The Saudi Professional League Association has revealed the criteria and factors used in building the schedule for the Saudi Roshn League for the 2026-2027 season, which starts on August 13, 2026, and concludes on May 29, 2027, ahead of the announcement of the season’s match schedule.

The announcement of the scheduling criteria comes before the release of the schedule to clarify the basis for distributing and sequencing matches, given the exceptional density of international, continental, and domestic commitments in the upcoming sports calendar, and to enhance transparency in the schedule-building mechanism for clubs, fans, and media.

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The League stated that a workshop was held with all clubs to present the scheduling mechanism and calendar. All clubs were given the opportunity to submit requests regarding match sequencing and scheduling. Eight Saudi clubs will participate in four external tournaments next season, alongside FIFA international breaks and Saudi national team commitments, which account for about 80 days of the calendar, in addition to hosting the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which requires more than 44 days, not including the handover period of stadiums before the tournament. The calendar also includes 59 days allocated for various Saudi and continental tournaments, and 43 days for rest periods between matches. Given these overlapping commitments, the League has 102 effective days to schedule 306 matches across 34 rounds of the Saudi Roshn League.

The schedule was built based on three main factors controlling the sequence and temporal and geographical distribution of matches throughout the season: schedule-building criteria, classification of clubs according to their sporting performance, and stadium readiness and availability.

Ten Criteria for Building the Schedule

The League adopted ten main criteria for building the schedule, most notably that no club may play more than two consecutive matches at home or away, and that each club must play one home and one away match in the first two and last two rounds of the season. The criteria also require that the rest period between two consecutive matches for a single club be no less than two days, regardless of the competition, to ensure player safety and regular club participation in various tournaments. Classification of Clubs to Achieve Balance in Match Sequencing

The clubs were classified into four levels; Level A and Level B each include five clubs, while Level C and Level D each include four clubs.

The classification aims to achieve greater balance in the sequence of matches, so that no club faces Level A clubs in two consecutive rounds, limiting the accumulation of difficult matches within short time periods.

The evaluation is calculated based on the results of three seasons, using fixed temporal weights that give greater weight to the most recent season. Stadium Readiness and Availability

The requirements for stadium operation and availability, in light of commitments related to regional, continental, and international hosting, represented one of the influential factors. The League confirmed that the season schedule was built in light of studying these combined factors, serving the regularity and competitive fairness of the competition, considering the diverse club participation, and contributing to a better fan experience, during an exceptional season in terms of the density and overlap of sporting commitments.

The League is scheduled to announce the match schedule for the 2026-2027 Saudi Roshn League in the next phase, including the distribution of rounds across the season.