The Saudi Pro League is one of the major football leagues in the Middle East and Asia. For the 2024/25 season, the league’s largest sponsorship agreement in terms of annual value is real estate firm Roshn, which is fully owned by state-backed Public Investment Fund. Covering a five-year period from 2022-23 to 2026-27, the title sponsorship deal with the league is worth a reported value of $25.53 million annually. Overall, the Saudi Pro League 2024/25 is expected to generate an estimated $54.53 million in sponsorship revenue, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s latest report, “The Business of Saudi Pro League 2024/25,” reveals that the Saudi Pro League 2024/25 is expected to generate a reported $80.1 million in domestic media revenue. Al-Nassr is expected to earn an estimated $109.95 million from sponsorship revenue during the 2024/25 season. As of February 2024, adidas replaced Nike as the official ball supplier of the league. The deal is worth an estimated $2 million annually.
Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “2022 was a significant year for the league, as it saw Roshn becoming the title sponsor of the league, with the Saudi Pro League being known as the Roshn Saudi League for the following five seasons. 2022 was also the year that saw the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr, attracting the attention of both fans and broadcasters.”
Saudi Sports Company (SSC) has acquired the rights in the Middle East and North Africa to Saudi-Arabian soccer. Worth a reported value of $80.1 million annually, the three-year deal covers the 2022-23 to 2024-25 seasons. Additionally, DAZN, the streaming platform, acquired the rights to the league in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Austria. The deal has a reported annual value of $500,000.
Snooks continues: “Despite having broadcast agreements with several countries across the globe, the league witnessed mixed results in terms of its viewership. Following the initial spike in attention towards the league, the hype is now reportedly fading. Earlier this year, during the 2023/24 season, it was stated that the Saudi Pro League was recording some of its lowest ratings in Europe and was experiencing exponentially low viewing figures in the US.”
Al-Nassr ranks first in terms of annual sponsorship revenue, despite having only 10 sponsorship partnerships. It has 11 fewer deals than Al-Hilal, which closely follows behind in second. Al-Nassr has the largest sponsorship deal across the 18 teams’ sponsorship portfolios in terms of annual value, due to its partnership with real estate company KAFD. The deal is worth a reported $32.02 million annually. Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad closely follow behind Al-Nassr in terms of sponsorship revenue, while Al-Ahli Saudi ranks in fourth.
Snooks concludes: “There is a clear difference between the sponsorship revenue of Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli Saudi compared to the remaining teams. The four teams have been able to attract some high-profile payers, creating a greater attraction for brands to sponsor them. However, this has left the remaining 14 clubs a considerable distance behind in terms of sponsorship revenue.”
