RIYADH: Al-Hilal’s first-team footballers will not play in the 2025/26 edition of the Saudi Super Cup, the club has said, citing contractual obligations on annual leave, and the need to protect players amid a packed calendar.
The main purpose behind the withdrawal “was to ensure the health and readiness of its international players ahead of the national team camp and the rest of the domestic competitions,” said a statement posted on the team’s website on Sunday.
The club described in detail the time needed by players to take time off after the recent Club World Cup.
In addition, if the footballers play in the Super Cup the club would fall foul of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s rules on annual leave.
Al-Hilal reached the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup, held in the US, including a draw with Real Madrid and a memorable victory over Manchester City.
After the Blue’s exit by Fluminense, the club stated that the “team had to remain in Orlando for three additional days due to flight constraints, which reduced the players’ annual leave to only 24 days in the event of withdrawal, and to 21 days if the club participated in the Super Cup.”
The club added that this “violates clause (5.6) of the mandatory contracts included in the annexes of the Professionalism and Player Status Regulations issued by SAFF.”
The rule “stipulates that players are entitled to a minimum of 28 days of annual leave — a condition already included in all professional player contracts of Al-Hilal’s first team.”
After this, the players’ leave overlapped with the start of pre-season preparations.
“As a result, Al-Hilal was forced to delay the start of its own preparations for the upcoming season, which further increased the competitive imbalance among participating clubs.”
The statement added the club was informed on June 13 that the Saudi Super Cup would be held in Hong Kong.
At this point the Al-Hilal players had already traveled to the US for the club championship, and without knowing how far they would go in the competition.
Al-Hilal has won the Saudi Super Cup five times.
The club stated: “The decision came after a review of the physical and muscular condition of several players, which showed signs of extreme fatigue after a demanding season that lasted a full year and one week.”
The decision would also serve the Saudi national team, which features a number of Al-Hilal players, the statement said.
