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Saudi Pro League October 2026 Review: Al Hilal Retake Top Spot in a Disrupted Month

The Saudi Pro League 2026-27 season remains finely balanced after Matchweek 12, with Al Hilal leading the table on 30 points at the 31 October 2026 cut-off. Simone Inzaghi’s side reclaimed top spot during a pivotal month that featured some of the campaign’s biggest fixtures and reinforced their status as title favourites entering November.

Wins over Al Ittihad in the Saudi Clasico and title rivals Al Qadsiah in Dammam formed part of a perfect four-from-four October, leaving Al Hilal two points clear of Al Qadsiah despite having played a game fewer.

Away from the standings, Ivan Toney tightened his grip on the race to finish as the Saudi Pro League top scorer in 2026-27. Global attention stayed fixed on the Cristiano Ronaldo 1,000-goal countdown after his hat-trick against Al Kholood. Meanwhile, Saudi Pro League postponed matches – three in Matchweek 9 alone – left several leading clubs with games in hand heading into November.

Al Hilal Answer Every Big Question in October

Al Hilal’s October began with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Al Ittihad in the Saudi Clasico. Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring before Ollie Watkins doubled Al Hilal’s advantage. Al Ittihad fought back through Youssef En-Nesyri and a Steven Bergwijn penalty, but Crysencio Summerville struck the winner, inflicting Al Ittihad’s first league defeat of the season and sending Al Hilal top on 21 points.

That victory established momentum that continued throughout October. On 19 October, Simone Inzaghi’s side hosted Al Hazem and appeared destined to drop points until Gabriel Martinelli produced an 89th-minute winner. The narrow 1-0 success left Al Hilal one point behind leaders Al Qadsiah, with a game in hand, ahead of the trip to Dammam.

The month’s defining league fixture arrived against Al Qadsiah. With Al Qadsiah leading the table entering the contest, Al Hilal knew defeat would hand the initiative to a direct rival. Instead, they delivered another statement performance in a 3-2 victory in Dammam.

Martinelli opened the scoring after 21 minutes, but Julián Quiñones headed Al Qadsiah level within 10 minutes. The game stayed level until the 77th minute, when Rúben Neves found the bottom corner and Sergej Milinković-Savić made it 3-1 with six minutes left – his 50th goal for the club. Mateo Retegui headed in a late reply, but Al Hilal held on to claim three points and leapfrog Al Qadsiah at the top of the standings.

The league leaders completed a perfect domestic month on 31 October with a 2-0 victory over Al Fateh at Kingdom Arena. Ollie Watkins scored early before Neves converted a late penalty to seal another three points. The win ensured Al Hilal finished October with four league victories from four matches, collecting the maximum 12 points and moving onto 30 points from 11 league games.

The only blemish on an otherwise flawless month came in the AFC Champions League Elite on 27 October. With Martinelli injured, Summerville suspended, and Rúben Neves and Sergej Milinković-Savić also absent, Inzaghi rotated heavily for the trip to Qatar against Al Shamal. Salem Al Dawsari cancelled out Wesley Saïd’s opener, but second-half goals from Baghdad Bounedjah and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane gave the hosts a 3-1 win.

Despite the defeat, Inzaghi remained focused on the wider schedule and the physical demands placed on his squad. Speaking after the match, the Italian said: “We put in a fine first half, but in the second half, because of fatigue, we did not deliver the expected performance.”

Saudi Pro League Standings After Matchweek 12

The Saudi Pro League standings require context because postponements have left clubs on different numbers of matches as of 31 October 2026. Al Qadsiah and NEOM have completed 12 fixtures, while Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli have played 11. That imbalance strengthens the positions of both Al Hilal and Al Nassr. Al Hilal lead the table by two points despite having a game in hand on Al Qadsiah, while Al Nassr are level on points with the second-placed club and also have a match in hand. Their positions suggest the title race remains even tighter than the table alone indicates.

Al Qadsiah remain genuine title contenders despite October’s defeat to Al Hilal. They responded emphatically on 29 October with a 6-0 victory over Al Riyadh, with Tijjani Reijnders scoring a hat-trick and Julián Quiñones also on the scoresheet. However, they no longer control their own position at the top. Al Hilal’s victories over both Al Ittihad and Al Qadsiah proved decisive. Rather than simply protecting their status, Inzaghi’s men took points directly from rivals and ended October leading the championship race.

Outside the title battle, Al Shabab thrashed reigning Asian champions Al Ahli 6-1 at SHG Arena on 30 October, with Yannick Carrasco scoring a hat-trick. It was reported as the heaviest Saudi Pro League defeat in Al Ahli’s history, surpassing a 6-2 loss to Al Ettifaq in 2018-19.

As of 31 October 2026.

Golden Boot Race: Toney Sets the Pace

Ivan Toney continues to lead the Saudi Pro League 2026-27 top-scorer standings. The Al Ahli striker finished October with 12 league goals, according to official league statistics. Ivan Toney’s goals for Al Ahli have become one of the defining storylines of the season. The England international enters November with a four-goal lead in the Golden Boot race.

Behind him, Tijjani Reijnders sits second on eight goals, while Youssef En-Nesyri, Alexandre Lacazette, Mateo Retegui, and Cristiano Ronaldo are level on seven. With 22 rounds still to play, the race remains open, but Toney’s five-goal lead gives him a clear cushion entering November.

Elsewhere, Al Taawoun striker Abderrazak Hamdallah moved to the brink of history in October. His goal against Al-Taawoun on 31 October took him to 160 Saudi Pro League goals in 187 appearances, one short of Omar Al Somah’s all-time record of 161.

Top Goalscorers (League goals only):

As of 31 October 2026.

Ronaldo’s Countdown to 1,000 Career Goals

The Cristiano Ronaldo 1,000-goal chase took a big step forward in October. The Al Nassr forward scored a hat-trick against Al Kholood on 29 October in a 5-3 victory at Al Awwal Park. His goals arrived between the 66th and 81st minutes and lifted him into the league’s top-five scoring chart. Ronaldo’s career total stands at 985 goals following Matchweek 12. That leaves the Portuguese captain 15 goals short of the 1,000-goal milestone.

The hat-trick also moved his 2026-27 Saudi Pro League tally to seven goals, keeping him within striking distance of the Golden Boot leader as Al Nassr continue their pursuit of Al Hilal at the top of the table.

Postponements and a Crowded Calendar

Fixture disruption emerged as a major talking point throughout October as several Saudi Pro League matches were postponed and rescheduled. On 13 October 2026, the league announced the rescheduling of three Matchweek 9 fixtures. The Saudi Pro League said the changes were made because of “logistical considerations, taking into account the mandatory minimum rest period between matches.”

Al Riyadh versus Al Hilal and Al Ittihad versus Al Shabab were both moved to 19 December 2026, while Al Ahli versus Al Nassr was postponed until 6 March 2027. The changes affected the competitive balance of the title race, leaving several leading clubs with games in hand entering November.

Abha also experienced repeated fixture disruption. Their delayed Matchweek 8 meeting with Al Faisaly was eventually played on 27 October, while the Matchweek 10 clash with Al Kholood was moved to 7 December 2026. Another schedule adjustment arrived during Matchweek 12, when Abha’s fixture against Al Ittihad was shifted to an earlier kick-off time for operational reasons before finishing 1-1.

The disruption extended beyond domestic football. On 25 October, the AFC postponed the AFC Champions League Elite fixture between Al Nassr and Al Wasl. The confederation said only that a new date and kick-off time would be announced in due course. Reuters reported that Saudi media said Al Wasl’s delegation had not arrived in Riyadh before the postponement. As of the October cut-off, no replacement date had been announced.

Looking Ahead to November

The following fixtures fall after the 31 October 2026 cut-off. With Al Hilal two points clear and Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli all holding games in hand, November will show how much October’s postponements really matter.

• AFC Champions League Elite Matchday 4 (2 to 3 November): Al Nassr visit Pakhtakor in Tashkent, while Al Hilal host Shabab Al Ahli Dubai at Kingdom Arena.
• Saudi Pro League Matchweek 13 (5-7 November): Domestic action resumes with several important fixtures, including Al Qadsiah versus Al Fayha and Al Hazem versus Al Nassr. Al Hilal will also attempt to protect their two-point lead at the top of the standings after ending October with four wins from four league matches.
• Rescheduled fixtures: October’s postponed matches return in December, with Abha versus Al Kholood on 7 December and the two delayed Matchweek 9 fixtures on 19 December, while Al Ahli versus Al Nassr waits until 6 March 2027.