Al-Hilal posted an announcement on its official website stating that they will not participate in the Saudi Super Cup.
CLUB OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Al Hilal Football Club Company has officially decided that the first football team will not participate in the 2025/2026 edition of the Saudi Super Cup. This decision was conveyed through an official letter sent to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), in which the club detailed the reasons that led to its withdrawal from the tournament.
The club explained that the Saudi Super Cup draw, held on June 19, 2025, took place just one day after Al Hilal’s opening match in the group stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, against Real Madrid. The Saudi representative continued its honorable campaign by advancing to the Round of 16 and then the Quarter-finals, which took place on July 4, 2025. After that match, 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. This violates clause (5.6) of the mandatory contracts included in the annexes of the Professionalism and Player Status Regulations issued by SAFF, which 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.
The letter also noted that these exceptional circumstances caused the players’ annual leave to overlap with the pre-season preparations of other competing clubs. 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.
Furthermore, the domestic competition schedule issued by SAFF on June 1, 2025, did not mention that the Super Cup would be held in Hong Kong. The tournament’s location was only announced on June 13, 2025—at which point Al Hilal’s delegation had already traveled to the U.S., and none of their matches had been played yet. The end date of their international participation was also still unknown at that time.
The Company reiterated its pride in participating in the Saudi Super Cup, a tournament the club has won multiple times. However, 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. Many players also took part in national team commitments without any rest, leading straight into the Club World Cup. This increases the risk of multiple injuries. Therefore, the decision to not participate serves not only the club’s interest but also that of the Saudi national team, which is preparing for a training camp in October ahead of the World Cup qualification playoffs—with many Al Hilal players expected to participate.
In its letter, Al Hilal’s management called for reconsidering alternative solutions that would allow the tournament to proceed and achieve its marketing and promotional goals for Saudi sports in Hong Kong—without Al Hilal’s participation—in recognition of the exceptional circumstances the team faced. The main purpose behind the withdrawal, the club stressed, was to ensure the health and readiness of its international players ahead of the national team camp and the rest of the domestic competitions, following a long and demanding season during which Al Hilal proudly represented the Kingdom in the FIFA Club World Cup.