The Saudi Pro League announced on Wednesday the criteria and factors it relied on in building the match schedule for the Saudi Roshn League for the 2026-2027 season, which kicks off on August 13, 2026, and concludes on May 29, 2027, ahead of the announcement of the full match schedule.

The league explained that the announcement of these criteria aims to clarify the bases used in the distribution and sequencing of matches, especially given the density of international, continental, and domestic commitments in the upcoming sports season, thus enhancing the clarity of the scheduling mechanism for clubs, fans, and media.

Workshops and Club Classification

The league indicated that a workshop was held with all participating clubs, during which the scheduling mechanism and calendar were presented, and clubs were given the opportunity to submit their requests regarding the sequence and scheduling of matches.

Eight Saudi clubs will participate next season in four external tournaments, coinciding with FIFA international breaks and the Saudi national team’s commitments, which occupy about 80 days of the calendar, in addition to hosting the 2027 Asian Cup, which requires more than 44 days, not including the duration for handover of stadiums before the tournament.

Main Factors and Criteria

The league clarified that the schedule was built based on three main factors: schedule-building criteria, classification of clubs according to their sporting performance, and stadium readiness and availability. Ten main criteria were adopted, most notably that no club plays more than two consecutive home or away matches, and ensuring that each club plays one home and one away match in the first two and last two rounds of the season.

The criteria also required that the rest period between two consecutive matches for a given club be no less than two days, regardless of the competition, to preserve player safety and ensure regularity of club participation in various tournaments.

Club Classification and Stadium Readiness

Regarding club classification, they were divided into four levels: (A) and (B), each comprising five clubs, and (C) and (D), each comprising four clubs. The classification aims to achieve balance in the sequence of matches, so that no club faces level 'A' clubs in two consecutive rounds. The evaluation is based on results from three seasons, with greater weight given to the most recent season.

As for stadiums, the league took into account their operational requirements and availability, given the commitments related to regional, continental, and international hosting, as they are among the factors affecting scheduling.

The league affirmed that the schedule for the season was built after considering all these factors together, serving the regularity and competitive fairness of the competition, taking into account the various club participations, and contributing to providing a better experience for fans, in an exceptional season in terms of the density of sports commitments.

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

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