Al Abha’s promotion sets the stage for a fiercely contested Saudi Yelo League season

The 2026-27 Saudi Yelo First Division League season begins on Friday, 21 August 2026, with 18 clubs preparing for a campaign that will run until May 2027.

Al Abha won the Yelo League last season and secured promotion to the Roshn Saudi League alongside Al Faisaly and Al-Diriyah. Damac, Al-Okhdood and Al-Najma were relegated from the Roshn Saudi League and will compete in the second tier this season.

The league has produced strong competition in recent years, and another closely fought campaign is expected in 2026-27. The opening round includes nine matches across 21, 22 and 23 August, followed by a second round of fixtures on 26, 27 and 28 August.

Standings

With the season yet to begin, every team has played zero matches and all 18 clubs have zero points. The opening table is:

| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Goal difference | Points | |||:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:| | 1 | Damac | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 | Al-Okhdood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 3 | Al-Najma | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 4 | Al-Ula | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 5 | Al-Orobah | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 6 | Al-Jabalain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 7 | Al-Raed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 8 | Al-Zulfi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 9 | Al Tai | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 10 | Al Wehda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 11 | Al Bukayriyah | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 12 | Al Anwar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 13 | Jeddah | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 14 | Al Adalah | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 15 | Al Jandal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 16 | Al Sager | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 17 | Al Jeel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 18 | Hajer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

Opening fixtures

The first match of the season sees Al Jeel play Al-Zulfi on Friday, 21 August at 18:50 Saudi Arabia time, or 19:50 in the United Arab Emirates, at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City.

Al Bukayriyah host Al Anwar at 19:15 Saudi time, 20:15 UAE time, at Al Bukayriyah Club Stadium. Later that evening, Al Wehda face Al Adalah at 20:50 in Saudi Arabia, listed as 19:50 in the UAE, at King Abdulaziz Sports City.

On Saturday, 22 August, Al-Najma meet Al Jandal at 19:15 Saudi time, 20:15 UAE time, at King Abdullah Sports City in Buraidah. Al Tai play Al-Okhdood at 19:20 Saudi time, 20:20 UAE time, at Prince Abdulaziz bin Msaad bin Jalawi Stadium.

Al-Orobah host Al-Raed at 20:50 Saudi time, 21:50 UAE time, at Al-Orobah Club Stadium.

The remaining three opening-round games are scheduled for Sunday, 23 August. Hajer play Jeddah at 18:50 Saudi time, 19:50 UAE time, at Hajer Club Stadium. Al Sager face Damac at 19:15 Saudi time, 20:15 UAE time, at King Abdullah Sports City in Buraidah. Al-Ula meet Al-Jabalain at 21:00 Saudi time, 22:00 UAE time, at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Stadium.

Second round

The next round begins on Wednesday, 26 August, when Al Adalah play Al Tai at 18:45 Saudi time, 19:45 UAE time, at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City. Al-Zulfi host Al Wehda at 19:05 Saudi time, listed as 20:06 UAE time, at Al-Zulfi Club Stadium.

Al-Okhdood face Al Bukayriyah at 20:50 Saudi time, 19:50 UAE time, at Prince Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Sports City.

On Thursday, Al-Jabalain play Al Jeel at 19:20 Saudi time, 20:20 UAE time, at Prince Abdulaziz bin Msaad bin Jalawi Stadium. Jeddah meet Al-Najma at the same time at Jeddah Club Stadium. Al Jandal then face Al Sager at 20:50 Saudi time, 21:50 UAE time, at Al-Jouf University Stadium.

Friday’s fixtures are Al Anwar against Al-Ula at 18:55 Saudi time, 19:55 UAE time, at Al Anwar Club Stadium; Al-Raed against Hajer at 19:05 Saudi time, 20:05 UAE time, at Al-Raed Stadium; and Damac against Al-Orobah at 20:50 Saudi time, 21:50 UAE time, at Damac Club Stadium.

How to watch

Thmanyah has secured the rights to broadcast the 2026-27 Yelo League matches. All games are expected to be available via satellite broadcast without the need for an additional receiver.

Supporters who prefer to watch online can use the Thmanyah application. The app can be downloaded from the various app stores, with registration required to watch the matches for free.

The satellite details are: Arabsat, frequency 11919, horizontal (H) polarisation, symbol rate 27500 and a 3/4 error-correction rate.

A NordVPN promotional offer is also provided for a secure and fast internet connection.