International company is in the final phase of negotiation to purchase Saudi Pro League team, according to information from the newspaper “The Athletic”
An international company is in the final stages of negotiation to purchase a club from (Saudi Pro League), Saudi Arabia’s main football competition. This will be the first time a Saudi league team will have a foreign owner. The information was released on Friday (18.Jul.2025) by the newspaper The Athletic.
The identity of the buying company and the club involved in the transaction has not yet been revealed. The acquisition represents a new stage in the process of privatization of the Saudi League, which by 2023 was fully controlled by the country’s Ministry of Sport.
The property structure of Saudi clubs has undergone significant transformations in recent years. In 2023, the Saudi Arabia (Public Investment Fund) (Public Investment Fund) acquired 75% of the shares of 4 clubs: Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad.
Six teams were put up for sale as part of the privatization initiative, including Al Okhdood, Al Orobah and Al Kholood from SPL, as well as Al Zulfi, Al Nahda and alm of the lower divisions. The new owners of these teams should be announced in the coming weeks.
The goal is that most of the 18 Pro League clubs will be privately owned in the coming years, according to The Athletic. The 4 PIF -controlled clubs invested 1 billion pounds ($ 1.3 billion) in hiring European leagues players.
A challenge for SPL is the lack of competitive matches against major European teams, considering that the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup will only be in 2029. In October 2024, Al Hilal’s CEO was calzaded, said that SPL teams would receive well an invitation to the UEFA Champions League, but the European entity has covered speculation about this possibility.
