2024–25 Saudi First Division League
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2024–25 First Division League (known as the Yelo League for sponsorship reasons) is the fourth season of the Saudi First Division League after its rebrand, and the 48th season of the Saudi First Division since its establishment in 1976.
| Season | 2024–25 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 August 2024 – 18 May 2025 |
| Champions | Neom (1st title) |
| Promoted | Neom Al-Najma Al-Hazem |
| Relegated | Al-Ain Al-Safa Ohod |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 794 (2.59 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Alan Cariús (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Tai 5–0 Al-Batin (4 December 2024) |
| Biggest away win | Jeddah 0–6 Neom (29 April 2025) |
| Highest scoring | Al-Batin 2–7 Neom (8 April 2025) |
| Longest winning run | Neom (7 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Neom (19 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Al-Safa (19 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Al-Safa Ohod (9 matches) |
← 2023–24 2025–26 →
All statistics correct as of 29 May 2025. | |
On 22 April, Neom became the first team to be promoted following a 3–0 away win against Al-Arabi.[1] They were crowned champions following a 6–0 away win against Jeddah on 29 April.[2] They set the record for the most points and most wins in a 34–league game season and set the record for most goals scored in a season. On 12 May, Al-Najma became the second club to be promoted following a 2–0 home win against Ohod.[3] On 29 May, Al-Hazem became the third and final club to be promoted after defeating Al-Adalah 3–0 in the promotion play-offs final.[4]
On 28 April, Ohod became the first team to be relegated after a 1–1 draw with Al-Adalah.[5] On 6 May, Al-Safa became the second team to be relegated following a 4–1 home defeat to Al-Arabi.[6] On 12 May, Al-Ain became the third and the final club to be relegated following a 2–2 draw with Al-Faisaly.[7]
Overview
Changes
On 21 June 2024, the FDL announced the introduction of a play-off system to determine the third team to be promoted to the Saudi Pro League. Teams placed between third and sixth position took part in the promotion play-offs. The fifth-placed would face the fourth, while the sixth-placed team would face the third. The final would be single-legged, hosted by the higher-placed team.[8]
Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2023–24 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 2023–24 season, the three promoted teams from the Second Division and the three relegated sides from the Saudi Pro League.
Al-Hazem were the first team to be relegated following a 4–1 home defeat to Al-Hilal on 11 May 2024.[9] Al-Hazem were relegated after just one year in the top flight. This was their third relegation in five years. Both Abha and Al-Tai were relegated on the final day of the season. Abha were relegated following a 2–1 defeat away to Al-Hazem.[10] Al-Tai were relegated following a 2–0 home defeat to Al-Okhdood.[11] Abha were relegated after five seasons in the top flight while Al-Tai were relegated after three seasons. Abha will play in their 20th season in the FD League, while Al-Hazem will play in their 15th season and Al-Tai in their 23rd season.
The first club to be promoted was Al-Jubail who did so after a 1–1 draw against Bisha on 16 March 2024.[12] On 22 March 2024, Neom became the second club to be promoted following a 3–2 win against Al-Zulfi.[13] The third and final club to be promoted was Al-Zulfi, who did so following a 3–0 aggregate win over Al-Diriyah in the promotion play-offs on 17 April 2024.[14]
Neom were crowned champions for the first time after defeating Al-Jubail 3–2 in the final.[15]
Neom return to the First Division League after an absence of 12 years. They return to the league for the first time since the 2011–12 season and will play in their 2nd overall season. In addition, this will be their first season in the FDL since their name change. Both Al-Jubail and Al-Zulfi were promoted to the First Division League for the first time in history.
Stadium and personnel
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha |  Pitso Mosimane |
End of contract | 1 June 2024 | Pre-season |  Abderrazek Chebbi |
20 August 2024[30] |
| Al-Adalah |  Roel Coumans |
 Martin Ševela |
19 June 2024[31] | |||
| Al-Ain |  Zoran Milinković |
 Ricardo Sousa |
15 August 2024[32] | |||
| Al-Arabi |  Yousef Anbar |
 Maher Al-Shammari |
21 June 2024[33] | |||
| Al-Bukiryah | Khalil Al-Masri |
 Denis Lavagne |
11 July 2024[34] | |||
| Al-Faisaly |  Marcelo Chamusca |
Filipe Gouveia |
6 June 2024[35] | |||
| Al-Jabalain | Nacif Beyaoui |
Jorge Mendonça |
14 July 2024[36] | |||
| Al-Jubail |  Ayman El Seraj |
Laurent Hagist |
2 July 2024[37] | |||
| Al-Najma |  Giovanni Solinas |
Mário Silva |
7 July 2024[38] | |||
| Al-Safa | Laurent Hagist |
Carlos Pinto |
30 June 2024[39] | |||
| Al-Tai |  Leonardo Ramos |
Aleksandar Ilić |
12 July 2024[40] | |||
| Al-Zulfi | Makram Abdullah Ghazaleh |
Zoran Milinković |
3 June 2024[41] | |||
| Jeddah | Maher Al-Shammari |
 Iván Carrasco |
25 July 2024[42] | |||
| Neom | Afouène Gharbi |
Péricles Chamusca |
1 June 2024[43] | |||
| Ohod |  Damir Burić |
Yousef Anbar |
20 July 2024[44] | |||
| Al-Batin | Abdulaziz Nasser |
End of caretaker period | Rui Almeida |
15 July 2024[45] | ||
| Al-Arabi | Maher Al-Shammari |
Sacked | 4 October 2024[46] | 6th | Damir Burić |
4 October 2024[47] |
| Al-Bukiryah | Denis Lavagne |
4 October 2024[48] | 18th | Nandinho |
13 October 2024[49] | |
| Al-Tai | Aleksandar Ilić |
12 October 2024[50] | 9th | Mohamed Kouki |
15 October 2024[51] | |
| Al-Batin | Rui Almeida |
Mutual consent | 16 October 2024[52] | 7th | Nacif Beyaoui |
16 October 2024[53] |
| Al-Safa | Carlos Pinto |
Sacked | 18 October 2024[54] | 17th | Eelco Schattorie |
18 October 2024[55] |
| Al-Ain | Ricardo Sousa |
28 October 2024 | 15th |  Toufik Rouabah |
31 October 2024 | |
| Al-Jubail | Laurent Hagist |
31 October 2024 | 10th |  Jonathan Mabanza (caretaker) |
31 October 2024 | |
| Jonathan Mabanza (caretaker) |
End of caretaker period | 16 November 2024 | 14th |  Darko Nestorović |
16 November 2024[56] | |
| Al-Faisaly | Filipe Gouveia |
Mutual consent | 28 November 2024[57] | 16th | Alhomaidi Al-Otaibi (caretaker) |
28 November 2024[57] |
| Al-Safa | Eelco Schattorie |
Resigned | 6 December 2024[58] | 14th |  Juan Brown |
8 December 2024[59] |
| Al-Faisaly | Alhomaidi Al-Otaibi (caretaker) |
End of caretaker period | 30 December 2024 | 15th | Pablo Franco |
30 December 2024[60] |
| Al-Bukiryah | Nandinho |
Signed by Al-Muharraq | 30 January 2025[61] | 9th | Leonardo Ramos |
31 January 2025[62] |
| Ohod | Yousef Anbar |
Resigned | 5 February 2025 | 18th | Hafedh Hamzaoui (caretaker) |
5 February 2025 |
| Hafedh Hamzaoui (caretaker) |
End of caretaker period | 15 February 2025 | Habib Ben Romdhane |
15 February 2025 | ||
| Al-Ain | Toufik Rouabah |
Sacked | 20 February 2025 | 17th | Jorge Paixão |
21 February 2025[63] |
| Al-Batin | Nacif Beyaoui |
Mutual consent | 25 February 2025[64] | 14th | Khalil Al-Masri |
25 February 2025[65] |
| Al-Zulfi | Zoran Milinković |
Sacked | 5 March 2025[66] | 12th | Khalid Al-Koroni |
5 March 2025[67] |
| Al-Arabi | Damir Burić |
5 March 2025 | 9th | Hamoud Al-Saiari |
5 March 2025[68] | |
| Al-Safa | Juan Brown |
7 March 2025[69] | 17th | Reda Al-Janabi |
7 March 2025[70] | |
| Al-Arabi | Hamoud Al-Saiari |
Resigned | 18 March 2025[71] | 10th | Kiko López |
28 March 2025[72] |
| Al-Jubail | Darko Nestorović |
Sacked | 8 April 2025[73] | 14th | Khalid Al-Nuaimi |
8 April 2025[74] |
| Al-Hazem | Saleh Al-Mohammadi |
10 April 2025[75] | 3rd | Jalel Kadri |
14 April 2025[76] | |
| Al-Tai | Mohamed Kouki |
Mutual consent | 16 April 2025[77] | 7th | Zdravko Logarušić |
16 April 2025[78] |
Foreign players
On 9 March 2024, the Saudi FF announced that the number of foreign players would be decreased from 7 players to 5 players.[79]
- 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.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neom (C, P) | 34 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 80 | 27 | +53 | 79 | Promotion to the Pro League |
| 2 | Al-Najma (P) | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 65 | |
| 3 | Al-Hazem (O, P) | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 57 | 43 | +14 | 60 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Al-Jabalain[a] (D) | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 59 | |
| 5 | Al-Adalah | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 58[b] | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 6 | Al-Bukiryah | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 46 | 24 | +22 | 58[b] | |
| 7 | Al-Tai | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 50 | 37 | +13 | 56 | |
| 8 | Abha | 34 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 46 | 48 | −2 | 48 | |
| 9 | Al-Zulfi | 34 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 44 | |
| 10 | Jeddah | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 32 | 39 | −7 | 43 | |
| 11 | Al-Batin | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 56 | −17 | 42 | |
| 12 | Al-Arabi | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 51 | 59 | −8 | 39[c] | |
| 13 | Al-Jubail | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 34 | 44 | −10 | 39[c] | |
| 14 | Al-Faisaly | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 34[d] | |
| 15 | Al-Jandal | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 34[d] | |
| 16 | Al-Ain (R) | 34 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 29 | 49 | −20 | 30 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 17 | Al-Safa (R) | 34 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 34 | 70 | −36 | 24 | |
| 18 | Ohod (R) | 34 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 31 | 55 | −24 | 24 |
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).[81]
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- The Club Licensing Appeals Committee rejected the appeal of Al-Jabalain after the committee announced that it would not grant the club a local license due to its failure to meet a number of mandatory criteria in the licensing regulations. Thus, Al-Jabalain were excluded from the playoff places.[80]
- Al-Adalah finished ahead of Al-Bukiryah on head-to-head points: Al-Adalah: 6 pts, Al-Bukiryah: 0 pts (Al-Adalah 2–0 Al-Bukiryah, Al-Bukiryah 0–2 Al-Adalah).
- Al-Arabi finished ahead of Al-Jubail on overall goal difference: Al-Arabi –8, Al-Jubail –10 (Al-Jubail 3–1 Al-Arabi, Al-Arabi 3–1 Al-Jubail).
- Al-Faisaly finished ahead of Al-Jandal on head-to-head points: Al-Faisaly: 4 pts, Al-Jandal: 1 pts (Al-Faisaly 0–0 Al-Jandal, Al-Jandal 0–2 Al-Faisaly).
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 | Al-Hazem | 1 | |||||||
| 6 | Al-Tai | 0 | |||||||
| 3 | Al-Hazem | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | Al-Adalah | 0 | |||||||
| 4 | Al-Adalah | 0 (5) | |||||||
| 5 | Al-Bukiryah | 0 (4) | |||||||
Semi-finals
| Al-Adalah | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Al-Bukiryah |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
|
5–4 |
|
Final
| Al-Hazem | 3–0 | Al-Adalah |
|---|---|---|
Al-Dakheel  21'Gano 48'Al-Sayyali 72' |
Report |
Statistics
- As of 18 May 2025
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[82] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Cariús |
Al-Adalah | 20 |
| 2 | Vina |
Al-Jubail | 16 |
| 3 |  Zinho Gano |
Al-Hazem | 15 |
 Ahmed Abdu Jaber |
Abha/Neom | ||
| Carlos |
Neom | ||
| 6 |  Andrei Cordea |
Al-Tai | 14 |
 Mbaye Diagne |
Neom | ||
 Henrique Luvannor |
Al-Bukiryah | ||
| 9 |  Romell Quioto |
Al-Arabi | 13 |
| 10 | Léo Tilica |
Al-Najma | 12 |
| Sylla Sow |
Al-Najma | ||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed Abdu Jaber | Abha | Al-Faisaly | 3–1 (H) | 1 October 2024 | [83] |
| Alan Cariús | Al-Adalah | Al-Faisaly | 3–3 (H) | 28 January 2025 | [84] |
| Ablaye Mbengue | Al-Arabi | Al-Jabalain | 3–3 (A) | 11 February 2025 | [85] |
| Carlos4 | Neom | Al-Batin | 7–2 (A) | 8 April 2025 | |
| Andrei Cordea | Al-Tai | Al-Zulfi | 3–0 (H) | 6 May 2025 | |
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 Player scored 4 goals
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Džiugas Bartkus |
Al-Bukiryah | 16 |
| Mustafa Malayekah |
Neom | ||
| 3 | Saad Al-Saleh |
Al-Zulfi | 13 |
| Max Walef |
Al-Najmah | ||
| Moataz Al-Baqaawi |
Al-Tai | ||
| 6 | Marcelo Carné |
Al-Jabalain | 11 |
| 7 | Emanuel Novo |
Al-Jandal | 9 |
| 8 | Abdullah Al-Jadaani |
Abha | 8 |
| 9 | Yasser Al-Mosailem |
Jeddah | 7 |
| 10 | Meshal Hariss |
Al-Batin | 6 |
| Ibrahim Zaid |
Al-Hazem | ||
| Rafael Martins |
Al-Jubail | ||
| Slaviša Bogdanović |
Al-Ain | ||
Awards
Round awards
| Round | Player of the Round | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| Round 1 | Agi Dambelley |
Al-Najma | [86] |
| Round 2 | Ahmed Abdu Jaber |
Abha | [87] |
| Round 3 | Ammar Al-Najjar |
Jeddah | [88] |
| Round 4 | Ammar Al-Najjar |
Jeddah | [89] |
| Round 5 | Ahmed Abdu Jaber |
Abha | [90] |
| Round 6 | Salman Al-Faraj |
Neom | [91] |
| Round 7 | Moataz Al-Baqaawi |
Al-Tai | [92] |
| Round 8 | Vina |
Al-Jubail | [93] |
| Round 9 | Romell Quioto |
Al-Arabi | [94] |
| Round 11 | Fabinho |
Al-Safa | [95] |
| Round 12 | Andrei Cordea |
Al-Tai | [96] |
| Round 13 | Zinho Gano |
Al-Hazem | [97] |
| Round 15 | Alan Cariús |
Al-Adalah | [98] |
| Round 16 | Abdulmohsen Al-Burayk |
Al-Safa | [99] |
| Round 18 | Ibrahima Ndiaye |
Al-Hazem | [100] |
| Round 19 | Alan Cariús |
Al-Adalah | [101] |
| Round 20 | Ibrahim Al-Harbi |
Al-Jandal | [102] |
| Round 21 | Ablaye Mbengue |
Al-Arabi | [103] |
| Round 22 | Abdulaziz Al-Sharid |
Al-Bukiryah | [104] |
| Round 23 | Vina |
Al-Jubail | [105] |
| Round 24 | Alfa Semedo |
Neom | [106] |
| Round 25 | Zinho Gano |
Al-Hazem | [107] |
| Round 26 | Freej Al-Jizani |
Ohod | [108] |
| Round 27 | Saïd Benrahma |
Neom | [109] |
| Round 28 | Carlos Júnior |
Neom | [110] |
| Round 29 | Alan Cariús |
Al-Adalah | [111] |
| Round 30 | Léo Tilica |
Al-Najma | [112] |
| Round 31 | Andrei Cordea |
Al-Tai | [113] |
| Round 32 | Andrei Cordea |
Al-Tai | [114] |
| Round 33 | Karim Yoda |
Al-Hazem | [115] |
| Round 34 | Nawaf Al-Habashi |
Al-Hazem | [116] |