Summary
The Saudi Women's Premier League (Arabic: الدوري السعودي الممتاز للسيدات) is the top flight of women's association football in Saudi Arabia.[1] The competition is run by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. For 3 years starting in 2023 the league will sponsored by Lay's
 Official logo | |
| Founded | 15 September 2022 |
|---|---|
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Saudi Women's First Division League |
| Domestic cup(s) | SAFF Women's Cup |
| Current champions | Al-Nassr (2nd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Al Nassr (2 titles) |
| TV partners | SSC Shahid DAZN (outside MENA) |
| Website | www |
| Current: 2023–24 Saudi Women's Premier League | |
History edit
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.
In 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) in Jeddah.[10]
Clubs edit
The following eight clubs are competing in the 2023–24 season:
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2022-23 season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City Stadium | 62,345 | 6th |
| Al-Hilal | Riyadh | Inaya Medical Colleges Stadium | 15,000 | 2nd |
| Al-Nassr | Riyadh | Al-Awwal Park | 25,000 | 1st |
| Al-Qadsiah | Khobar | Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium | 15,000 | D1, 2nd |
| Al-Riyadh | Riyadh | Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium | 15,000 | D1, 1st |
| Al-Shabab | Riyadh | Al-Shabab Club Stadium | 15,000 | 3rd |
| Al-Ittihad | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City Stadium | 62,345 | 4th |
| Eastern Flames | Dammam | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium | 26,000 | 7th |
Champions edit
By 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 |
By team edit
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Nassr | 2 | 0 | 2022–23, 2023–24 | |
| Al Hilal | 0 | 1 | 2022–23 |
Records edit
Top scorers edit
| Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Ratio | Position | First goal | Last goal | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shokhan Salihi
|
49 | 21 | 2.33 | Forward | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | |
| 2 |  Ibtissam Jraïdi
|
25 | 16 | 1.56 | Forward | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | |
| 3 |  Hessa Al-Isa
|
15 | Forward | 2022–23 | 2022–23 | |||
 Noha Tarek
|
15 | Forward | 2022–23 | 2022–23 | ||||
| 5 |  Maysa Jbarah
|
13 | Forward | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | |||
| 6 |  Daliah Abu Laban
|
11 | 21 | 0.52 | Forward | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | |
 Elizabeth Addo
|
11 | Forward | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | ||||
| 8 | Seba Tawfiq
|
9 | 19 | 0.47 | Midfielder | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | |
| Zainab Al-Lami
|
9 | Midfielder | 2022–23 | 2022–23 |
Former top league champions edit
The 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)
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.
External links edit
- Saudi WFL official website
- New era for Saudi Arabia women's football – fifa.com