Saudi Arabia will continue investing in football until 2030, but with a new approach focused on greater transparency and fairness. This was announced last week by SPL CEO Omar Mugharbel.
The shift comes partly in response to complaints Cristiano Ronaldo made when Karim Benzema joined Al Hilal during the last winter transfer window. Ronaldo reportedly went on strike and refused to play, believing it was unfair that his main title rival could strengthen with such a high-profile player due to direct backing from the PIF (Saudi sovereign wealth fund) and an external investor.
The Player Acquisition Center of Excellence (PACE)—the new name for the SPL’s plan—was created in summer 2023 as part of the SPL Transformation Strategy, aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The program emerged after Prince Bin Salman launched the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project, encouraging major companies and development agencies to invest in clubs through ownership transfers and the privatization of selected sports clubs.
In 2025, Al Kholood became the first foreign-owned club in the Saudi top flight after being acquired by the Harburg Group, which also owns Cadiz. More recently, Kingdom Holding Company agreed to purchase a 70% stake in Al Hilal from the PIF.
Under the new PACE structure, 22% of Saudi Arabia’s invested budget will be distributed equally among clubs, 22% based on average league position over the previous three seasons, 28% linked to television audience figures, and 28% tied to commercial performance over the same period.
In short, the SPL will continue investing in the right players and transfers, with centralized funds and a distribution mechanism based on those four criteria. Clubs receive money to invest in players centrally but are rewarded based on performance. This is exactly what Cristiano Ronaldo wanted—and what could allow Al Nassr to grow differently from its competitors.
Tags: Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Pro League, FIFA, Football
