Al-Diriyah Club, officially named Diriyah Club since September 2025, is a Saudi football club based in Diriyah, in Riyadh Province. They finished third in the Saudi First Division League in 2025-26 and won the play-offs, so they play in the Saudi Pro League from the 2026-27 season. It is the first season in the club’s history in the Saudi top flight.
Club facts
- City: Diriyah, Riyadh Province, west of the capital
- Founded: 1976, by Saad Al-Rashed and Abdul Rahman bin Suraie. First president: Abdullah Al-Jadaie.
- Owner: Diriyah Company, wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, since 12 July 2024. Board chairman: Prince Khalid bin Mohammed.
- Colours: Diriyah Tan, a shade drawn from the mudbrick architecture of the historic At-Turaif district, adopted on 8 September 2025 in place of maroon
- Ground: Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Riyadh, renamed Al-Riyadh club stadium, built in 1983 and under renovation since 2023
- 2026-27 staff: Bruno Lage as head coach, Waleed Abdullah as captain
Two promotions in two seasons
The club won the third tier title on 14 April 2025, which took them into the Saudi First Division League. A year later they went up again. Two tiers cleared in two seasons.
Promotion to the Saudi Pro League came through the play-offs, open to the clubs placed third to sixth. Al-Diriyah’s run:
- Semi-final, 18 May 2026: Al-Diriyah 3-0 Al-Jabalain, at Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Riyadh. Goals from Clayton Diandy (17, 70) and Abdullah Al-Dossari (86).
- Final, 23 May 2026: Al-Diriyah 2-1 Al-Ula after extra time, same ground. Cristian Guanca put Al-Ula ahead on 29 minutes, an Ali Al-Hussain own goal levelled it on 65, and Gaëtan Laborde won it on 94.
The other two promoted clubs for 2026-27 are Abha, the champions, and Al-Faisaly, the runners-up. They replace Damac, Al-Okhdood and Al-Najma, relegated from the Saudi Pro League.
2025-26 second tier record
| Metric | 2025-26 season |
|---|---|
| Final position | 3rd of 18 |
| Played | 34 |
| Won | 22 |
| Drawn | 6 |
| Lost | 6 |
| Goals for | 79 |
| Goals against | 39 |
| Goal difference | +40 |
| Points | 72 |
79 goals scored, the best attack of the 18 clubs in the division, ahead of Al-Faisaly on 76. Al-Diriyah finished 5 points short of the automatic promotion places.
Gaëtan Laborde ended up third top scorer in the division with 26 goals, in a count updated to 14 May 2026. Moussa Marega added 19.
Honours
- Saudi First Division League, second tier: promotion play-off winners in 2025-26
- Saudi Second Division League, third tier: winners in 2012-13 and 2024-25, runners-up in 2019-20
- Saudi Third Division, fourth tier: runners-up in 2006-07
Following the Saudi Pro League 2026-27
The 2026-27 campaign is the 70th season of the Saudi top flight. It runs from 13 August 2026 to 29 May 2027, with a break from 24 December to 7 February while the kingdom hosts the AFC Asian Cup.
- the live league table at saudileague.net/en/standings/
- the round-by-round schedule at saudileague.net/en/fixtures/
- the full club list at saudileague.net/en/clubs/
Sources
- Diriyah Club, English Wikipedia: founding, founders, ownership transfer to Diriyah Company, rebrand and name change of 8 September 2025, colours, honours
- نادي الدرعية, Arabic Wikipedia: Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Riyadh, third tier title of 14 April 2025
- 2025-26 Saudi First Division League, English Wikipedia: final table, play-off format, match reports of both play-off games, top scorers updated to 14 May 2026
- 2026-27 Saudi Pro League, English Wikipedia: season dates, winter break, promoted and relegated clubs, head coach and captain
- Al-Riyadh club stadium, English Wikipedia: former name, year built, renovation