A new campaign in the Jouy Elite League, Saudi Arabia’s Under-21 competition, begins on Sunday, with defending champions Al Hazem starting their title defence away to Al Jabalain and several of the country’s biggest clubs facing newly promoted opposition.
The 2026-27 season is the second edition of the competition, which enjoyed a successful inaugural campaign. While Al Hazem will aim to repeat their surprise triumph, other clubs will be seeking major improvement after narrowly avoiding, or suffering, relegation last term.
The opening match will see Al Ettifaq, who finished top of the league phase last season, visit newly promoted Al Tadhamon at Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin مساعد City Stadium in Arar on Sunday, 23 August.
Five further matches will be played on the same day. Al Ahli travel to Al Fayha at Al Majma’ah Sports City Stadium, while Al Taawoun host Al Najma in Buraidah. Al Riyadh visit Al Wehda at King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Mecca.
Neom will face Al Orubah at Al Watani Club Stadium in Tabuk, while Al Hazem begin their campaign against Al Jabalain at Prince Abdulaziz bin Musa’ed bin جلوي Stadium in Hail.
The second round of opening-weekend fixtures is scheduled for Monday, 24 August. Al Qadsiah host Al Khaleej at Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium, and last season’s runners-up Al Fateh welcome newly promoted Al Ansar to First Funding Field in Al Ahsa.
Al Hilal will visit another promoted side, Al Faisaly, at Al Majma’ah Sports City Stadium. Al Kholood host Al Okhdood at Al Hazem Club Stadium in Al-Rass, while Al Ittihad travel to Damac in Khamis Mushait.
Al Nassr will not play their opening-round match until 18 December, when they visit newly promoted Al Watan at King Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jazan.
Al Hazem carry the champions’ burden
All eyes will be on Al Hazem as they begin their defence of the Jouy Elite League title. Their opening fixture appears favourable on paper, with Al Jabalain having struggled badly in last season’s Saudi Under-21 campaign.
Al Jabalain finished 18th with 22 points, recording seven wins, one draw and 12 defeats. They ended only two points above Al Adalah, the first club relegated to the regional leagues.
Al Hazem, however, were not among the leading sides during the regular league phase. They finished ninth with 33 points from 10 wins, three draws and seven losses.
Their campaign was transformed by their performances in the knockout stages. Al Hazem eliminated Al Okhdood in the play-off, defeated league leaders Al Ettifaq in the quarter-finals and overcame Al Hilal in the semi-finals before beating Al Fateh 3-1 in the final.
Al Ahli will also begin the new season determined to avoid a repeat of last year’s disappointing campaign. They visit Al Fayha, who were among the more encouraging performers in the previous edition.
Al Ahli suffered inconsistent form throughout the season and repeatedly found themselves close to the relegation battle. They failed to reach the knockout phase, finishing 15th with 24 points from six wins, six draws and eight defeats.
Al Fayha, in contrast, reached the play-off after finishing 12th on 29 points, having won eight matches, drawn five and lost seven. They were eventually eliminated by Al Qadsiah, but performed strongly, particularly in the second leg, when they came close to winning.
Al Hilal meet another promoted side
Al Hilal will start their campaign away to Al Faisaly, who have just been promoted to the Jouy Elite League.
The fixture mirrors the opening match of Al Hilal’s senior side in the Saudi Pro League, when they faced newly promoted Al Faisaly at Kingdom Arena. Supporters will hope the Under-21 team can repeat the senior side’s 4-2 victory, while producing a much-improved campaign of their own.
Al Hilal were among the leading contenders for last season’s title and finished second in the league phase with 40 points. They recorded 11 wins, seven draws and two defeats, ending just one point behind Al Ettifaq.
Despite beating Al Ittihad in the quarter-final classic, Al Hilal lost their semi-final against Al Hazem. The first leg ended 2-2 before Al Hilal were beaten 2-0 in the return match.
Al Ittihad, meanwhile, begin their season at Damac. Neither club met expectations last term, with Al Ittihad particularly inconsistent during the second half of the campaign.
Al Ittihad finished seventh in the league phase with 34 points, collecting 10 wins, four draws and six defeats. Their run ended in the quarter-finals after a 3-2 aggregate defeat by Al Hilal.
Damac endured an even more difficult season and finished 17th with 23 points from six wins, five draws and nine defeats. They were only three points clear of Al Adalah, the first team to be relegated.
The match should provide both clubs with an early indication of their prospects, particularly Al Ittihad as they look to deliver the significant progress their supporters expect.
Al Nassr face a long wait
Al Nassr will complete the opening round when they travel to Al Watan in December.
The club begin the new campaign seeking a response after losing their way during the closing stages of last season. Despite possessing some of the strongest young players in the competition, Al Nassr finished third in the league phase with 38 points from 11 wins, five draws and four defeats.
Their early exit from the knockout stages was a major surprise. Al Nassr were beaten by Al Fateh in both legs of the quarter-final, going out 7-3 on aggregate.
The team’s squad included talents such as Haider Abdulkarim, Abdulmalik Al-Jaber, Saad Haqawi and Asim Mohammed, but inconsistent performances left supporters disappointed. They will expect a markedly better showing in the new Saudi Under-21 season.
The Jouy Elite League features 24 clubs. Twenty teams from last season remain, while four sides have been promoted from the regional leagues to replace the four relegated clubs.
The competition is divided into two stages. During the league phase, every team plays 20 matches, with 10 at home and 10 away, under the standard points system.
The top four teams qualify directly for the quarter-finals. Clubs finishing from fifth to 12th enter a knockout play-off to determine the other four quarter-finalists.
From the play-off onwards, ties are played over two legs until the final, where the champions are crowned.
Al Hazem won the first edition by beating Al Fateh 3-1 in last season’s final. Al Adalah, Al Raed, Al Bukayriyah and Al Shabab were relegated after finishing in the bottom four during the league phase.
Cooperation striker Basem Al-Arini was the competition’s leading scorer with 20 goals, while Al Qadsiah goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Muhaisin won the best goalkeeper award. Kooora selected Al Hilal player Abdulaziz Al-Jarmoush as the tournament’s best player after his impressive performances for the club.
The Jouy Elite League will be available to watch on stc tv.
