• Al Ahli welcome Al Hazem to Jeddah on opening day in battle of newly promoted clubs, while city rivals and champions Al-Ittihad begin title defence with an away date at Al Raed.
• Club World Cup finalists Al Hilal visit Abha, as SPL runners-up AlNassr face Al Ettifaq in Dammam.
• Mouthwatering clash between Al-Ittihad and Al Hilal in Jeddah on week five.

Riyadh, 15 July 2023: The Saudi Pro League today released the fixtures for the 2023/24 domestic campaign, a milestone season for the Roshn Saudi League at a time of genuine growth for football in the Kingdom.

The new campaign has seen a number of major big-name signings moving to Saudi clubs from around the world and is set to build on a record-breaking 2022/23 season which saw more spectators on match days, more followers and greater global viewing figures than ever before, with action aired on 48 platforms and TV broadcasters in over 170 countries worldwide.

The full fixture list has been released, with timings confirmed for the first five rounds of matches. The fixture list can be viewed here.

The season kicks off on Friday August 11, with newly promoted First Division champions Al Ahli set to renew rivalries against Al Hazem at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, after pipping the visitors to the title by just four points last season.

The first game of the new campaign could give football fans around the country the first chance to see Al Ahli’s new big-name additions from the English Premier League, with Brazil forward Roberto Firmino signing from Liverpool and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy joining from Chelsea in the close season.

On Monday August 14 in the same round of fixtures, reigning champions and city rivals Al-Ittihad will get the defence of their Roshn Saudi League title underway with a trip to Buraiydah to face Al Raed. The 6pm kick-off could give a first taste of action to Karim Benzema, the Ballon d’Or winner from Real Madrid, alongside new signings N’Golo Kante from Chelsea and Jota from Scottish champions Celtic.

Al Hilal, who reached both the FIFA Club World Cup and AFC Champions League finals last season, begin life under Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus with a trip to Abha on the same day with a 6pm kick-off. Al Hilal could also be introducing three high-profile summer signings to Saudi football - Portuguese international midfielder Ruben Neves moved from English Premier League outfit Wolves in the close season, Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly joined from Chelsea, and Serbia international Sergej Milinkovic-Savic joined the club from Lazio.

Runners-up AlNassr get their season underway on the same day with a trip to Dammam to face Al Ettifaq in a later kick-off at 9pm. The Riyadh outfit, who signed superstar Cristiano Ronaldo last season, have further strengthened in the close season with the transfer of Croatia international midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan. Former Liverpool and England star Steven Gerrard is in charge at Al Ettifaq.

Other key dates on the new season include the Saudi ‘El Clasico’ in Jeddah, with champions Al-Ittihad hosting heavyweights Al Hilal in a mouthwatering clash at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal stadium in week five (Friday September 1, 9pm). The corresponding fixture will see Al Hilal hosting the champions at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahad stadium in Riyadh on week 22, the weekend of March 7-9, 2024.
 
Al Hilal also face another Jeddah rivalry in week 11 (October 26-28, 2023), when they entertain Al Ahli at the King Fahad International Stadium, with the return fixture taking place on week 28 (April 25-27, 2024.
They also face city rivals Al Nassr on week 15 (November 30 – December 2, 2023) with the return fixture scheduled for week 32, May 16-17.
 
The eagerly anticipated Al Ittihad v Al Nassr match, which will potentially pit Benzema against former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo, will take place on week 17, from December 14-16 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. The return fixture could well be crucial in deciding the fate of the entire campaign, with Al Nassr hosting Al Ittihad during the final gameweek of the season, on Monday May 27, 2024.
 
The new season comes at a time of genuine growth for Saudi Arabian football. The national team recorded a stunning victory over eventual champions Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2022, the sixth time the Kingdom has qualified for the tournament in the last eight campaigns.

The league continues to hit new heights, with the best home-grown talent and players from over 40 different countries generating real interest in the sport across the country. Other recent developments include the establishment of a professional women’s premier league and women’s national team and schoolgirls league with 50,000 playing each week.

Follow all the latest developments on Twitter at @SPL_EN and on Instagram at @SPL , or visit the website https://spl.com.sa/en for more information and updates.