Five more clubs go up for sale as football privatization push accelerates

Saudi Arabia is putting more of its football on the market, opening bidding on five more clubs — Al Riyadh, Al Fateh, Abha, Al Tai, and Al Shoulla — spanning the Saudi Pro League, First Division, and Second Division, our Saudi desk reports. Investors have until 5 July to file prequalification applications under the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project. The Sports Ministry says it is matching each club’s readiness against buyer seriousness rather than rushing clubs out the door.

The pipeline is building: Expressions of interest (EOI) will stay open on a rolling basis, and a deal takes 8-10 months to close once a buyer surfaces. More than 80 EOIs are now registered across 22 clubs. The government has completed transactions on 11 clubs and two more — Al Najma and Al Akhdoud — are close to contract signing, Ibrahim AlMoaiqel, assistant deputy minister for investment and privatization, said last week. The Al Akhdoud privatization stalled last year after interested investors failed to meet the requirements.

The pitch to buyers: Get in early. “We intend to bring more clubs to the market over the next few months,” AlMoaiqel said, likening the current moment to the run-up to Major League Soccer’s value surge before the 2026 World Cup in North America. Saudi Arabia is looking to boost club valuations ahead of the 2034 World Cup by deepening commercial activity and investment.

The model has shifted from spending to selling. Riyadh restructured the sector in 2023, folding its four biggest clubs (Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli) into companies that are majority-owned by the PIF, and bankrolling a wave of marquee signings. The fund agreed to offload 70% of Al Hilal to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company at an SAR 1.4 bn (USD 373 mn) enterprise value — its first sell-down, and the first club offered to a corporate buyer.