RIYADH: It was fitting that the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League season opened with a video showcasing Diriyah's storied history. The club, which has made it to the Kingdom's top tier for the first time since its founding in 1976, represents more than just a football team. It is directly tied to the First Saudi State, which came into being in Diriyah in 1727 — now commemorated as Saudi Founding Day.
And so it came as no surprise that their fans showed up for their opening game against Al-Ahli at Al-Awwal Park in a completely different fashion. While the rest of the SPL fanbases don their club colours, the Diriyah fan group — stationed in the centre of the Al-Awwal Park stands — exclusively wore white: the traditional thobe of Saudi Arabia, with the club's burgundy draped around them in the form of a scarf.
Those fans were almost rewarded within three minutes of kickoff. Al-Ahli were caught playing out of the back by a high defensive press from the hosts, as Hussain Al-Qahtani won possession off Ziyad Al-Johani to slip Oscar Rodriguez through on goal. A fine save from Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi — standing in for the injured Edouard Mendy — denied Diriyah their first top-flight goal.
That midfield vulnerability became a glaring problem for Al-Ahli, who looked a different side from the one current Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle built over the last two seasons. Instead of breaking a compact block with aerial balls, they resorted to playing through the centre, but struggled to work their way past Al-Qahtani and Idrissa Gueye.
