Cristiano Ronaldo chases milestone as Al Hilal regroup: Saudi Pro League season preview

The 2026/27 Saudi Pro League season commences on Thursday with Al Ahli Saudi among the first clubs to take the field. Franck Kessie and Riyad Mahrez, key figures from their back-to-back AFC Champions League victories, have departed after their contracts expired. The team will now be led by Marino Pusic, who replaces Matthias Jaissle as the new manager.

Pusic, who guided Shakhtar Donetsk to the Ukrainian league title, joined on a two-year deal and will work with Ivan Toney, who is currently facing assault charges and will appear in a London Magistrates Court on September 24. Toney, who scored 42 goals last season, has been linked with a return to the Premier League, potentially reuniting with Jaissle at Newcastle United.

Al Ahli will face promoted Diriyah in their opening match, and could see two new signings, Francisco Trincao and Eduard Spertsyan, make their debuts. Trincao, a Portuguese winger who joined from Sporting for €39.3 million, will step into the shoes of Mahrez, who left the club earlier in his career. Eduard Spertsyan, a 26-year-old Armenian playmaker, has also joined Al Ahli for a reported fee of €22 million.

Abha, returning to the Saudi Pro League after a seven-year absence, take on Al Hazem with Al Qadsiah hosting Al Shabab in other Thursday night fixtures. Qadsiah, led by Brendan Rodgers, aims to improve on their fourth-place finish last season, with Mexico forward Julian Quinones set to claim the SPL Golden Boot with 33 league goals after outscoring both Ronaldo and Toney last term.

Al Hilal, eager to reclaim the Saudi Pro League crown, have signed Netherlands forward Crysencio Summerville for €64.5 million from West Ham United. The Dutchman will bolster Hilal's attack as they look to end a title drought, with Karim Benzema, Darwin Nunez, Malcom, and Salem Al Dawsari also returning to the team. Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi, previously criticized for his defensive tactics, now has several players coming back from loan spells, including Portugal defender Joao Cancelo and Saudi winger Mohammed Al Qahtani.

Ronaldo, who guided Al Nassr to the Pro League title last season, has now scored a total of 976 senior goals, including 28 for Al Nassr in their title-winning campaign. The 41-year-old played at his sixth World Cup this summer, scoring three goals for Portugal, who exited at the last-16 stage to eventual champions Spain.