Al-Riyadh SC

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This article is about the football club in Saudi Arabia. For the football club in Iraq, see Al-Riyadh SC (Iraq).
For other uses, see Riyadh (disambiguation).

Al-Riyadh
Full nameAl-Riyadh Saudi Club[1]
Founded1953; 72 years ago (1953)
GroundPrince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium
Capacity15,000[2]
Head coachJavier Calleja
LeagueSaudi Pro League
2024–25Pro League, 12th of 18
Websiteriyadhclub.sa
Current season

Riyadh F.C. or Al-Riyadh (Arabic: نادي الرياض السعودي, romanized: nādī ar-Riyāḍ as-saʿūdī, lit. 'Saudi Riyadh Club') is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It currently plays in the Saudi Pro League (the first tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia). It was established in 1953 as Ahli Al-Riyadh, then changed its name to Al-Yamamah and finally to Al-Riyadh. Best known for its football team, Al-Riyadh also have squads in other sports.

Al-Riyadh have won one major title: the Crown Prince Cup in 1994.[3] The team also finished as runners-up in the Saudi Premier League in 1994;[4] they have never won the top league.

Al-Riyadh was promoted to the Saudi Pro League in 2023.[3]

History

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Early history

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The club was founded in 1953 under the name "Ahli Al-Riyadh", before changing to "Al-Yamama" and then to "Al-Riyadh."[5] It is currently based in west Riyadh.[6] They reached the final of the Kings Cup in 1962 and 1978, but triumphed on neither occasion.[7]

Golden era

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Al-Riyadh was promoted to the Saudi Premier League at the end of the 1988/89 season after winning the Saudi First Division League.[8]

In the early 1990s, under the leadership of the Brazilian coach Zumario and players such as Khalid Al-Qarouni, Talal Al-Jabreen, Yasser Al-Taafi and Fahd Al-Hamdan, Al-Riyadh won the Crown Prince Cup in 1994.[4] They were unable to retain the Cup in 1995, losing in the final to Al-Hilal.[9] However, they did win the 1995 Federation Cup[7] and reached the semi-final of the 1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup.[10] In 1998, Al-Riyadh once again reached the finals of the Crown Prince Cup, and lost to Al-Ahli.[11]

Al-Riyadh were relegated at the end of the 2004/5 season.[12]

Return to the top flight

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Al-Riyadh finished fourth in the Saudi First Division League in the 2022/23 season.[13] Normally, a fourth-place finish would not be good enough for promotion, but the Saudi Premier League was expanding from 16 teams to 18, offering an additional promotion spot.[3]

Honours

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Domestic

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Continental

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Players

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Current squad

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As of 3 September 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF  KSA Mohammed Al-Saeed
4 DF  ESP Sergio González
5 DF  FRA Yoann Barbet
6 MF  KSA Saud Zidan
7 DF  KSA Osama Al-Bawardi
8 MF  IRQ Ibrahim Bayesh
9 FW  SEN Mamadou Sylla
10 FW  FRA Teddy Okou
11 MF  KSA Khalil Al-Absi
12 DF  KSA Sulaiman Hazazi
14 MF  KSA Talal Al-Shubili
15 FW  KSA Nasser Al-Bishi
16 MF  KSA Mohammed Suhluli
18 MF  YEM Khaled Al-Asbahi
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF  CIV Ismaila Soro
20 MF  POR Tozé
22 GK  KSA Abdulrahman Al-Shammari
23 DF  KSA Mohammed Al-Khaibari
33 DF  KSA Ammar Al-Harfi (on loan from Al-Ula)
82 GK  CAN Milan Borjan
87 DF  KSA Marzouq Tambakti
88 MF  KSA Yahya Al-Shehri
— GK  KSA Emad Al-Feda
— GK  SVN Jan Petek
— MF  ENG Samuel Sackey
— MF  KSA Farhah Al-Shamrani (on loan from Al-Ittihad)
— FW  KSA Talal Haji (on loan from Al-Ittihad)

U21 squad

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 DF  MAR Ahmed Khatir
21 DF  YEM Abdulaziz Al-Asbahi
29 MF  KSA Salman Al-Matar
32 FW  ARG Luca Ramirez
77 FW  SDN Sultan Harun
90 FW  KSA Thamer Al-Dhafeeri
No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  KSA Abdulmalik Al-Khaibari
— DF  KSA Faisal Al-Zeer
— DF  KSA Saud Tambakti
— DF  KSA Essam Bahri
— MF  KSA Akram Yousef
— MF  KSA Hussain Al-Raqwani

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF  KSA Sultan Al-Essa (on loan to Al-Hazem)
24 FW  KSA Rayan Al-Bloushi (on loan to Al-Jabalain)
25 DF  KSA Suwailem Al-Menhali (on loan to Abha)
50 DF  KSA Nawaf Hawsawi (on loan to Al-Najma)
No. Pos. Nation Player
66 DF  KSA Majed Al-Qahtani (on loan to Al-Bukiryah)
79 MF  KSA Fahad Al-Jizani (on loan to Abha)
— MF  KSA Nawaf Al-Harbosh (on loan to Al-Bukiryah)
— FW  JOR Amin Abu Khalifa (on loan to Al-Bukiryah)

Coaching staff

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Position Staff
Head coach Spain Javier Calleja
Assistant coach Spain Luismi Loro
Saudi Arabia Al-Hamidi Abdullah Al Otaibi
Goalkeeper coach Spain Jesús Unanua
Strength and conditioning coach India Prandeep Bordoloi
Doctor Brazil Gustavo Campos

Managerial history

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International competitions

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Overview

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As of 1 July 2023
Competition Pld W D L GF GA
Arab Cup Winners' Cup 15 7 2 6 21 18
Arab Super Cup 2 0 2 0 1 1
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 4 3 0 1 7 2
TOTAL 21 10 4 7 29 21

Record by country

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Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Win%
Algeria 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 050.00
Bahrain 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00
Egypt 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 000.00
Jordan 2 1 0 1 1 1 +0 050.00
Kuwait 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0 050.00
Lebanon 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 100.00
Qatar 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00
Saudi Arabia 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 000.00
Sudan 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00
Syria 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 050.00
Tunisia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 000.00
United Arab Emirates 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00
Yemen 1 1 0 0 5 3 +2 100.00
TOTAL 21 10 4 7 29 21 +8 047.62

Matches

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1995 Arab Cup Winners' Cup Group B Egypt Al-Ahly 2–2 2nd
Tunisia Club Africain 0–1
United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr 2–0
Syria Al-Ittihad Aleppo 2–0
SF Tunisia ES Sahel 0–2 0–2
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2R Lebanon Homenmen 3–0 2−0 5–0
QF Kuwait Kazma 2–1 0−1 2–2[A]
SF Iraq Al-Talaba – Withdrew
1996 Arab Super Cup Final Tunisia ES Tunis 1–1 2nd
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 0–0
Arab Cup Winners' Cup Group A Bahrain Al-Muharraq 2–0 1st
Jordan Al-Wehdat 1–0
Algeria Olympique Médéa 1–1
SF Jordan Al-Faisaly 0–1 0–1
1999 Arab Cup Winners' Cup QR Sudan Al-Merrikh 2–1 2nd
Egypt Al-Masry 1–2
Yemen Al-Ittihad Ibb 5–3
Group B Syria Al-Jaish 1–2 3rd
Qatar Al-Gharafa 1–3
Algeria MC Oran 1–0

Key: QR – Qualifying round; 1R/2R – First/Second round; R16 – Round of 16; QF – Quarter-final; SF – Semi-final;

Notes
  • ^
    Al-Riyadh advanced after Kazma withdrew.

    • See also

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    References

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    1. ^ "Al Riyadh Saudi Club". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
    2. ^ "Goalzz.com: live sports scores and news". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
    3. ^ a b c Hankinson, Andrew (18 August 2023). "Behind the scenes of the Saudi Pro League: What really awaits stars like Neymar". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    4. ^ a b Novello, Alberto. "Saudi Arabia 1993/94". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    5. ^ "مكافأة فوزنا على النصر بخمسة.. طاسة لبن من "أم حسين"!!". Al-Riyadh. 11 July 2010. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    6. ^ "مكافأة فوزنا على النصر بخمسة.. طاسة لبن من "أم حسين"!!". alriyadh.com. 2 June 2006. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
    7. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    8. ^ "Saudi Arabia 1988/89". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    9. ^ Bobrowsky, Josef (4 May 2001). "Saudi Arabia 1994/95". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    10. ^ "Asian Club Competitions 1995/96". RSSSF. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    11. ^ Qayed, Mohammad (12 December 2002). "Saudi Arabia 1997/98". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    12. ^ Qayed, Mohammed (6 December 2006). "Saudi Arabia 2004/05". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    13. ^ Stokkermans, Karel. "Saudi Arabia 2022/23". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
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