Football fans in Saudi Arabia are in for a treat this week as the country’s premier soccer league kicks off on Friday. After months of anticipation, the Saudi Professional League (SPL) is finally ready to get underway with some of the biggest names in the sport signing up to play.
The SPL is the top tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia and is made up of 14 teams from across the country. This season, the league has attracted some of the biggest stars in the game, including former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder Angel Di Maria, former Chelsea and Arsenal striker Demba Ba, and former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez.
The SPL has also signed up some of the world’s best coaches, including former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and former Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola. This is a major coup for the league as it looks to establish itself as one of the top footballing nations in the world.
The league has also made some major changes to its format this season. The teams will now play each other twice, home and away, with the top four teams at the end of the season qualifying for the Champions League. This should make for some exciting matches as teams battle it out for a place in Europe’s elite competition.
The SPL is also looking to increase its international appeal by hosting matches abroad. The league has already announced that it will host two matches in Qatar this season and is looking to expand its reach even further in the future.
With some of the biggest names in football now playing in Saudi Arabia, this season promises to be an exciting one for football fans in the country. The SPL is sure to be a major draw for fans around the world and could help to put Saudi Arabia firmly on the map as a footballing nation.
