Saphir Taïder Mohammed Nahiri Peter Nworah Haythem Jouini |
| Al-Batin | Fábio Abreu | Renato Chaves | Youssef El Jebli | Mohamed Rayhi | Xandro Schenk | Martín Campaña | Khaleem Hyland | |
| Al-Ettifaq | Raïs M'Bolhi | Elierce Souza | Karol Mets | Walid Azaro | Souleymane Doukara | Filip Kiss | Naïm Sliti | |
| Al-Faisaly | Guilherme | Igor Rossi | Raphael Silva | Julio Tavares | Romain Amalfitano | Alexander Merkel | Hicham Faik | |
| Al-Fateh | Sofiane Bendebka | Hillal Soudani | Mourad Batna | Marwane Saâdane | Mitchell te Vrede | Christian Cueva | Maksym Koval | Gustav Wikheim Saša Jovanović |
| Al-Hilal | Luciano Vietto | Gustavo Cuéllar | Bafétimbi Gomis | Sebastian Giovinco | Jang Hyun-soo | André Carrillo | Omar Kharbin | |
| Al-Ittihad | Bruno Henrique | Marcelo Grohe | Romarinho | Garry Rodrigues | Ahmed Hegazi | Karim El Ahmadi | Aleksandar Prijović | Bruno Uvini |
| Al-Nassr | Pity Martínez | Brad Jones | Maicon | Petros | Kim Jin-su | Nordin Amrabat | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Ahmed Musa |
| Al-Qadsiah | Rhys Williams | Edson da Cruz | Danilo Asprilla | Carolus Andria | Leke James | Stanley Ohawuchi | Uroš Vitas | Mihai Bordeianu |
| Al-Raed | Azzedine Doukha | Ronnie Fernández | Arnaud Djoum | Marko Marin | Karim El Berkaoui | Mohamed Fouzair | Nemanja Miletić | Jalal Daoudi Nemanja Nikolić Jehad Al-Hussain |
| Al-Shabab | Éver Banega | Cristian Guanca | Sebá | Igor Lichnovsky | Odion Ighalo | Fábio Martins | Alfred N'Diaye | Giedrius Arlauskis Makhete Diop |
| Al-Taawoun | Cássio | Iago Santos | Sandro Manoel | Cédric Amissi | Léandre Tawamba | Kaku | Abdoulaye Sané | Mitchell Duke |
| Al-Wehda | Dimitri Petratos | Anselmo | Luis Gustavo | Pedro Henrique | Youssouf Niakaté | Hernâni | Alberto Botía | |
| Damac | Farouk Chafaï | Moustapha Zeghba | Sergio Vittor | Emilio Zelaya | Domagoj Antolić | Amahl Pellegrino | Constantin Budescu | Ibrahim Chenihi Cristian Lema Bilel Saidani |
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.
| 2022 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2022 AFC Champions League play-off round |
| Relegation to 2021–22 MS League |
As of 30 May 2021
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bafétimbi Gomis | Al-Hilal | 24 |
| 2 | Emilio Zelaya | Damac | 19 |
| 3 | Cristian Guanca | Al-Shabab | 17 |
| Fabio Abreu | Al-Batin | ||
| 5 | Carlos Strandberg | Abha | 16 |
| Romarinho | Al-Ittihad | ||
| 7 | Karim El Berkaoui | Al-Raed | 15 |
| Júlio Tavares | Al-Faisaly | ||
| 9 | Mitchell te Vrede | Al-Fateh | 13 |
| Léandre Tawamba | Al-Taawoun |
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omar Al Somah | Al-Ahli | Al-Ain | 4–3 (A) | 7 November 2020 | |
| Dimitri Petratos | Al-Wehda | Al-Batin | 3–2 (H) | 29 November 2020 | |
| Carlos Strandberg | Abha | Al-Ain | 4–2 (A) | 1 January 2021 | |
| Léandre Tawamba | Al-Taawoun | Damac | 3–1 (H) | 25 January 2021 | |
| Karim El Berkaoui4 | Al-Raed | Damac | 4–2 (H) | 31 January 2021 | |
| Bafétimbi Gomis4 | Al-Hilal | Al-Ain | 5–0 (A) | 9 February 2021 | |
| Youssouf Niakaté | Al-Wehda | Al-Faisaly | 4–2 (A) | 12 February 2021 | |
| Mitchell te Vrede | Al-Fateh | Al-Ain | 3–2 (H) | 13 February 2021 | |
| Abdullah Al-Mogren | Al-Raed | Al-Ain | 4–0 (H) | 28 February 2021 | |
| Aleksandar Prijović | Al-Ittihad | Al-Qadsiah | 4–1 (A) | 28 February 2021 | |
| Romarinho | Al-Ittihad | Al-Wehda | 4–2 (H) | 5 March 2021 | |
| Bafétimbi Gomis | Al-Hilal | Al-Wehda | 4–2 (A) | 11 March 2021 | |
| Farouk Chafaï | Damac | Abha | 4–3 (A) | 21 March 2021 | |
| Danilo Asprilla | Al-Qadsiah | Al-Ettifaq | 3–1 (A) | 10 April 2021 |
Notes
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 Player scored 4 goals
| Rank | Player | Club | Cleansheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cássio | Al-Taawoun | 11 |
| 2 | Azzedine Doukha | Al-Raed | 7 |
| Abdullah Al-Mayouf | Al-Hilal | ||
| 4 | Marcelo Grohe | Al-Ittihad | 6 |
| 5 | Brad Jones | Al-Nassr | 5 |
| Amin Bukhari | Al-Ain | ||
| Zaid Al-Bawardi | Al-Shabab | ||
| 8 | Mustafa Malayekah | Al-Faisaly | 4 |
| Abdelali Mhamdi | Abha | ||
| Mohammed Al-Rubeai | Al-Ahli | ||
| Maksym Koval | Al-Fateh | ||
| Moustapha Zeghba | Damac |
-
Most yellow cards: 12
- Anselmo (Al-Wehda)
-
Most red cards: 2
- Mohamed Fouzair (Al-Raed)
-
Most yellow cards: 78
- Al-Taawoun
-
Most red cards: 7
- Al-Qadsiah
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Goalkeeper of the Month | Rising Star of the Month | Reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Yannick Ferrera | Al-Fateh | Éver Banega | Al-Shabab | Abdullah Al-Mayouf | Al-Hilal | Saud Abdulhamid | Al-Ittihad | |
| November | Răzvan Lucescu | Al-Hilal | Omar Al Somah | Al-Ahli | Amin Bukhari | Al-Ain | Abdulelah Al-Amri | Al-Nassr | |
| December | Khaled Al-Atwi | Al-Ettifaq | Naïm Sliti | Al-Ettifaq | Marcelo Grohe | Al-Ittihad | Saud Abdulhamid | Al-Ittihad | |
| January | Alen Horvat | Al-Nassr | Léandre Tawamba | Al-Taawoun | Cássio | Al-Taawoun | Abdullah Al-Hamdan | Al-Shabab | |
| February | Carlos Inarejos | Al-Shabab | Éver Banega | Al-Shabab | Cássio | Al-Taawoun | Abdulrahman Ghareeb | Al-Ahli | |
| March | Rogério Micale | Al-Hilal | Farouk Chafaï | Damac | Raïs M'Bolhi | Al-Ettifaq | Abdulelah Al-Amri | Al-Nassr | |
| April & May | Fábio Carille | Al-Ittihad | Odion Ighalo | Al-Shabab | Marcelo Grohe | Al-Ittihad | Sami Al-Najei | Al-Nassr |
Ask Mako anything about 2020–21 Saudi Pro League — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report