RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian football season of 2024-2025 kicks off next week when last year’s top four finishers in the Roshn Saudi League compete for the Saudi Super Cup.
The traditional curtain-raiser of domestic football in the Kingdom, the Saudi Super Cup will see Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli, Al-Taawoun and domestic treble winners Al-Hilal competing for the prestigious trophy in Abha between Aug. 13 and 17.
The four clubs will compete for the honor at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Stadium in the picturesque city of Abha for the first time.
This year’s tournament continues with the expanded four-team format introduced in 2023.
The semifinals will see Al-Hilal face Al-Ahli on Aug. 13, with Al-Nassr taking on Al-Taawoun the following day. The final is to be held at 7:15 p.m. Saudi time on Aug. 17.
Al-Hilal, as treble winners last season, will be aiming to maintain their impressive form from the 2023-24 campaign which saw the Riyadh side, under Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus, secure their record 19th league title.
Portugal’s Ruben Neves, Serbian duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and the returning Neymar are all set to feature in the season-opening competition.
Al-Ahli, who are returning for their second top-flight season, will provide a tough test for last year’s champions as the Jeddah club aim to secure their first Super Cup victory since 2016.
With a strong pre-season behind them and featuring the return of international stars in Edouard Mendy, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino, Al-Ahli will be difficult to beat.
Al-Nassr, led by Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, will have their sights set on redemption going into the new season, after a dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat in the King Cup final ended a difficult campaign.
With new signing Brazilian goalkeeper Bento set to feature, the Riyadh side will be aiming to add to their two previous successes in the Saudi Super Cup.
Al-Taawoun will look to replicate the fine form that saw the Buraydah outfit achieve an impressive fourth-place finish in the top flight. Led for the first time by new manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena, the side will aim to provide an early shock in the new season.
The Saudi Super Cup represents the start of a historic new season of domestic football in Saudi Arabia and is the first football tournament to take place in the Kingdom since the historic announcement of the country’s official bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
For more information on how to purchase tickets for the Saudi Super Cup, visit: https://webook.com/en/saudi-super-cup-2024
Saudi Arabia’s new football season kicks off next week with the Saudi Super Cup
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Saudi Arabia’s new football season kicks off next week with the Saudi Super Cup
- Trophy will see Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli, Al-Taawoun, domestic treble winners Al-Hilal playing between Aug. 13-17
- The 4 clubs will compete at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Abha for the first time
‘20 years of engagement’ — inaugural Formula 4 championship success signals bright future for motorsport in Saudi Arabia
- Peter Thompson, founder of the Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship and Meritus.GP team principal, spoke about the Kingdom’s first motorsport academy and his hopes for the future
RIYADH: Last year welcomed the inaugural season of the FIA-certified Aramco Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship.
The series, which aims to provide the first step on the ladder towards Formula 1, was the culmination of years of collaboration between various investors and partners, led by the Kingdom’s first motorsport academy, Meritus.GP.
The championship’s mission?
To produce local driving talent, strengthen Saudi national race engineering capabilities and advance motorsport in alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Five Saudi drivers emerged, with standout victories by Omar Al-Dereyaan and Faisal Al-Kabbani, both from Riyadh. Other graduates included race winner Oscar Wurz, who has since won the 2025 Central European Formula 4 Championship.
Arab News spoke with Peter Thompson, founder of Formula 4 Saudi Arabia and Meritus.GP, about the season’s success and his hopes for the future.
How did Meritus.GP build the Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship?
The Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship was the result of more than 20 years of engagement, exploration and groundwork in Saudi Arabia, in anticipation of a potential FIA-certified junior single-seater championship in the Kingdom.
Long before the first Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, we were on the ground exploring circuit development opportunities, assessing infrastructure readiness and evaluating whether Saudi Arabia could host a round of one of the Asian championships operated by the team. Throughout this period, we maintained long-standing relationships within Saudi motorsport circles including former Meritus.GP driver Raad Abduljawad and his brother Mohammed Abduljawad.
A defining moment came with the introduction of Formula 1 to Saudi Arabia. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit quickly became a visible symbol of this ambition, providing confidence that Saudi Arabia could support not only Formula One, but also a structured ladder of junior single-seater racing.
When did Meritus.GP receive formal institutional approval to begin Formula 4 Saudi Arabia?
More than three years of focused groundwork preceded the first race. During this period there was no formal government mandate, no guaranteed institutional backing and no commercial certainty that the project would proceed or be viable.
Then, in December 2022, a formal No-Objection Letter was issued by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, under the leadership of its then-CEO Sattam Al-Hozami, which allowed the project to progress from concept to reality.
Recognizing the benefits F4 would bring to the Kingdom, Mohammed Abduljawad became an investor in June 2023, and Formula 4 Saudi Arabia moved into full delivery mode.
What were the objectives of the proposal presented to Saudi Aramco?
The proposal positioned Aramco Formula 4 Saudi Arabia as a long-term national development platform aligned with Vision 2030.
Its objectives included creating a structured FIA driver pathway from grassroots to Formula One, as well as developing Saudi engineers, mechanics and officials in motorsports.
How did the championship support Saudi drivers, and what was the impact on local talent?
A core objective of Formula 4 Saudi Arabia was to create a genuine, fair and internationally credible environment in which Saudi racers could develop.
Saudi drivers competed alongside international peers under identical technical and sporting conditions, allowing performance and development to be measured objectively.
They ended up achieving race wins, podium finishes and measurable progress across the season, demonstrating that when provided with the right structure, Saudi talent can compete at international level.
How has Formula 4 Saudi Arabia engaged with Saudi education and skills development?
Education and skills transfer formed an important part of the championship’s wider mission.
During the season, Meritus.GP engineers and senior staff visited Saudi education and research institutions such as KAUST, Alfaisal University, University of Tabuk and the Japanese College in Jeddah to discuss career pathways in motorsport engineering, data analysis, and systems integration. These engagements were designed to connect academic study with real-world high-performance engineering environments.
What level of investment was required and how did you ensure equality of performance?
Approximately $6.5 million was invested prior to the first event.
Was there any pre-season training to help Saudi drivers prepare?
During August and September 2023 Saudi drivers participated in a structured pre-season academy program at Meritus.GP’s training facility in Sepang, Malaysia.
What role did sports psychology and driver well-being play in the championship?
Driver well-being and mental performance were treated as integral components of driver development.
Formula 4 Saudi Arabia appointed a dedicated sports psychologist to support drivers throughout the season, focusing on mental preparation, confidence building, coping strategies, performance consistency and adaptation to high-pressure racing environments.
