Saudi Super Cup

The Saudi Super Cup (Arabic: كأس السوبر السعودي‎) is an annual super cup football match organised by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and contested by the reigning champions of the Pro League and the King Cup. The competition is usually held the week before the season begins in Saudi Arabia every year since its establishment in 2013.[1]

Saudi Super Cup
Organising bodySaudi Arabian Football Federation
Founded2013 (2013)
RegionSaudi Arabia
Number of teams2
Current championsAl-Nassr (2nd title)
Most successful club(s)Al-Hilal
Al-Nassr
(2 titles each)
Television broadcastersKSA Sports
WebsiteOfficial Website
2020 Saudi Super Cup

The current holders are Al-Nassr, who won 3–0 against Al-Hilal in the 2020 edition.[2] The most successful teams in the competition are Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, who have each won the trophy twice.[3]

History

The idea of having a super cup tournament in Saudi Arabia dates back to 1979 when a two-legged match was held between the 1978–79 Saudi Premier League winners, Al-Hilal, and the 1979 King Cup winners, Al-Ahli. The first leg, which was played in Jeddah, ended in 2–2 draw and the second leg, held in Riyadh, ended in a 4–1 win for Al-Hilal.[4] 20 years later, another super cup match between Al-Hilal, the 1997–98 Saudi Premier League winners, and Al-Ahli, the 1997–98 Saudi Crown Prince Cup winners, was held. It was the opening match for the inaugural Saudi Founder's Cup and ended in a 5–2 win for Al-Hilal.[5]

In 2012, Saudi Arabian Football Federation officially decided to launch the tournament following the conclusion of the 2011–12 season. The planned super cup match was set to be held between the 2011–12 Saudi Professional League winners, Al-Shabab and the 2012 King Cup of Champions winners, Al-Ahli.[6] However, the 2012 Super Cup was canceled due to scheduling issues as no appropriate date for the match was found.[7] The tournament was officially inaugurated in 2013 and was played by the 2012–13 Saudi Professional League winners, Al-Fateh, and 2013 King Cup of Champions winners, Al-Ittihad.[8] Al-Fateh won the first official edition of the Saudi Super Cup after beating Al-Ittihad 3–2 after extra time.[9] The 2014 Saudi Super Cup was the first edition to be held in Riyadh. Al-Shabab defeated Al-Nassr 4–3 on penalties in the King Fahd International Stadium.[10] In 2015, the Super Cup was played outside of Saudi Arabia for the first time. The match was between 2014–15 Saudi Professional League winners, Al-Nassr, and 2015 King Cup winners, Al-Hilal. The match was held in Loftus Road in London and ended in 1–0 win for Al-Hilal.[11] The next two editions were also held in London, with the 2016 edition held in Craven Cottage and the 2018 edition held once again in Loftus Road. In 2016, Al-Ahli defeated Al-Hilal 4–3 on penalties.[12] In 2018, Al-Hilal defeated Al-Ittihad 2–1 to become the first team to win the trophy twice.[13] The 2017 edition which was supposed to be contested between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad was the first edition to be canceled. The decision was based on the request of then-Saudi national team manager, Edgardo Bauza, who expressed his desire to change the calendar of the season to help him set the ideal preparation program for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[14] In 2019, the Saudi Super Cup was held in Jeddah for the first time. Al-Nassr defeated Al-Taawoun 5–4 on penalties in the King Abdullah Sports City to win their first title.[15]

On 12 January 2021, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and Saudi water company Berain signed a sponsorship deal for the 2020 edition. The match would officially be referred to as "The Berain Saudi Super Cup".[16] On 30 January 2021, Al-Nassr defeated Al-Hilal 3–0 to win their second title.[17] They became the first team to win two consecutive titles and also set the record for the biggest goal margin.

Competition rules
  • League champions versus King Cup winners. If one team wins both the League and King Cup in a single season, the runner-up of the Pro League participates alongside the League winner.[1]
  • The match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes, a penalty shoot-out determines the winner.[1]

Records and statistics

Finals by year
Year Pro League winner Result King Cup winner Scorers[lower-alpha 1] Stadium Attendance
2013 Al-Fateh 3–2 (a.e.t.) Al-Ittihad Fuakumputu (2), Élton; Fallatah (2) King Abdul Aziz Stadium, Mecca 29,376
2014 Al-Nassr 1–1 (3–4 p) Al-Shabab Al-Sahlawi; Hazazi King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh 31,000
2015 Al-Nassr 0–1 Al-Hilal Carlos Eduardo Loftus Road, London, England 8,439
2016 Al-Ahli 1–1 (4–3 p) Al-Hilal[lower-alpha 2] Al Somah; Al-Breik Craven Cottage, London, England 16,365
2018 Al-Hilal 2–1 Al-Ittihad Carlos Eduardo, Rivas; El Ahmadi Loftus Road, London, England 16,300
2019 Al-Nassr 1–1 (5–4 p) Al-Taawoun Hamdallah; Tawamba King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah 40,514
2020 Al-Hilal 0–3 Al-Nassr[lower-alpha 3] Petros, Hamdallah, Al-Najei King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh 0[lower-alpha 4]
  1. Pro League winner's scorers listed first.
  2. Qualified as Crown Prince Cup winners.
  3. Qualified as Pro League runners-up.
  4. The match was held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Performance by club
Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Losing years
Al-Hilal
2
2
 2015, 2018 2016, 2020
Al-Nassr
2
2
 2019, 2020 2014, 2015
Al-Fateh
1
0
 2013
Al-Shabab
1
0
 2014
Al-Ahli
1
0
 2016
Al-Ittihad
0
2
 2013, 2018
Al-Taawoun
0
1
 2019

Performance by representative
Winners Runners-up
Pro League champions
4
3
King Cup champions
2
3
Pro League runners-up
1
0
Crown Prince Cup champions
0
1

See also

References
  1. "لائحة المسابقات والبطولات بالإتحاد العربي السعودي لكرة القدم" [Regulations of Saudi Arabian Football Federation Competitions] (PDF) (in Arabic). Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. "النصر بطلاً لكأس الهيئة العامة للرياضة لبطل السوبر 2019-2020".
  3. "Saudi Super Cup's Winner List".
  4. "السوبر السعودي.. فكرة بدأت قبل 39 عاما".
  5. "الهلال والأهلي خاضا أول بطولة".
  6. "للمرة الأولى في عهد (اتحاد عيد).. كأس سوبر في السعودية".
  7. "صحيفة: إلغاء مباراة "كأس السوبر" بين الشباب والأهلي".
  8. "كأس السوبر.. افتتاحية رائعة في شتى بقاع العالم".
  9. "الفتح يطيح بالاتحاد ويتوج بلقب «السوبر السعودي»".
  10. "شمس الشباب تشرق من جديد بالـ (سوبر)".
  11. "الهلال يخطف السوبر السعودي بفوزه على النصر في لندن".
  12. "الأهلي بطلا للسوبر السعودي للمرة الأولى في تاريخه".
  13. "الهلال يتوج بلقب السوبر السعودي".
  14. "الاتحاد السعودي يوضح أسباب إلغاء مباراة الهلال والاتحاد".
  15. "بالترجيح .. النصر يهزم التعاون ويُتوَّج بكأس السوبر".
  16. "الاتحاد السعودي يوقع مع مياه بيرين عقد رعاية كأس السوبر السعودي".
  17. "النصر بطل لكأس السوبر السعودي للمرة الثانية على التوالي".
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