The Saudi Pro League title race reaches boiling point on Tuesday evening. Al Nassr lead Al Hilal by five points and know victory in the Riyadh Derby will make them champions. Al Hilal, second with a game in hand, must win their final three matches to take the title. The stakes could not be higher.
This is one of the most followed club fixtures in the Arab world, known colloquially as the "Derby of Fury". Games between Saudi Arabia's big two tend to serve up intensity, drama and controversial decisions almost every time.
Saudi sports outlet News50.sa noted the importance of this fixture and that winning it was "not just about collecting points, but a battle to assert status and confirm football supremacy in the Kingdom.”
Al Hilal boast 19 league titles, while Al Nassr have 10. A win for either club will enhance their global profile and unlock substantial revenues from broadcast rights and sponsorship deals.
Hilal arrive at Al Awwal Park with a trophy in tow after winning the King's Cup on Friday thanks to Theo Hernandez's decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Al Kholood.
Cristiano Ronaldo, by contrast, has yet to win a domestic trophy since joining Al Nassr, with only the lightly-regarded 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup to his name. A win in the derby and Saudi football’s biggest star will finally earn a coveted title.
Al Hilal win King's Cup - in pictures
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Al Hilal players celebrate winning the King's Cup final against Al Kholood at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Getty Images -
Al Hilal star Karim Benzema celebrates with fans after winning the King's Cup title in Jeddah. Reuters -
Nasser Al Dawsari of Al Hilal celebrates after scoring the first goal against Al Kholood in the King's Cup final. Getty Images -
Theo Hernandez scored the winner for Al Hilal in Jeddah. Getty Images -
Karim Benzema during the King's Cup final on Friday. Getty Images -
Al Hilal's Nasser Al Dawsari celebrates scoring against Al Kholood. Getty Images -
Karim Benzema during the final. Reuters -
Al Hilal fans at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Reuters
A historic rivalry
The rivalry between Nassr and Hilal stretches back to their first official meeting in the King's Cup in 1964. Long before the league began attracting the high-profile names that brought a global audience, Saudi Arabia waited for this fixture with bated breath.
In 2010, Saudi sports daily Arriyadiyah described the Capital Derby as a fixture that had retained its "lustre, flavour and overwhelming presence" throughout Saudi football history, where players and coaches change but "excitement and suspense" remain constant.
Nassr, founded in 1955 by the Al Ja'ba brothers in the old centre of Riyadh, takes its name from the Arabic word for "Victory". Hilal were born two years later, initially as the Olympic Club. Within a year, King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud attended a tournament featuring the newly established side and issued a royal decree renaming the club Al Hilal, meaning "The Crescent Moon". Seventy per cent of the club was recently sold to the investment vehicle of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who called Hilal "a national symbol and a source of pride for the Saudi people".
Before Ronaldo’s arrival in December 2022, an academic study put Hilal’s share of Saudi football support at 60 per cent, compared with 12.6 per cent for Nassr. Since 2023, the picture has changed dramatically. A more recent survey suggests Nassr’s domestic support has grown, while Football Benchmark says their digital following rose from under 5.2 million to more than 57.5 million by March 2025, placing them among the 20 most followed clubs in world football. The power of Ronaldo.
The scale of investment has proved an important talking point. Since the Public Investment Fund took a stake in Hilal in June 2023, the club have spent over €650 million on transfers against Nassr's €400 million across the same period. This, of course, doesn't take into account Ronaldo's astronomical wages, reportedly worth up to $250 million per season.
The 2025/26 season
Nassr dominated the opening stretch of the season, winning their first 10 matches. Then came January, when their momentum stalled and the pressure around the club intensified. Hilal beat them 3-1 in the first derby on January 12, opening up a seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Karim Benzema was signed in early February, much to the chagrin of Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar made his frustrations public, questioning what he saw as the PIF, majority owners of both clubs, as favouring Al Hilal. A league title that seemed to be heading in Nassr’s direction was suddenly under threat.
Ronaldo was left out of two matchday squads. Criticism soon turned towards head coach Jorge Jesus, whose methods were being questioned as much as the results. Chairman Abdullah Al Majed spoke on a podcast at the end of January, saying he had "personal concerns" about Jesus' failure to rotate players and his reliance on high pressing tactics, which, in his opinion, was causing too many injuries to players.
Nassr responded by going on a 16-match win streak, erasing the deficit and building an eight-point lead of their own. Tellingly, even across the two matchdays when Ronaldo sat out in protest, Nassr kept winning.
Hilal have not lost in the league all season, but too many draws – eight in 31 league games – have harmed them. Saudi media commentators have been openly critical of coach Simone Inzaghi, lured from Inter Milan on a reported €26 million annual salary. The main accusations are that the Italian has made the team too defensive and that Hilal lack a cutting edge in attack.
Ronaldo scores 100th SPL goal - in pictures
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Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring his team's third goal in a 4-2 Saudi Pro League win over Al Shabab at King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh on May 7, 2026. AFP -
Joao Felix, left, bagged a hat-trick as Al Nassr restored their five-point advantage at the top of the league with victory over Al Shabab. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo's goal against Al Shabab was his 100th Saudi Pro League goal. Getty Images -
Al Nassr's Joao Felix completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in injury time. Getty Images -
Joao Felix took his tally to 17 league goals with a hat-trick in the win over Al Shabab. Reuters -
Captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored the third of Al Nassr's four goals against Al Shabab. AFP -
Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus. AFP -
Sadio Mane of Al Nassr shoots while under pressure from Abdullah Azazieh of Al Shabab. Getty Images -
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammate Marcelo Brozovic. Getty Images -
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrates scoring his team's third goal. Getty Images
On May 3, the title race came alive again when Nassr lost 3-1 to Al Qadsiah. The match against Hilal, therefore, took on even greater importance.
It seems everything in Saudi football leads back to this derby. Ali Al Bulayhi, the Al Hilal defender on loan to Al Shabab and regarded as one of Saudi football’s most recognisable provocateurs, decided to turn last Thursday's game against Nassr into part of the derby build-up. He spent the game trying to provoke Nassr’s key players, perhaps hoping to get a reaction that would rule them out of the Hilal match. He celebrated his goal against them by revealing the Al Hilal crest on his shin guards.
The tactic failed, with Nassr running out 4-2 winners with Joao Felix grabbing a hat-trick and Ronaldo registering his 100th Saudi Pro League goal.
Who will be crowned champions?
Hilal, Saudi Arabia's most decorated club, have the history and the titles. Nassr lead the table, have home advantage and a multiple Ballon d’Or winner who is still scoring at 41.
The permutations are simple: Hilal must beat Nassr and then win their final two fixtures – against Neom and Al Fayha – to claim a record-extending 20th league title.
For Nassr, victory over their great rivals on Tuesday will see them crowned champions for the first time in seven years.
