RIYADH: Kings League MENA has appointed Saudi Arabia sports and media executive Wael Al-Fayez as managing director, ahead of the competition’s return to Riyadh for an expanded Split 1, running from Sept. 18 to Oct. 30, 2026. Al-Fayez becomes the first person to hold the position at the regional venture. He will lead the Middle East North Africa business, overseeing commercial strategy, key partnerships and operational growth. He joins Kings League MENA from the Saudi Pro League, where he served as chief commercial officer, and brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across sports, media, entertainment and technology. Kings League MENA is a joint venture between SURJ Sports Investment, a Public Investment Fund company, and Kings League, the global, creator-led football phenomenon founded by entrepreneur and former FC Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique. Split 1 will see the competition expand to 10 teams, representing football markets and fan communities from across the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. The new season builds on the success of the inaugural Kings Cup MENA in 2025, with more teams, more matches and some of the region’s biggest content creators, streamers and football personalities set to take part. Al-Fayez said in a recent press release: “It is a huge privilege to take on this role at such an exciting moment for Kings League MENA. “Football has an extraordinary place in the culture of this region, particularly among a young generation of fans who are also deeply connected to creators, gaming, streaming and digital entertainment. “Kings League brings those worlds together in a completely new way. Building on the momentum we saw in 2025, our ambition for Split 1 is to take the experience to the next level. He said the showcase will include leading creators and football personalities from across the Arab world. The aim is to “deliver an experience that is highly competitive and entertaining, but also distinctly relevant to this region and built around how a new generation wants to experience football.” The new season will once again be staged at Cool Arena on Riyadh Boulevard, with the league kicking off on Sept. 18 and then progressing to the knockout stages. The semifinals and final are on Oct. 30. Fans will also be able to follow the league live across the MENA region through broadcast partner MBC Group, including MBC Action and Shahid, alongside free live streaming on platforms including Kick, YouTube and TikTok. In 2025, the league made a strong regional debut with the Kings Cup MENA in Riyadh. Online ticket queues peaked at around 40,000 fans for an arena with approximately 1,300 seats, while the opening matchday attracted 2.2 million live streaming viewers, the most-watched opening matchday in Kings League history. Between July and December 2025, Kings League MENA generated 717 million social media impressions and 16.5 million engagements on social media. Most recently, Kings League MENA announced the addition of two of Jordan’s biggest football stars, Yazan Al-Nemat and Ali Olwan, to the Split 1 lineup. The Jordan internationals have joined as co-presidents of 3BS and Red Zone respectively, alongside team presidents Absi and Maherco.