Football
Most Successful Saudi Pro League Teams!
The Saudi Pro League (SPL) has a rich history of domestic football, long before its recent surge in global attention, with several clubs consistently vying for supremacy.
Salem Al-Dawsari of Al Hilal lifts the Riyadh Season Cup trophy//Getty Images
Throughout history, Al Hilal has completely dominated Saudi football. The very first title in the history of the Saudi championship was also won by the team from Riyadh. With 21 championship titles, over 70 major trophies and a constant presence in the Saudi Professional League since 1976, the club has built a huge reputation and brand.
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate the Most Successful Saudi Pro League Teams
This guide ranks the top-performing Saudi Pro League teams using SportsBoom’s specialized evaluation model, the SB Market Index. The model is driven by team performance data and enriched with industry insights, including expert evaluations and in-depth media analysis.
Industry Insights
'Industry Insights' reflect a consensus from surveyed expert opinions and media analysis, assigning points based on how frequently each club is cited or ranked highly in discussions about the Saudi Pro League's 'most successful' or 'biggest' clubs.
| Source | Al-Hilal | Al-Ittihad | Al-Nassr | Al-Ahli | Al-Shabab | Al-Ettifaq | Al-Fateh | Al-Riyadh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS News (titles) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SoccerStats Form | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 90min SPL Format | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MyKhel Champions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MyFootballFacts Champions | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fandom Top-Clubs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| de.wikipedia Titles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 888sport Title Insights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guardian Feature | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wikipedia Al-Ahli Legend | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
| Total Mentions | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
SB Score (Title wins and Runner-ups)
"Our 'SB Score' evaluates these SPL clubs based on their historical success in the league, with weights assigned as follows: Number of League Titles Won (60%) and Number of Runners-up Finishes (40%). Stats are normalized before weighting.
| Rank | Club | Titles | Runners-up | SB Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 21 | 16 | 1.0000 |
| 2 | Al-Ahli | 9 | 9 | 0.4826 |
| 3 | Al-Ettifaq | 2 | 3 | 0.1322 |
| 4 | Al-Nassr | 10 | 8 | 0.4856 |
| 5 | Al-Shabab | 6 | 6 | 0.3216 |
| 6 | Al-Fateh | 1 | 0 | 0.0288 |
| 7 | Al-Ittihad | 15 | 8 | 0.6284 |
| 8 | Al-Riyadh | 0 | 1 | 0.0252 |
SB Market Index
| Rank | Club | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 1.000 | 8 | 6.60000 |
| 2 | Al-Ahli | 0.4826 | 8 | 6.49652 |
| 3 | Al-Ettifaq | 0.1322 | 7 | 5.62644 |
| 4 | Al-Nassr | 0.4856 | 6 | 4.89712 |
| 5 | Al-Shabab | 0.3216 | 6 | 4.86432 |
| 6 | Al-Fateh | 0.0288 | 6 | 4.80576 |
| 7 | Al-Ittihad | 0.6284 | 5 | 4.12568 |
| 8 | Al-Riyadh | 0.0252 | 5 | 4.00504 |
Is the Saudi League Going to be bigger in the Future?
Even before the Saudi Public Investment Fund took over, Al-Hilal was already dominant. Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival in 2023 at Al-Nassr brought global attention to Saudi football, and Karim Benzema, Kanté, Neymar and other stars arrived shortly after. The quality of Saudi football has increased enormously, as evidenced by Ronaldo's team, Al Nassr, finishing only 3rd this season.
Historically, the biggest battles have been between Al Hilal and Al-Ittihad, especially in the late 1990s and 2000s, when the Jeddah-based team enjoyed a golden era. Al-Ittihad currently holds 15 titles, including the one they won this season, and is one of the few teams that could break Al Hila's hegemony. Then there is the local rivalry between Al Hilal and Al Nassr, both from Riyadh. The clashes between them have always had a special importance, although in recent years, Al-Hilal's consistency has eclipsed them, even after the lightning transfers. Al-Shabab, another team from Riyadh, had a golden run in the early 1990s, winning three titles in a row (1991–1993) and have 6 trophies in total. But their presence has faded over time, the last title won being 13 years ago.
While many believe that the Saudi Arabian league is only popular because of Ronaldo, Mane and Benzema,, the roots of Saudi football run much deeper. And regardless of the era, Al-Hilal has always found a winning solution.
Concluding Thoughts on Saudi Pro League's Historical Elite & Disclaimer
Our comprehensive SB Market Index, which places a strong emphasis on expert and media consensus ('Industry Insights'), confirms Al-Hilal's status as the historical powerhouse of the Saudi Pro League. Their dominance in both raw historical achievements (SB Score) and expert perception is evident.
The high Industry Insights score for Al-Ahli propels them to a strong second place, while Al-Ettifaq's respected status also elevates them in the final ranking, even above some teams with more historical titles like Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr (whose SB scores were higher but Industry Insights lower in this sample).
This highlights that while historical trophy counts are crucial, the broader perception and sustained reputation of a club also significantly shape views on their overall success and standing.
Disclaimer
This analysis uses historical league performance data for the SB Score and surveyed 'Industry Insights'. The recent influx of global stars may reshape perceptions and future success. Different methodologies or sources could yield different conclusions. This is for illustrative and discussion purposes
With a strong background in journalism and years of experience in sports commentary, Dragoș Șoneriu has written about every aspect of sport, from match reports and features to tactical analyses and investigative pieces. A lifelong Arsenal fan, he dreams of seeing his beloved team lift the Premier League trophy. Outside of work, Dragoș collects anything football-related, from stickers and mugs to vintage shirts and scarves.