Saudi Pro League September 2025 Roundup: Ronaldo-Felix Firepower, Rising Stars, and Early Title Race Thrills
September saw the Saudi Pro League roaring back into action in style. Marquee signings are settling into the league, established names are reprising their starring roles, and new clubs are getting accustomed to the competitive dynamic of the league. Here are the core stories making headlines from the RSL in September.
The Budding Ronaldo-Felix Axis at Al Nassr
Al Nassr have started the season in fine form, collecting three wins in their opening three matches in the 2025/26 season. This success is attributed to their new dynamic attack that has been bolstered by the arrival of Joao Felix from Chelsea and Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich.
Joao Felix has struck up a dynamic partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo to add to Al Nassr’s dynamism and threat in attack. Felix struck a hat-trick at Al Taawoun to help his side to an emphatic 5-0 win. In the match against Al Riyadh, João Félix and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored braces in a thumping 5-1 win.
This attack partnership between the Portuguese internationals has heightened optimism that Al Nassr can go the length in the title race in the 2025/26 season.
Ronaldo’s experience and brilliance in front of goal, combined with Felix’s dynamism in movement, playmaking, and final pass, add an extra layer to the Al Nassr attack. With Mane and Koman supporting from the flanks, there is a real bite to Jorge Jesus’ charges as the experienced manager looks to replicate what he did at Al Hilal with Al Nassr.
Koen Casteels and Al Qadsiah Want More in the 2025/26 Season
Koen Casteels and Al Qadsiah aim to strengthen their position in the Saudi Pro League for the 2025/26 season and improve on their fourth-place finish in the 2024/25 season.
Casteels was pivotal to Al Qadsiah’s success with a league-leading 14 clean sheets and was named goalkeeper of the year in the 2024/25 season.
With the new campaign having kicked off, Al Qadsiah opened with a 3-1 win at home to Al Najmah, the newly promoted side. Based on this performance, Casteels sees real potential for his side as they look to build from a position of strength.
The last month saw Al Qadsiah post a good start to their 2025/26 season with two wins and a draw in their opening three outings in the Saudi Pro League. They have conceded four times in this run; Casteels will hope that his side will tighten up at the back and reprise their robust defensive steeliness that helped them to a fourth-place finish in the 2024/25 season.
Mohau Nkota Making an Impact at Al Ettifaq
Mohau Nkota has put himself on the footballing map in the Saudi Pro League and beyond with a good September for Al Ettifaq. The South African starlet, the new summer signing for Al Ettifaq, needed just seven minutes to announce himself with a goal in Al Ettifaq’s 2-1 win at home to Al Kholood.
Flying from his instant impact at Al Ettifa, Nkota carried this momentum into his international duty, notching for South Africa after 15 minutes in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho.
While these two goals were not winners, they formed the platform upon which Al Ettifaq and the Nkota built their respective victories.
Al Ettifaq will hope that their budding talent will continue growing as the season progresses. This is especially the case after a difficult start to their 2025/26 season, where they have one win, one draw, and one loss from their opening three assignments.
Al Hazem Look to Experience to Drive their Top-Flight Targets
Newly promoted Al Hazem have set about to establish optimal structures and have the right players to ensure they do not relinquish their status in the top tier of Saudi football anytime soon.
In preparation for life in the top flight, Al Hazem moved on their entire foreign contingent and focused their recruitment on getting experience through the door, especially those with Saudi Pro League know-how.
In their attack, they have Amir Sayoud, Fabio Martins, and all-time Saudi Pro League leading goalscorer Omar Al Somah. The trio have 16 years of top-flight football in the Saudi Pro League combined.
September saw Al Hazem settle into life in the top Saudi league with a slow start. They have two draws and a defeat from their opening three matches. They have managed just one goal and conceded twice in this run.
Al Hazem’s introduction to the Saudi Pro League underscores why it was especially crucial for them to amass experience on their side as they prepare for a long and gruelling 2025/26 season.
No Benzema No Drama: Steven Bergwijn Steps Up
Al Ittihad dispatched Al Fateh 4-2 in the absence of their captain, Karim Benzema. In the Frenchman’s absence, Steven Bergwijn stepped up and netted a scintillating brace in four minutes at a buzzing Alina Stadium to put Al Ittihad 3-1 up ahead of the break.
In this match that was played at breakneck speed and involved six goals, Laurent Blanc’s side came out on top with three points because of decisive play without their captain.
The dazzling brace underscores Bergwijn’s importance to Al Ittihad as he has proven that his brilliant debut season was not a fluke.
Although Benzema, when fit, is the attacking linchpin, Bergwijn is proving an able substitute. It also sets up a tantalizing prospect of Bergwijn and Benzema playing together for Laurent Blanc as they look to defend their title in the 2025/26 campaign.
Blanc will hope that Bergwijn will continue his fine form as he fights to fend off challengers to their title.
Darwin Nunez Easing into the Saudi Pro League
Darwin Nunez, a high-profile acquisition from Premier League champions Liverpool, needed just two matches to get on the scoring charts in the Saudi Pro League. After he was shut out on his debut, he could not be denied in the second match against Al Qadsiah, sliding home an equalizer to draw Al Hilal level at the Kingdom Arena.
The signing of Nunez was designed to add firepower to an already well-stocked side as they bid to win back the Saudi Pro League title they relinquished to Al Ittihad.
Although the match ended in a 2-2 stalemate, Nunez demonstrated his cutting edge in front of goal. Simone Inzaghi will hope that his new star signing will continue his goalscoring exploits from September. This will be crucial for Al Hilal as they seek to improve on their underwhelming start to the season, with just one win and two draws from their opening three matches in the Saudi Pro League.
NOEM Sports Club’s French Connection
Newly promoted NOEM SC used their preseason to build a squad capable of competing against the likes of Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, and Al Nassr at the top end of the Saudi Pro League. This process has led them to have a distinct French influence in the squad.
This influence starts with their manager, former French youth international Christophe Galtier. Said Benrahma (29) has had stints with Angers, Gazélec, Châteauroux, and Olympique Lyon before moving to the Saudi Pro League.
NEOM SC signed Alexandre Lacazette in the summer. The French international, formerly playing for Arsenal, was the France captain at the Paris Olympics in 2024. NOEM SC also recruited 25-year-old goalkeeper Marcin Bulka; the Polish shot-stopper has spent most of his professional career at Nice.
Galtier also brought 20-year-old Ivorian youth international Amadou Kone from Ligue 1 side Stade Reims. Other acquisitions include Nathan Zzeze and Saimon Bouabre. Midfielder Bouabre played a starring role for France in the 2023 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, even getting on the scoresheet against Germany. Zeze has been an influential player for Nantes, making 18 League appearances in the 2024/25 season.
The shift toward signing French talent is seen as a deliberate effort by NOEM SC to get young and talented players into the side and bolster their competitive edge. NOEM SC will look to leverage the dynamic and energetic squad to compete at the top level in the Saudi Pro League.
The Al Ahli vs Al Hilal Rollercoaster
In a showpiece event pitting two of the potential title challengers in the 2025/26 season, Al Ahli and Al Hilal shared the spoils in a scintillating 3-3 draw.
Al Ahli were trailing 3-0 at home to Al Hilal but managed to come back in Jeddah with three goals in a manic 13-minute period late on to snatch a stunning point.
The visitors started strongly, taking the lead after just 12 minutes via Theo Hernandez. Malcolm took center stage with a brace in the 24th and 41st minutes to give Simone Inzaghi’s men a seemingly commanding 3-0 lead at the break.
Up to the last period of the match, the match sauntered toward a commanding win for Al Hilal. The intervention of Ivan Toney turned it on its head with a brace in the 78th and 87th minutes to put the match on edge. Merih Demiral found the equalizer in the 91st minute. The 50,000 inside Alinma Stadium, the majority of whom were wearing white and green, could barely believe it.
This match was a showcase of the Saudi Pro League, a display of brilliant football played at breakneck pace, with the stakes of the Saudi Pro League title.
