Riyadh F.C. or Al-Riyadh () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It currently plays in the Saudi Pro League (the first tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia). It was established in 1953 as Ahli Al-Riyadh, then changed its name to Al-Yamamah and finally to Al-Riyadh. Best known for its football team, Al-Riyadh also have squads in other sports.
Al-Riyadh have won one major title: the Crown Prince Cup in 1994. The team also finished as runners-up in the Saudi Premier League in 1994; they have never won the top league.
Al-Riyadh was promoted to the Saudi Pro League in 2023.
History
Early history The club was founded in 1953 under the name "Ahli Al-Riyadh", before changing to "Al-Yamama" and then to "Al-Riyadh." It is currently based in west Riyadh. They reached the final of the Kings Cup in 1962 and 1978, but triumphed on neither occasion.
Golden era Al-Riyadh was promoted to the Saudi Premier League at the end of the 1988/89 season after winning the Saudi First Division League.
In the early 1990s, under the leadership of the Brazilian coach Zumario and players such as Khalid Al-Qarouni, Talal Al-Jabreen, Yasser Al-Taafi and Fahd Al-Hamdan, Al-Riyadh won the Crown Prince Cup in 1994. They were unable to retain the Cup in 1995, losing in the final to Al-Hilal. However, they did win the 1995 Federation Cup and reached the semi-final of the 1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. In 1998, Al-Riyadh once again reached the finals of the Crown Prince Cup, and lost to Al-Ahli.
Al-Riyadh were relegated at the end of the 2004/5 season.
Return to the top flight Al-Riyadh finished fourth in the Saudi First Division League in the 2022/23 season. Normally, a fourth-place finish would not be good enough for promotion, but the Saudi Premier League was expanding from 16 teams to 18, offering an additional promotion spot.
Honours
Domestic Saudi Premier League (tier 1) Runners-up (1): 1993–94 Saudi First Division League (tier 2) Winners (2): 1977–78, 1988–89 Runners-up (2): 1979–80, 1982–83 King's Cup Runners-up (2): 1962, 1978 Crown Prince's Cup Winners (1): 1993–94 Runners-up (2): 1994–95, 1997–98 Saudi Federation Cup Winners (1): 1994–95
Continental Arab Super Cup Runners-up (1): 1996
Players
Out on loan
Coaching staff
PositionStaff Head coach Maurício Dulac Assistant coach Vinícius Martins Hércules Júnior Gabriel Silveira Yaser Al-Harbi Goalkeeper coach Abdullah Al-Sobhi Fitness coach Rafael Poffo Strength and conditioning coach Admilson Pinheiro Khaled Al-Shalhoub Youth coach Fábio Castro Development coach Bader Al-Koroni Head of medical Ibrahim Al-Khaibari Doctor Gustavo Campos Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi Sporting director Saleh Al-Kubaishan
Managerial history
Gildo Rodrigues (1989 – 1991) Khalid Al-Koroni (11 January 2010 – 12 April 2010) Fahd Al-Hamdan (caretaker) (12 April 2010 – 1 May 2010) Marian Bondrea (1 July 2010 – 19 February 2011) Mohamed Aldo (19 February 2011 – 30 May 2011) Djamel Belkacem (26 July 2011 – 30 May 2012) Ayman El Yamani (3 July 2012 – 12 December 2012) Habib Ben Romdhane (12 December 2012 – 1 May 2014) Amir Alagić (17 June 2014 – 15 September 2014) Lotfi Kadri (16 September 2014 – 15 December 2014) Zouhair Louati (15 December 2014 – 28 July 2015) Leandro Simpson (7 August 2015 – 18 December 2015) Abderrazek Chebbi (18 December 2015 – 30 April 2016) Sultan Khamees (23 June 2016 – 18 November 2016) Hani Anwar (18 November 2016 – 30 May 2017) Adel Latrach (13 July 2017 – 26 November 2017) Yousef Khamees (26 November 2017 – 14 February 2018) Bandar Al-Jaithen (14 February 2018 – 1 April 2018) Amro Anwar (15 August 2018 – 2 December 2018) Bandar Al-Jaithen (2 December 2018 – 27 January 2019) Khalid Al-Koroni (27 January 2019 – 15 October 2019) Saad Al-Subaie (15 October 2019 – 25 January 2020) Yousri bin Kahla (25 January 2020 – 7 February 2021) Anis Chaieb (10 February 2021 – 1 June 2021) Moncef Mcharek (24 June 2021 – 1 May 2022) Dejan Arsov (3 May 2022 – 8 September 2022) Teo Pirija (caretaker) (8 September 2022 – 18 September 2022) Damir Burić (18 September 2022 – 1 June 2023) Yannick Ferrera (6 June 2023 – 20 September 2023) Bandar Al-Kubaishan (caretaker) (20 September 2023 – 8 October 2023) Odair Hellmann (8 October 2023 – 1 June 2024) Sabri Lamouchi (12 July 2024 – 19 April 2025) Bandar Al-Kubaishan (caretaker) (19 April 2025 – 1 June 2025) Javier Calleja (6 July 2025 – 10 November 2025) José Daniel Carreño (14 November 2025 – 10 February 2026) Maurício Dulac (11 February 2026 –)
International competitions Overview
Competition Pld W D L GF GA Arab Cup Winners' Cup 15 7 2 6 21 18 Arab Super Cup 2 0 2 0 1 1 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 4 3 0 1 7 2 TOTAL 21 10 4 7 29 21
Record by country Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Win% TOTAL
Matches Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate 1995 Arab Cup Winners' Cup Group B Al-Ahly 2–2 2nd Club Africain 0–1 Al-Nasr 2–0 Al-Ittihad Aleppo 2–0 SF ES Sahel 0–2 0–2 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2R Homenmen 3–0 2−0 5–0 QF Kazma 2–1 0−1 2–2 SF Al-Talaba –Withdrew 1996 Arab Super Cup Final ES Tunis 1–1 2nd Al-Hilal 0–0 Arab Cup Winners' Cup Group A Al-Muharraq 2–0 1st Al-Wehdat 1–0 Olympique Médéa 1–1 SF Al-Faisaly 0–1 0–1 1999 Arab Cup Winners' Cup QR Al-Merrikh 2–1 2nd Al-Masry 1–2 Al-Ittihad Ibb 5–3 Group B Al-Jaish 1–2 3rd Al-Gharafa 1–3 MC Oran 1–0 Key: QR – Qualifying round; 1R/2R – First/Second round; R16 – Round of 16; QF – Quarter-final; SF – Semi-final;
Notes
See also Al-Riyadh SC (women) List of football clubs in Saudi Arabia
References
External links
Team profile at Soccerway