The Saudi Pro League returns for the 2026/27 season, with defending champions Al-Nassr once again at the centre of attention. Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest players of all time, the champions begin their pursuit of back-to-back titles as the leading favourites, but another competitive battle is expected with Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli among their main challengers.

Saudi football’s enormous investment continues as well. The combined value of players across the league now stands at approximately €1.19 billion, while clubs have spent around €230 million on new signings this summer. At the same time, the arrival of an ambitious newly promoted side adds another intriguing storyline to a league that continues to evolve.

Al-Nassr begin their title defence with Ronaldo still leading the way

After finishing last season on top, Al-Nassr enter 2026/27 with the same ultimate objective: another Saudi Pro League title. The biggest name remains Cristiano Ronaldo, whose presence continues to make Al-Nassr one of the most followed clubs in world football. The Portuguese superstar has stayed for another season and will once again be the face of the defending champions.

Al-Nassr enter the campaign as the leading title favourites, but there should be serious competition. Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli are expected to provide the strongest challenges as three of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs prepare for another battle for the championship.

Interestingly, Al-Nassr are not the most valuable squad in the competition despite entering the season as champions.

€1.19 billion worth of talent across the Saudi Pro League

The combined market value of Saudi Pro League players currently stands at approximately €1.19 billion, highlighting the enormous amount of talent that has been accumulated in the competition.

Al-Hilal have the most valuable squad at €222 million, narrowly ahead of Al-Ahli at €220 million. Al-Ittihad follow with a squad worth approximately €150 million, while Al-Qadsiah sit fourth at €143 million.

Defending champions Al-Nassr are only fifth in this ranking, with their squad valued at approximately €137 million. It creates an interesting contrast heading into the season. Al-Nassr have the title and arguably the league’s biggest global superstar, but several rivals possess squads with higher overall market values.

Neom SC could be much more than a typical newcomer

Three new clubs arrive from the second tier this season: Neom SC, Al-Najma SC and Al-Hazem.

Of the three, Neom immediately stand out. Despite only just earning promotion, their squad is already valued at approximately €82 million, making them the sixth-most valuable team in the entire Saudi Pro League.

That is not the profile of a conventional newly promoted club. Neom have strengthened further with the arrival of Malang Sarr on a free transfer from Lens, with the defender carrying a market value of around €20 million. He joins another highly valued French defender in Nathan Zézé, who has been at the club since last season and is also valued at approximately €20 million. Goalkeeper Marcin Bułka provides further quality, while experienced names such as Saïd Benrahma and Alexandre Lacazette give Neom considerable attacking pedigree.

Rather than simply targeting survival, Neom could therefore become one of the most interesting teams to follow in 2026/27 and potentially play a significant role much higher up the table.

Summerville leads another €230m summer of investment

Saudi clubs have once again been extremely active in the transfer market. The biggest deal of the summer has been Crysencio Summerville’s €64.5 million move from West Ham to Al-Hilal, giving one of the championship favourites another major attacking weapon.

Al-Ahli responded with significant business of their own. Francisco Trincão arrived from Sporting for €40 million, while Eduard Spertsyan joined from Krasnodar for €22 million.

Defending champions Al-Nassr strengthened their midfield by signing Samu Costa from Mallorca for €22 million, while Al-Ittihad completed the top five biggest deals by paying Anderlecht €15 million for Jan-Carlo Simić.

In total, Saudi Pro League clubs have spent approximately €230 million on reinforcements at the time of writing. They have generated only around €55 million through outgoing transfers, leaving the league with an overall transfer balance of approximately -€175 million.

The numbers send a familiar message: Saudi Arabia’s investment in football is far from over.

A summer of major departures

Not every big name will be returning for the new campaign. One of the most significant outgoing transfers saw Marcos Leonardo leave Al-Hilal for Ajax in a €20 million deal, while Al-Nassr forward Jhon Durán joined Benfica on loan.

There has also been a significant turnover among some of the experienced stars who helped define the league’s recent era. Franck Kessié, Fabinho, Riyad Mahrez, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Georginio Wijnaldum, Pablo Marí, Chris Smalling and Marcelo Brozović are among the biggest names whose contracts expired this summer.

It represents a considerable change in personnel, but the Saudi Pro League has simultaneously continued to attract younger players from major European competitions, with Summerville and Trincão among the clearest examples.

Ronaldo stays, and so do last season’s best performers

While several established names have departed, some of the league’s most important players have remained. Cristiano Ronaldo is the obvious headline attraction, but the Saudi Pro League has also retained the two players who recorded the highest Sofascore Ratings last season.

Rúben Neves finished the campaign with an outstanding 7.85 average Sofascore Rating, while João Félix followed with 7.75. Both Portuguese stars remain in the competition for 2026/27.

The league has also kept its two most prolific goalscorers. Mexican World Cup star Julián Quiñones was last season’s top scorer with an incredible 33 league goals, and he will have an opportunity to defend his scoring crown after remaining in Saudi Arabia. His closest challenger was England international Ivan Toney, who finished only one goal behind on 32 goals and also stays for the new campaign.

With Quiñones and Toney remaining, Ronaldo continuing with Al-Nassr and a new group of attacking players arriving from Europe, the race for the 2026/27 Golden Boot could be every bit as interesting as the battle for the championship itself.

Can anyone stop Ronaldo and Al-Nassr?

Al-Nassr begin the new season with the crown, Cristiano Ronaldo and the status of title favourites, but defending it will be far from straightforward. Al-Hilal possess the most valuable squad in the league and have added Summerville in the biggest transfer of the summer. Al-Ahli are only €2 million behind them in squad value and have invested heavily in Trincão and Spertsyan.

Then there are the potential outsiders and surprise packages, including an unusually ambitious newly promoted Neom side already possessing the sixth-most valuable squad in the competition.

The league has lost several famous names, but it has retained Ronaldo, Neves, Félix, Quiñones and Toney while investing another €230 million in new talent.

€1.19 billion in player value, a €175 million negative summer transfer balance, established superstars and another wave of high-profile arrivals. Saudi football’s spending may have evolved, but its ambition clearly has not.

And now the question returns to the pitch: can Cristiano Ronaldo lead Al-Nassr to another Saudi Pro League title?