Newly married 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 teams to take the field. Franck Kessie and Riyad Mahrez, key players from the club's recent AFC Champions League victories, have departed following the expiry of their contracts. New coach Marino Pusic, who led Shakhtar Donetsk to the 2024 Ukrainian league title, replaces Matthias Jaissle, who has joined Newcastle United.

Pusic will rely on Ivan Toney, who scored 42 goals last season despite facing assault charges. Toney, a part of England's World Cup squad, could potentially rejoin Jaissle at Newcastle. Al Ahli faces promoted Diriyah in their opening match and may introduce two new signings. The team has invested substantially in Francisco Trincao, a Portuguese winger acquired from Sporting for approximately €39.3 million.

Another newcomer is Eduard Spertsyan, a 26-year-old Armenian playmaker signed from Krasnodar for around €22 million. Abha returns to Saudi Arabia's top division after a seven-year hiatus and faces Al Hazem, while Al Qadsiah, led by Brendan Rodgers, aims to improve on their fourth-place finish from the previous season. Qadsiah boasts Mexico forward Julian Quinones, who scored 33 goals last season and was part of the Mexican World Cup team.

Al Hilal aims to reclaim the Saudi Pro League title by signing Netherlands forward Crysencio Summerville from West Ham United for €64.5 million. Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghi, will look to address the negative football tactics criticized during his first season. The team features Karim Benzema, Darwin Nunez, Malcom, and Salem Al Dawsari, with additions such as Joao Cancelo and Mohammed Al Qahtani.

The opening matches include Al Riyadh against Al Ettifaq and Ronaldo, who recently secured Al Nassr's Pro League title, seeking to surpass 1,000 career goals.