Al Taawoun FC
Association football club in Saudi Arabia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Taawoun FC (Arabic: نادي التعاون) is a Saudi Arabian professional football and multi-sports club based in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia, that competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system.
Al-Dhiyaab (The Wolves)
Al-Taawoun Stadium, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia
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| Full name | Al-Taawoun Football Club | |||
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| Nicknames | Sukkari Al-Qassim (Sugar of Al-Qassim) Al-Dhiyaab (The Wolves) | |||
| Founded | 1956 | |||
| Ground | King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, Al-Taawoun Stadium, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia | |||
| Capacity | 25,000[1] 5,624 | |||
| Owner | Ministry of Sport | |||
| Chairman | Saud Al-Rashoodi | |||
| Head coach | Žarko Lazetić | |||
| League | Saudi Pro League | |||
| 2025–26 | Pro League, 6th of 18 | |||
| Website | altaawounfc | |||
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The club plays its home matches at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, located in the city of Buraidah, which it shares with city rivals Al-Raed, with whom it contests the Qassim Derby. Additionally, the club uses the smaller Al-Taawoun Stadium for less prominent fixtures. The name "Al Taawoun" translates to "cooperation" in Arabic.
History
Al-Taawoun were founded in 1956 under the name of "Al-Shabab" by their founder Saleh Al Wabili. Four years after the founding of the club, they were officially registered as a professional club in 1960.
On 25 May 1990, Al-Taawoun reached the 1990 king cup final to face Al-Nasser but eventually lost 0–2. By reaching the final, Al-Taawoun became the second Saudi First Division League side to reach the final after Al-Riyadh in 1978. In the 2009–10 season, Al-Taawoun won promotion to the Pro League for the first time in over thirteen years as runners-up in the first division. Their last appearance in the top flight was in the 1997-98 season. They have been playing consecutively in the Saudi Pro League since the 2010–2011 season.[2] On 29 May 2016, Al-Taawoun qualified to their debut AFC Champions League campaign for the first time ever by finishing fourth in the league during the 2015–16 season.[3]
Their best ever top-flight season came in the 2018–19 season when the club successfully challenged for the Asian Champions League spots, eventually finishing in third place in the Saudi Pro League, their highest ever league position to date. And to top off their season, Al-Taawoun reached the King Cup final by thrashing Al-Hilal 5–0 at the King Saud University Stadium in the semi-final, and went on to defeat Al-Ittihad 2–1 in the final to claim their first-ever top-flight trophy, with the winning goal coming in the 90th minute.[4] Al-Taawoun also became the first club from Al-Qassim Province to win the King Cup.
In the following season 2019–20, Al-Taawoun's performances were one of their worst in their league history. Al-Taawoun booked their spot in the 2019 super cup by winning the King Cup title the previous season. Al-Taawoun lost to Al-Nassr 4–5 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra time. The club were almost relegated and needed a win in the final matchday against relegation threatened Al-Fayha, the highly tense match continued as a draw until the 91st minute when Mohammad Al-Sahlawi converted a cross with a tap in to make it 1-0 and avoid relegation in the final moments of the season. In the 2020–21 season Al-Taawoun reached their 3rd King Cup final in the 2020–21 edition to face Al-Faisaly, in the end Al-Faisaly won their first title after a 3–2 win over Al-Taawoun in the final on 27 May 2021.
Al-Taawoun qualified to the 2020 AFC Champions League as 2019 King Cup winners. Al-Taawoun finished the group as runners-up with a record of (3W,3L) to qualify to the knockout stages for the first time in their history. Al-Taawoun faced Al-Nassr in the round of 16 but eventually lost 0–1.
Honours
- Runners-up (1): 2019
Saudi First Division League (tier 2)
- Winners (1): 1996–97
- Runners-up (2): 1994–95, 2009–10
Saudi Second Division League (tier 3)
- Winners (1): 1977–78
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cup for Division 1 and 2 Teams.[5]
- Winners (4): 1996–97, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2008–09
Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Žarko Lazetić |
| Assistant coach |  Mohammed Al-Abdali |
| Goalkeeper coach |  Vacant |
| Fitness coach | Vacant |
| Youth Coach |  Jehad Al-Hussien |
| Development coach | Khaled Al-Dhefiri |
| Performance coach | Thamer Al-Sahli |
| Match analysis | Hassan Al-Dossari |
| Doctor | Sinisa Petkovic Abdullah Bahusayn |
| Physiotherapist | Ljubomir Radeka |
| Sporting director | Abdullah Al-Ahmed |
Players
Current squad
- As of February 2026[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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U21 squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
International competitions
Overview
- As of 15 April 2025
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Champions League Elite | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 34 |
| AFC Champions League Two | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 14 |
| GCC Champions League | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| Total | 37 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 52 | 54 |
Record by country
| Country | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bahrain |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 100.00 |
 Iran |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 12.50 |
 Iraq |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 50.00 |
 Oman |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 50.00 |
 Qatar |
8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 12 | +3 | 37.50 |
| Saudi Arabia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Syria |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 |
 Turkmenistan |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 100.00 |
 United Arab Emirates |
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 28.57 |
 Uzbekistan |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 25.00 |
| Total | 37 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 52 | 54 | −2 | 35.14 |
International record
Matches
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | GCC Champions League | Group A | Al-Suwaiq |
1–0 | 2−2 | 2nd |
| Al-Rayyan |
1–1 | 2–2 | ||||
| Quarter-finals | Al-Nasr |
– | 1−1 (p) | 1–1 (p) | ||
| 2017 | AFC Champions League | Group A | Lokomotiv Tashkent |
1–0 | 4−4 | 3rd |
| Esteghlal |
1–2 | 0−3 | ||||
| Al-Ahli |
1–3 | 0−0 | ||||
| 2020 | AFC Champions League | Group C | Sharjah |
0–6 | 1–0 | 2nd |
| Al-Duhail |
2–0 | 1–0 | ||||
| Persepolis |
0–1 | 0–1 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Al-Nassr |
0–1 | 0–1 | |||
| 2022 | AFC Champions League | Play-off round | Al-Jaish |
1–1 (5–4 p) | – | 1–1 (5–4 p) |
| Group D | Al-Duhail |
3–4 | 2–1 | 2nd | ||
| Pakhtakor |
0–1 | 4–5 | ||||
| Sepahan |
3–0 | 1–1 | ||||
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Two | Group B | Al-Khaldiya |
2–1 | 3–2 | 1st |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
1–2 | 1–0 | ||||
| Altyn Asyr |
2–1 | 4–0 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Al-Wakrah |
2–2 | 2–2 | 4–4 (4–3 p) | ||
| Quarter-finals | Tractor |
2–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 (4–2 p) | ||
| Semi-finals | Sharjah |
1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | ||
| 2026–27 | ||||||
Past seasons
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | Saudi First Division League | 3rd |
| 1986–87 | 5th | |
| 1987–88 | 7th | |
| 1988–89 | 4th | |
| 1989–90 | ? | |
| 1990–91 | 3rd | |
| 1991–92 | 7th | |
| 1992–93 | 5th | |
| 1993–94 | 4th | |
| 1994–95 | 2nd | |
| 1995–96 | Saudi Premier League | 11th |
| 1996–97 | Saudi First Division League | 1st |
| 1997–98 | Saudi Premier League | 12th |
| 1998–99 | Saudi First Division League | 8th |
| 1999–00 | ||
| 2000–01 | 7th | |
| 2001–02 | 6th | |
| 2002–03 | 7th | |
| 2003–04 | ||
| 2004–05 | 5th | |
| 2005–06 | 10th | |
| 2006–07 | 6th | |
| 2007–08 | 7th | |
| 2008–09 | ||
| 2009–10 | 2nd | |
| 2010–11 | Saudi Pro League | 8th |
| 2011–12 | 12th | |
| 2012–13 | ||
| 2013–14 | 5th | |
| 2014–15 | 9th | |
| 2015–16 | 4th | |
| 2016–17 | 7th | |
| 2017–18 | ||
| 2018–19 | 3rd | |
| 2019–20 | 12th | |
| 2020–21 | 4th | |
| 2021–22 | 12th | |
| 2022–23 | 5th | |
| 2023–24 | 4th |
Managers
Eoin Hand (1 July 1987 – 30 June 1988)
Antal Szentmihályi (1991–92)
Marco Cunha (2004)
Tohid Sebravî (2008–09)- Celso Fernandes (2008–09)
Abderrazek Chebbi (31 May 2009 – 1 January 2010)
Grigore Sichitiu (10 January 2010 – 9 May 2010)- Gheorghe Mulțescu (3 July 2010 – 20 December 2010)
- Florin Motroc (22 December 2010 – 29 December 2011)
Srećko Juričić (1 January 2012 – 20 January 2012)- Grigore Sichitiu (20 January 2012 – 1 April 2012)
Khalid Kamal (caretaker) (1 April 2012 – 24 June 2012)
Gjoko Hadžievski (1 July 2012 – 20 February 2013)
Taoufik Rouabah (February 2013 – September 2014)
José Gomes (September 2014 – 29 May 2016)
Darije Kalezić (2 June 2016 – 16 October 2016)- Constantin Gâlcă (18 October 2016 – 20 March 2017)
- José Gomes (21 March 2017 – 2 May 2018)
- Pedro Emanuel (7 May 2018 – May 2019)
- Paulo Sérgio (21 May 2019 – 29 December 2019)
Abdullah Asiri (caretaker) (29 December 2019 – 15 January 2020)- Vítor Campelos (15 January 2020 – 30 August 2020)
- Abdullah Asiri (caretaker) (30 August 2020 – 16 September 2020)
Patrice Carteron (16 September 2020 – 12 March 2021)
Nestor El Maestro (13 March 2021 – 22 August 2021)- José Gomes (22 August 2021 – 20 March 2022)
John van den Brom (31 March 2022 – 7 May 2022)- Mohammed Al-Abdali (caretaker) (7 May 2022 – 28 June 2022)
- Péricles Chamusca (29 June 2022 – 1 June 2024)
Rodolfo Arruabarrena (6 July 2024 – 9 February 2025)- Mohammed Al-Abdali (caretaker) (10 February 2025 – 20 July 2025)
- Péricles Chamusca (20 July 2025 – present)
