The new Roshn Saudi League season has yet to begin, but the early shape of the title race is already becoming clear, with Al-Hilal appearing to have established themselves as the leading contenders before a ball has been kicked.
The campaign officially starts next Thursday with three fixtures: Abha face Al Hazem, Al Ahli play Al Fateh, and Al Shabab meet Al Qadsiah. Those matches will provide the first competitive indication of how the teams have been rebuilt and whether the balance of power has shifted before the opening weekend.
Although the opening whistle is still days away, the summer has already offered a sense of how the season may unfold. Preparations are largely complete across the division, and most clubs’ plans are now visible through their coaching arrangements and their selections of domestic and overseas players.
That has fuelled the impression that the foundations of the new campaign are already in place. While clubs may still make minor adjustments in the coming days, the major elements of their squads and technical projects appear to have been decided.
Against that backdrop, Al-Hilal are being viewed as the side best positioned to set the pace. The question raised around the league is whether their apparent strength means they could effectively be regarded as champions before the competition has even started.
That remains a prediction rather than an established outcome. The title will still have to be settled over the course of the season, beginning with next Thursday’s opening fixtures. But with most teams having completed their principal work in the transfer and preparation period, the first major contest of the campaign is already attracting attention.
The opening schedule offers three contrasting tests. Abha and Al Hazem will launch the season, while Al Ahli’s meeting with Al Fateh gives both sides an immediate opportunity to make an impression. Al Shabab’s game against Al Qadsiah completes the first day’s programme.
The league’s clubs now move from preparation to competition. Their coaching staffs, domestic players and foreign players have largely been assembled, leaving only the possibility of limited changes before the first matches.
For Al-Hilal, that has created an expectation that they can begin strongly and challenge for control from the outset. For the rest of the division, the task will be to disprove the idea that the championship race has already been decided by the summer’s work.
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