Al Hilal is to skip the 2025-26 Saudi Super Cup, set for next month, amid its hectic schedule.
Al Hilal finished the recent Saudi Pro League season second behind champion Al-Ittihad in late May, having been knocked out of the King’s Cup quarterfinals and AFC Champions League elite semis.
The Riyadh-based club then headed to the United States, where it kicked off its FIFA Club World Cup 2025 campaign on June 18 against giant Real Madrid.
It made it to the knockout stages, where it stunned Manchester City in the last 16 before losing to Fluminense in the quarterfinals on July 4.
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The Saudi Super Cup is to be held between August 19-23 in Hong Kong, with the league campaign usually getting underway in late August.
Its CWC campaign and following flight complications “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,” with the rules granting them “a minimum of 28 days of annual leave,” the club said in a statement.
Al Hilal was forced to postpone its pre-season preparations, “which further increased the competitive imbalance among participating clubs,” the statement ran, citing a letter sent to the local football federation.
The Saudi federation (SAFF) said, in response, it “will begin taking the necessary measures in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations through the relevant committees,” without providing more details.
