Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Holders Al Hilal have been hit with a ban from the 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup if they qualify, along with a hefty fine, following their withdrawal from this season’s four-team competition. The decision was announced by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation’s (SAFF) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee on Tuesday.
Withdrawal Citing Fatigue Leads to Penalties
Al Hilal, record five-time Super Cup champions, pulled out of the 2025-26 Super Cup, which was scheduled to be played from August 19-23 in Hong Kong. The club cited player fatigue as the reason for their withdrawal, coming off their recent Club World Cup campaign where they lost 2-1 to Fluminense in the quarterfinals on July 4.
The SAFF Disciplinary and Ethics Committee stated that Al Hilal “refused to participate in the Saudi Super Cup for the 2025-2026 season after the official schedule for the competition was issued.”5 As a consequence, the committee ruled that Al Hilal had violated Article (59-3) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations.
The penalties levied against the club include a fine of 500,000 Saudi Riyals, payable to the SAFF. In addition to the monetary penalty, Al Hilal has been banned from participating in the 2026-27 Super Cup and will be stripped of any financial awards allocated for this season’s competition. The committee clarified that this decision is subject to appeal.
Reshaped Super Cup Fixtures
The Saudi Super Cup typically features the winners and runners-up of both the King’s Cup and the Saudi Pro League. Al Hilal had finished second in the 2024-25 Pro League behind champions Al-Ittihad.
Following Al Hilal’s withdrawal, AFC Champions League winners Al Ahli have replaced them in the competition. Al Ahli were originally slated to face King’s Cup runners-up Al Qadsiah in the semifinals on August 20.
Since Al-Ittihad won both the Pro League and the King’s Cup, an extra Super Cup spot became available. This spot was awarded to Al Nassr, the third-placed team in the league. Al Nassr will now face Al-Ittihad in the other semifinal on August 19, setting up new matchups for the tournament in Hong Kong.
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