• Home
  • Sports
  • Saudi Pro League encounters a startling new low as a celebrity-studded game draws just 390 spectators in the opulent competition.

Saudi Pro League encounters a startling new low as a celebrity-studded game draws just 390 spectators in the opulent competition.

The Saudi Pro League struck a new low in their attendance figures over the weekend, as a battle between Al Fayha and Al Riyadh saw a pitiful total of 390 supporters attend the match on Sunday. The Pro League's popularity has spread throughout the world owing to the presence of various football superstars, like Karim Benzema, Neymar Jr., and Cristiano Ronaldo, but domestic support is still lacking. At the King Salman Sport City Stadium in Al Majma'ah, the 390 spectators could almost fit into one stand as the hosts defeated Al Riyadh 2-0.

Saudi Pro League encounters a startling new low as a celebrity-studded game draws just 390 spectators in the opulent competition.

The Saudi Pro League struck a new low in their attendance figures over the weekend, as a battle between Al Fayha and Al Riyadh saw a pitiful total of 390 supporters attend the match on Sunday. The Pro League's popularity has spread throughout the world owing to the presence of various football superstars, like Karim Benzema, Neymar Jr., and Cristiano Ronaldo, but domestic support is still lacking. At the King Salman Sport City Stadium in Al Majma'ah, the 390 spectators could almost fit into one stand as the hosts defeated Al Riyadh 2-0.

 

 

Despite having a capacity of only 7,000, Al Fayha's stadium is among the smaller ones in the league, thus the team and the league organisers as a whole will be concerned about the lack of a significant average attendance figure. Chris Smalling, a former defender for Manchester United and AS Roma, and Fashion Sakala, a former Rangers winger who scored in this game, have moved to Al Fahya. The King Salman Stadium averaged just 2301 supporters in the 23/24 season as per Transfermarkt, significantly under the halfway point, with the relative absence of celebrity names not explaining such a discrepancy in these figures. The Saudi Pro League has had general trouble drawing large crowds to its venues. King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, which is shared by Al Ahli and Al Ettihad, has a capacity of 62,000, making it the largest club stadium in Saudi Arabia. Despite this, both clubs had trouble drawing huge crowds—roughly 17,000 and 24,000, respectively—into the expansive stadium during the previous season.
 

 

Last season, the Saudi Pro League averaged fewer than 9,000 attendance per event, according to Transfermarkt statistics. This puts it considerably shy of the numbers posted by the third divisions in both Germany and England (9,500 for the EFL League One and 9,200 for the 3. Liga), but worryingly also short of the Bundesliga (39,000) and the Premier League (38,000). Due to their larger star attractions and location in the capital Riyadh, Ronaldo's Al Nassr and Neymar's Al Hilal are comparatively better placed; on average, their stadiums were filled to 70%. Still, this is still well short of the top teams in the world, with clubs like Manchester United and Bayern Munich packing their 75,000-seat stadiums and even lesser teams like West Ham regularly drawing crowds of up to 62,000 at the London Stadium. This summer, the Saudi Pro League welcomed high-profile players like Ivan Toney, Joao Cancelo, and Moussa Diaby thanks to its wealth; nonetheless, attendance problems persist in a nation that is sometimes blamed for lacking a dedicated local fan base.

 

 


IPL 2025 Retention Rules: New Player Limits, Uncapped 'MS Dhoni' Rule, RTM Returns—All You Need to Know

IPL 2025 Retention Rules: New Player Limits, Uncapped 'MS Dhoni' Rule, RTM Returns—All You Need to Know

Before Thursday's IPL 2025 super auction, the teams must submit their list of retained players....
India Announces Squad for Australia Tour: Rohit Sharma Leads, Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana Make Debuts, Shami Omitted

India Announces Squad for Australia Tour: Rohit Sharma Leads, Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana Make Debuts, Shami Omitted

Rohit was appointed captain for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana ...
Sports Minister Mandaviya said the law will improve governance.

Sports Minister Mandaviya said the law will improve governance.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated on Monday that the National Sports Governance Bill, w...
Third T20I Victory Against Bangladesh for Ravi Bishnoi

Third T20I Victory Against Bangladesh for Ravi Bishnoi

Along with becoming the youngest (24 years, 37 days) and second-fastest (with Arshdeep Singh) to rea...
Harmanpreet Heartbroken, Smriti Mandhana in Tears After India’s Gut-Wrenching Loss to Australia

Harmanpreet Heartbroken, Smriti Mandhana in Tears After India’s Gut-Wrenching Loss to Australia

India lost by nine runs against Australia in Women's T20 World Cup match...
Shooter Divyansh Panwar restarts after missing the Paris Olympics

Shooter Divyansh Panwar restarts after missing the Paris Olympics

Five years ago, Divyansh Panwar made a big impression on the senior rifle squad of India with his lo...
Mohun Bagan requests legal counsel following the AFC ruling.

Mohun Bagan requests legal counsel following the AFC ruling.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided that the Kolkata giants had withdrawn from Asian Cham...
India's first female Olympian in gymnastics, Dipa Karmakar, quits at the age of 31.

India's first female Olympian in gymnastics, Dipa Karmakar, quits at the age of 31.

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar, a trailblazer who cracked several glass ceilings for Indian athletes, announc...
India vs New Zealand: Harmanpreet-Led India Suffers 58-Run Defeat in Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Opener

India vs New Zealand: Harmanpreet-Led India Suffers 58-Run Defeat in Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Opener

Women's T20 World Cup 2024, New Zealand vs India Highlights: On Friday in Dubai, India suffered ...
In an antitrust action against NASCAR and its CEO, Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports file

In an antitrust action against NASCAR and its CEO, Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports file

Jordan stated that he wants an environment where everyone has an opportunity to succeed and a system...