First Division League

Organising body	Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF)
Founded	1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Country	Saudi Arabia
Confederation	AFC
Number of teams	18
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	Pro League
Relegation to	Second Division
Domestic cup(s)	King Cup
Current champions	Al-Ahli (1st title) (2022–23 season)
Most championships	Hajer Al-Wehda (4 titles each)
Top goalscorer	Ousmane Barry (108 goals)
TV partners	AlRiyadiyah
Current: 2023–24 First Division

The First Division League (FDL^[1] for short), also called the Yelo league for sponsorship reasons,^[2] is the second tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia. The First Division League is ranked below the Saudi Professional League and above the Saudi Second Division in the Saudi Arabian football league system. All of the FDL clubs qualify for the King Cup, the annual Saudi Cup competition. Al-Ahli are the most recent champions, winning their first title during the 2022–23 season.

The number of clubs in the league has changed throughout history, most recently in the 2018–19 season, when the number of clubs increased from 16 to 20. Since the 2019–20 season, three clubs from the First Division are directly promoted to the Pro League; on the other hand, four clubs are directly relegated to the Second Division.^[3]

Hajer and Al-Wehda hold the record number of championships in the league with four. While Ohod holds the record for number of promotions from the First Division to the Pro League, nine.^[4]

Promotion and relegation

The top three teams are promoted to the Professional League directly, while the bottom three teams are relegated to the Second Division.

List of teams (2022–23 season)

For details on the MS League 2022–23 season, see here.

Locations of teams in the 2022–23 First Division League

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity
Al-Adalah	Al-Hasa (Al-Hulaylah)	Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium Al-Fateh Club Stadium	26,000^[5] 7,000
Al-Bukayriyah	Al Bukayriyah	Al-Bukayriyah Club Stadium	3,000^[6]
Al-Diriyah	Diriyah	Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium (Riyadh)	15,000^[7]
Al-Fayha	Al Majma'ah	Al Majma'ah Sports City	7,000^[8]
Al-Hazem	Ar Rass	Al-Hazem Club Stadium	8,000^[9]
Al-Jabalain	Ha'il	Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa'ed Stadium	12,000^[10]
Al-Jeel	Al-Hasa (Hofuf)	Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium Al-Fateh Club Stadium	26,000 7,000
Al-Kawkab	Al-Kharj	Al-Shoulla Club Stadium	5,200^[11]
Al-Khaleej	Saihat	Al-Khaleej Club Stadium	10,000^[12]
Al-Nahda	Dammam	Prince Fahd bin Salman Stadium	15,000^[13]
Al-Nojoom	Al-Hasa (Al-Shuqaiq)	Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium	26,000
Al-Sahel	Anak	Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium (Khobar)	15,000^[14]
Al-Shoulla	Al-Kharj	Al-Shoulla Club Stadium	5,200
Al-Tai	Ha'il	Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa'ed Stadium	12,000
Al-Thoqbah	Khobar	Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium	15,000
Arar	Arar	Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musa'ed Sport City Stadium	5,650^[15]
Hajer	Al-Hasa (Hofuf)	Hajer Club Stadium Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium	12,000^[16] 26,000
Jeddah	Jeddah	Reserve Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City	1,000^[17]
Najran	Najran	Najran Sport City Stadium	18,000
Ohod	Medina	Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Stadium	24,000^[18]

League rules

Since the 2018–19 season the number of foreign players in the league was increased from 3 to 7.^[19] Seven substitutes are permitted to be selected, from which three can be used in the duration of the game.

Club performances

Promotions by season

Season	Winners	Runners-up
1976–77	Al-Nahda	Al-Ettifaq
1977–78	Al-Riyadh	Al-Tai
1978–79	Al-Shabab	Ohod
1979–80	Al-Jabalain	Al-Riyadh
1980–81	Ohod	Al-Rawdhah
1981–82	Not held¹
1982–83	Al-Wehda	Al-Riyadh
1983–84	Ohod	Al-Jabalain
1984–85	Al-Tai	Al-Kawkab
1985–86	Al-Ansar	Al-Raed
1986–87	Al-Kawkab	Ohod
1987–88	Hajer	Al-Rawdhah
1988–89	Al-Riyadh	Al-Raed
1989–90	Al-Najma	Al-Arabi
1990–91	Al-Nahda	Ohod

Season	Winners	Runners-up
1991–92	Al-Raed	Al-Najma
1992–93	Al-Nahda	Ohod
1993–94	Al-Najma	Al-Rawdhah
1994–95	Al-Tai	Al-Taawoun
1995–96	Al-Wehda	Al-Ansar
1996–97	Al-Taawoun	Al-Shoulla
1997–98	Hajer	Al-Ansar
1998–99	Sdoos	Al-Raed
1999–2000	Al-Ansar	Al-Qadsiah
2000–01	Al-Tai	Al-Shoulla
2001–02	Al-Qadsiah	Al-Raed
2002–03	Al-Wehda	Al-Khaleej
2003–04	Ohod	Al-Ansar
2004–05	Al-Hazem	Abha
2005–06	Al-Khaleej	Al-Faisaly

Season	Winners	Runners-up
2006–07	Al-Watani	Najran
2007–08	Al-Raed	Abha
2008–09	Al-Qadsiah	Al Fateh
2009–10	Al-Faisaly	Al-Taawoun
2010–11	Hajer	Al-Ansar
2011–12	Al-Shoulla	Al-Wehda
2012–13	Al-Orobah	Al-Nahda
2013–14	Hajer	Al-Khaleej
2014–15	Al-Qadsiah	Al-Wehda
2015–16	Al-Ettifaq	Al-Batin
2016–17	Al-Fayha	Ohod
2017–18	Al-Wehda	Al-Hazem
2018–19	Abha	Damac
2019–20	Al-Batin	Al-Qadsiah
2020–21	Al-Hazem	Al-Fayha

Season	Winners	Runners-up
2021–22	Al-Khaleej	Al-Adalah
2022–23	Al-Ahli	Al-Hazem

Note: ¹First Division and Premier League were merged in 1981–82.

Performance by club

Club	Winners	Winning years
Hajer	4	1988, 1998, 2011, 2014
Al-Wehda	4	1983, 1996, 2003, 2018
Al-Nahda	3	1977, 1991, 1993
Al-Tai	3	1985, 1995, 2001
Ohod	3	1981, 1984, 2004
Al-Qadsiah	3	2002, 2009, 2015
Al-Riyadh	2	1978, 1989
Al-Najma	2	1990, 1994
Al-Ansar	2	1986, 2000
Al-Raed	2	1992, 2008
Al-Hazem	2	2005, 2021
Al-Khaleej	2	2006, 2022
Al-Shabab	1	1979
Al-Jabalain	1	1980
Al-Kawkab	1	1987
Al-Taawoun	1	1997
Sdoos	1	1999
Al-Watani	1	2007
Al-Faisaly	1	2010
Al-Shoulla	1	2012
Al-Orobah	1	2013
Al-Ettifaq	1	2016
Al-Fayha	1	2017
Abha	1	2019
Al-Batin	1	2020
Al-Ahli	1	2023

Top scorers

Top Scorers	Club	Season	Goals
Ablaye Mbengue	Al-Arabi	2022–2023	29
Carolus Andria	Ohod Club	2021–2022	25
Ibrahim Diomandé	Ohod Club	2020–2021	24
Ousmane Barry	Al-Bukiryah FC	2019–2020	27
Carolus Andria	Al-Adalah	2018–2019	22
Mashari Al-Enezi	Al-Tai	2017–2018	21
Abdulfattah Adam	Al Jeel	2016–2017	20
Abdulfattah Adam	Al Jeel	2015–2016	20
Mousa Madkhali	Al-Wehda	2014–2015	20
Hamad Al-Juhaim	Al-Ta'ee	2013–2014	20
Mousa Madkhali	Hetten	2012–2013	22
Younes Alaiwi	Al-Batin	2011–2012	21
Hussain Al-Turki	Khaleej	2010–2011	20
Hussain Al-Turki	Khaleej	2009–2010	16
Mohammad Al-Sahlawi Mohammad Alhelo	Al-Qadsiah Sdoos	2008–2009	15^[20]
Khalid Al Rejaib	Hajer	2007–2008	9
Al Hasan Al-Yami	Najran	2006–2007	20
Mubarak Al Khaleefah	Khaleej	2005–2006	18
Mohammed Abuarad	Abha	2004–2005	19
Mohammed Abuarad	Abha	2003–2004	15
Mohammed Abuarad	Abha	2002–2003	16
Mohammed Manga	Sdoos	2001–2002	12^[21]
Mohammed Abuarad	Abha	2000–2001	14
Mohammed Harshan	Najran	1999–2000	11
Mubarak Al Khaleefah	Al-Rawdhah	1998–1999	13^[22]
		1997–1998
Mousa Sahab	Al-Taawoun	1996–1997
Obeid Al-Dosari	Al-Wehda	1995–1996
Yehey Jako	Al-Ta'ee	1994–1995	11^[23]
Khalid Al-Mansour	Al-Arabi	1993–1994	15
Hamzah Idris	Ohod	1992–93	10
Sulaiman Al Hadaithi Mohamed Al Khalifa Nasser Al-Qahtani	Al-Najma Hajer Al-Rawdhah	1991–1992	11
Ahmed Al-Zaaq	Al-Taawoun	1990–1991	11
Khalid Al-Mansour Hamzah Idris	Al-Arabi Ohod	1989–1990	11
Khalid Al-Mansour	Al-Arabi	1988–1989	14
Khalid Al-Mansour Fahd Al-Hamdan	Al-Arabi Al-Riyadh	1987–1988	11
Khalid Al-Mansour	Al-Arabi	1986–1987	16
Abdullah Al Saab	Al-Fayha	1985–1986	8^[24]
Walid Sharqi	Al-Ansar	1984–1985
Mohamed Al-Suwaiyed	Damac	1983–1984	11
Shaye Al-Nafisah	Al-Kawkab	1982–1983	12
		1981–1982 1First Division and Premier League were merged
Abdullah Al-Mansour	Al-Taawoun	1980–1981	9
Daran Al Daran	Al-Jabalain	1979–1980	16^[25]
		1978–1979
		1977–1978
		1976–1977