Saudi Arabia maintains its top position in the Asian Football Confederation's club rankings
Saudi Arabia reigns supreme in Asia
Official reports have announced that Saudi Arabia has maintained its dominance and retained its top spot in the Asian Football Confederation's club rankings , according to the latest update issued by the continental federation for the 2025-2026 season. This achievement is not a sudden occurrence, but rather the culmination of continuous efforts and diligent work in developing sports infrastructure and raising the level of competition in Saudi football, making it the number one destination in the continent.
Details of the Asian Football Confederation's club ranking points
Saudi Arabia deservedly topped the continental rankings with 132,545 points, widening the gap ahead of Japan in second place with 120,410 points, while South Korea came in third with 87,334 points. This significant points difference reflects the technical and organizational superiority that Saudi clubs have achieved in recent years compared to their counterparts in East Asia.
Continued dominance and a history full of achievements
This achievement reflects Saudi Arabia's continued dominance in the Asian rankings for the sixth consecutive year, a position the Kingdom has held since 2021. This success stems from the outstanding performances of Saudi clubs in continental competitions, most notably Al-Hilal, which holds the record for the most AFC Champions League titles, as well as the strong presence and fierce competition of clubs like Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ahli. This consistent competitiveness of the nation's representatives in Asian tournaments has made the Saudi League the strongest and most followed league in Asia.
Maximum number of continental seats for Saudi clubs
According to the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) allocation mechanism for the 2027-2028 season, Saudi clubs reaped the rewards of their dominance by securing the maximum number of continental slots. They were allocated three direct slots and two via the playoffs in the AFC Champions League (the newest and most prestigious club competition in Asia), in addition to one direct slot in the AFC Champions League 2. This allocation provides a golden opportunity for a greater number of Saudi clubs to gain continental experience, prove their worth, and compete for titles.
Local and international impact and alignment with Vision 2030
The impact of this leading position extends beyond the purely sporting realm, encompassing economic and tourism dimensions that align with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Domestically, this achievement contributes to raising the market value of the Saudi Professional League (the Roshan League), which has become a destination for some of the world's most prominent football stars, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema. Internationally, this ranking reinforces Saudi Arabia's standing as a global sporting powerhouse and strongly supports its bids to host major tournaments like the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Official praise for government support of the sports sector
For his part, the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Mr. Yasser Al-Misehal, expressed his deepest gratitude to the wise leadership for its generous and unwavering support of the sports sector. He affirmed that this support has directly contributed to Saudi sports achieving numerous continental and international accomplishments. Al-Misehal also commended the efforts of the Minister of Sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, in harnessing all available resources and overcoming obstacles to support Saudi clubs, thereby enhancing their presence and excellence at the continental level.
Al-Mishal concluded his remarks by affirming that the Kingdom’s continued leadership in the Asian rankings reflects the scale of integrated work and comprehensive development that Saudi football is witnessing on all levels, wishing the nation’s representatives success in continuing to achieve positive results and competing strongly for continental titles in the coming seasons to raise the Kingdom’s flag high in all arenas.
