Football Federation Approves Election Regulations Amendments and Bans List Alliances

Ibrahim bin Mohammed from Riyadh

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 17:28 | 2-minute read

The General Assembly of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, during its extraordinary meeting held on Wednesday, approved a package of substantial amendments to the election regulations and the statute for the 2026 electoral cycle, in a step aimed at enhancing governance and closing legal loopholes in the mechanism of administrative power transition.

The meeting coincided with the announcement by the current Board of Directors of its intention not to complete its legal term, prompting the General Assembly, composed of member clubs, to immediately ratify the amended regulations to take immediate effect.

Wed, 01 2026

Increase in the number of members of the unified electoral list for the Board of Directors

The new regulation introduced a structural amendment to Article Four, raising the number of members of the unified electoral list for the Board of Directors to 12 candidates instead of the previous 11. According to the new update, each list consists of a president, a vice president, and up to 10 members, who are voted on as a single bloc through a secret ballot system.

Mon, 04 2026

Addressing cases of sudden vacancies

In a regulatory provision introduced by the sports legislator to address cases of sudden vacancies, the amendments stipulate that if the Board of Directors decides to resign or not complete its term, electoral procedures shall be initiated immediately. The current board, under the new article, is obligated to manage affairs and hand over all administrative and financial files to the elected board according to the approved timeline, preventing any administrative vacuum in the Saudi football system.

Mon, 29 2026

Tight controls to ensure electoral integrity

The General Assembly also approved strict legal controls to ensure the independence and integrity of the electoral process. The amendments, in Article Five, require that at least one member of the electoral committee hold a bachelor's degree in law. The regulations explicitly prohibit any electoral list from aligning or forming an alliance with another competing list, directly or indirectly, during the campaign period.

Article 13 also set a time limit of no more than two days to replace any candidate who submits a written withdrawal, banning the inclusion of any name on more than one list, and establishing a mechanism for direct secret paper or electronic voting within the General Assembly hall.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation confirmed that the amended regulations cancel all previous decisions and circulars that contradict them, making it the sole and governing legal reference for upcoming electoral procedures.

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