Five Saudi Clubs Set for 2026 Privatization Offering

Oct 22, 2026•2 min read

The Ministry of Sport and the National Center for Privatization have announced plans to offer five Saudi sports clubs for investment in 2026: Al-Riyadh, Abha, Al-Fateh, Al-Tai, and Al-Shoulla. The move marks a further step in opening the Kingdom's sports sector to private capital.

Interested investors are required to submit expressions of interest and prequalification documents through the National Center for Privatization's official electronic platform. The stated deadline for prequalification submissions was 5 July 2026.

the process runs through several stages: investor qualification, technical and financial evaluation, issuance of requests for proposals, bidding, commercial closure, and finally the transfer of ownership. A reported financial-qualification threshold set available funding at 35 million ريال سعودي for a qualifying consortium.

The offering is directed to qualified investment entities through the privatization program, not to individual investors, and no personal e-government procedure applies to it. No official acquisition price, bid fee, application fee, club-by-club valuation, payment schedule, ownership percentage, or validity period was included in the available announcement.

Why it matters

The step builds on the Sports Law, which entered into force on 10 June 2026 and allows sports clubs to convert into companies, subject to Ministry approval, registration, capital requirements, and applicable ownership restrictions. For fans and the wider community, the shift could bring new investment, improved facilities, and more professional club management over time. The available information does not confirm any completed ownership transfers for the five clubs.

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