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| Full name | Ittihad Saudi Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames |
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| Founded | December 26, 1927; 97 years ago (1927-12-26)[1] | |||
| Ground | King Abdullah Sports City Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City (selected matches) | |||
| Capacity | 62,345 27,000 | |||
| Owner(s) | Public Investment Fund (75%) Ittihad Non-Profit Foundation (25%)[2] | |||
| Chairman | Loay Mashabi | |||
| Head coach | Sérgio Conceição | |||
| League | Saudi Pro League | |||
| 2024–25 | Pro League, 1st of 18 (champions) | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
Al-Ittihad Club (Arabic:نادي الاتحاد),[3] commonly known asAl-Ittihad or simplyIttihad, is a professionalfootball club based inJeddah,Saudi Arabia.[1] The club has spent its entire history in the top flight offootball in Saudi Arabia, currently known as theSaudi Pro League. Ittihad has won 60 championships, 37 of which are official.
Ittihad matches are played at Jeddah's main stadiumKing Abdullah Sports City, which is the second-largest stadium in Saudi Arabia, accommodating 62,345 spectators.[1] Al-Ittihad has a long-standing rivalry withAl-Hilal, which is referred to asSaudi El Clasico, and is considered the most prominent and most watched annual match.[4]
Founded in 1927, it is the oldest sports club still surviving in Saudi Arabia.[4] The most successful period in the club history was the 1990s and the 2000s,[1] when the club achieved a large number of titles and achievements domestically, regionally, and globally, culminating in the club securing the 4th place in the2005 FIFA Club World Championship.
Ittihad is one of the most successful Asian club at domestic and continental level, as they have achieved theAFC Champions League title twice in a row (the first to do so), theAsian Cup Winners' Cup, theGCC Champions League and theArab Champions League title each once.[5] Domestically, Ittihad is also one of two successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having won fifteen[6]league titles, tenKing's Cup titles, eightCrown Prince Cup titles, threeSaudi Federation Cup titles and oneSaudi Super Cup.[4][5][7]
The club was founded after a meeting of some of the notable football enthusiasts of the city ofJeddah, on 26 December 1927.[1] They met in the offices of a radio broadcasting company and discussed the idea of forming a football club to compete with various travelling teams and be a source of entertainment for inhabitants and an outlet for the city's youth to practice organised sport.[1] Everyone agreed that they should create the team that unites them andIttihad Jeddah was born. The attendees were Hamza Fitaihi, Abdulrazag Ajlan, Abdullah Bin Zagor, Fahad Badkook, Abdulsamad Najeeb Alsaady, Ismail Zahran, Ali Yamani, Abdulaziz Jameel,Abdul Latif Jameel, Abdulateef Linjawi, Othman Banajah, Ahmad Abu Talib, Ali Sultan, Ahmed Almir and Saleh Salamah.
As long as we are here together, let's call itIttihad
— Mazen Mohammed
The name of the club was quoted from this wisdom, Mazen Mohammed words which created the current club name. Club owners agree with him to put the club nameIttihad (United or Union, jointly) in Arabic.
Ali Sultan became the first official president of the club. Ittihad did not find at first a strong support, there wasn't an official clubs (communities) such as Al Riyadhi, because the presence of powerful culture in the city of Jeddah only. In their first meeting with Al-Riyadhi, Ittihad make it victory with 3–0 won. The club has achieved a historic first tournament, which was calledThe Cup of Nishan Nazer, counted as an official tournament at the time, The cup have formed a popularity of Ittihad, Because of a challenge between them in the final. Depending on the narrator, the winner can burn the Embassy wood's. The Championship attended by several of the clubs, communities, was fought by Ittihad where several games had to be won to achieve access to the final against Al-Mukhtalat. The weather was dust, did not complete the first half, the match was stopped about 10 minutes. the referee stopped the game to rest for 8 minutes, the weather was changed for the better with the second half, Al-Mukhtalat squad had led to fail, it was a low attacking level. The most prominent player in the game is the club's defender Safwan which was sacrificed for his team. the club won the championship by 3–0 against Al-Mukhtalat. The most important characteristic of this tournament is the first sporting event held in the reign of the founderKing Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud The period of 1940 to 1950 remained difficult, as theFootball Association was not established until 1956.[8]
In late 1950s, it is considered as the first club to achieve both theCrown Prince Cup and theKing's Cup for two consecutive times. On 2 May 1960, Ittihad faced their traditional rivalsAl-Ahli in the King's Cup, which ended with a big 7–0 victory, which isthe largest victory in the derby. The tournament ended and the club became champions for the third time in a row overAl-Wehda, which completed the 1958, 1959, and 1960 series. The club went through its worst period since its founding, after winning the King's Cup in 1967, with the exception of achieving the Saudi Association Cup in 1974, after defeatingAl-Hilal on penalties. In the following decade, theSaudi Pro League and the First Division were merged due to the many matches of the national team in 1982, which Ittihad won itsfirst league title in its history, which is the first and only club to achieve it. After an absence for 21 years, the club won the King's Cup after defeatingAl Ettifaq in 1988.
In mid 1990s, Which is considered as the beginning of the golden age of the club, where a numerous of titles were achieved. In 1996–97, the club delivered acup treble, winning the Premier League, Crown Prince Cup, andFederation Cup. After two seasons, the club won the league title for the third time in its history after eliminating rivals Al-Hilal in the final 2–0. Thefirst continental championship was also achieved after winning 3–2 overJeonnam Dragons with a golden goal, scored byAhmed Bahja.GCC Champions League was also achieved, as the season ended with winning four trophies.[9] In 1999, The club was a runner-up in theAsian Super Cup, after losing 2–3 on aggregate toJúbilo Iwata.
With the beginning of the new century during the period of president Ahmed Masoud, which is considered one of the most successful periods, winning 8 titles within 3 years. The1999–2000 league season was achieved at the beginning of the century, after a 3–1 win over Al-Ahli in the final, also,Hamza Idris scored an unprecedented 33 goals, a record in that period, which made him the league's top scorer, and the most scored in a single season.[10] In the following season - the club winning the League for fifth time, and Crown Prince Cup. In the 2001–02 season, on May 1, 2002, Ittihad lost the league final to Al-Hilal, a cross from a corner kick went toAl Hasan Al-Yami, who hit it and the ball entered the goal clearly before Al Hilal's Mohammed Al-Nazhan took it out with his hand. A goal was not awarded by the referee, even as a penalty kick, which in turn ended with a loss 1–2, where the referee was suspended six months after the final - and later apologized, declaring, "I am innocent of your defeat, and God bears witness to that." The match created a great controversy at all levels, as it faced a lot of criticism, which was considered by many and critics as a "robbery".[11][12]
When Ahmed Masoud left the club, Mansour Al-Balawi became president, which is considered by many including the fans as the most prominent and successful period in the club's history. In the 2002–03 season, many players have been brought in, such asTukar,Saud Kariri,Muhammad Al-Khilaiwi, andTcheco; who is considered as one of the greatest deals in the club's history, while both the League and the Crown Prince Cup were achieved. Despite leading the league and ending it without a loss, Ittihad lost the league final toAl-Shabab in the championship-playoff finals. In the2004 AFC Champions League, Ittihad finished the group in first place with only one loss. In quarter-finals, it was successfully passed with a 1–1 draw inDalian, followed by a home 1–0 victory scored by Tukar, againstChineseDalian Shide, of which led them to reach the semi-finals. Both matches ended in the last minutes, asHamad Al-Montashari finished the first leg's 2–1, andOsama Al-Muwallad scored the deadly equalizer in the second leg, with a 4–3 aggregate overJeonbuk Hyundai Motors, as the club qualified for the final for the first time.[1][13] The final was out of the ordinary; Ittihad were thrashed at home 1–3 by Korean sideSeongnam in the first leg—leading to the sacking of Croatian coachTomislav Ivić, as assistant coachDragan Talajić was given the opportunity. Who, in turn, started the return match in Seongnam, Redha Tukar opened the scoring, rising to a ball from a corner kick to score the first goal, Idris scored the second late minute goal in the first half,Mohammed Noor scored the two decisive goals in the second half, beforeAbushgeer scored the fifth and the last goal.[14] Overcoming the 1–3 loss with a miraculous 5–0 victory, to achieve the first title,[14] Dragan Talajić achievement was unforgettable and almost impossible, this second leg match became one of the most surprising and unforgettable comebacks inAFC Champions League history, which was called "the miracle".[5][13][14][15] Recalling the tournament, Talajić said, "I was initially an assistant to the compatriots Tomislav Ivic, and I learned a lot from him, and I considered the opportunity to work with a great team as a wonderful thing, which is why I agreed to work with him, I was with the team eight months after we arrived at the beginning of the season, and I knew all about the players." and continued, "I was young at the time, and maybe I was crazy by playing with five strikers, I told everyone before the match that we would win, I always knew we would win, but I didn't know if the difference would be enough."[13][16]
Ittihad achieved itsfirst Arab championship, after defeating TunisianClub Sportif Sfaxien in the final.[17] On 5 November 2005, Ittihad won the Champions League for the second time in a row, after a 5–3 victory overAl-Ain.Mohammed Kallon, which loaned fromAS Monaco, became the top scorer of the tournament with six goals; of which two were in the final—which helped to achieve the second title.[18] Mohammed Noor, was awarded the best player in the tournament. The club remaining as the only to win back-to-back AFC Champions League titles in its current edition.[1][5][7] The club qualified for theFIFA Club World Cup for the first time, in the edition that was held inJapan, after achieving the Champions League title—as it became the second Saudi team to qualify for the tournament. On December 11, 2005, Ittihad defeated African championsAl-Ahly after Mohamed Noor's only goal, to qualify for the semi-finals. Ittihad faced theCONMEBOL championSão Paulo, and it was ended by a 2–3 loss. Ittihad played the match to determine the third place against the Costa Rican clubDeportivo Saprissa and lost with a 2–3, were two goals scored by Mohamed Kallon andJoseph-Désiré Job—to end the Club World Cup in the 4th place. FormerFIFA PresidentSepp Blatter expressed his admiration, saying, "In 25 years, I have not seen an Asian team this great."[19][20] Ittihad's success is not limited only to football, but also inbasketball,water polo,table tennis,volleyball, andswimming, amongst others. In total, Ittihad has won 8,649 trophies. However, football remains the primary sport.
The Jeddah derby between Ittihad andAl-Ahli is known to be one of the most competitive games in the Saudi League. From the start of national competitions both clubs were seen as representatives of two rivals from the same city:Jeddah. This rivalry continued annually for more than 70 years, until Al-Ahli were relegated to the first division in 2022. The derby was back on October sixth 2023.
Saudi El Clasico, or simply the Clasico, is a long-running competitive match inSaudi football, between Ittihad andAl-Hilal. The competition represents the largest and most important two clubs in the city ofJeddah and the capital,Riyadh, the largest and most culturally prominent cities in theKingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two clubs are considered the most successful at domestic and continental level. Ittihad is the oldest sports club still surviving in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is seen as thePeople's Club. While Al-Hilal represents the culture of the Capital Club, it is called by the massesthe Leader. The two teams meet twice a year in theleague, as they may also meet in theKing's Cup or theSaudi Super Cup or theAFC Champions League. It is considered as the most prominent and most watched match in Saudi football.
The first meeting between the two teams was held on July 27, 1962, a friendly match, in the capital, Riyadh, and ended with a 2–0 victory for Ittihad. The first official meeting between the two teams was on January 10, 1964, the King's Cup Final, which in turn also ended with a 3–0 victory for Ittihad.
Together withAl-Nassr, they are the only 3 teams that have not been relegated to theSecond Division since its founding.
Ittihad is based in Sahafa street, Mushrefa district, in southeastern Jeddah, where they have a large sports complex. Senior teams play official games at theKing Abdullah Sports City, north of the city, while youth teams play at the club's headquarters.
Ittihad is the highest-attended club in Saudi Arabia. In the2014-15 Saudi League, Ittihad's attendance during 12 home games averaged 42,371 per match. In 2016, American website The Sportster ranked Ittihad fans the 12th most influential football fans in the world.[21][22] Ittihad has built a strong fan-base across Saudi Arabia, amongst theArab League and in Asia. Since its opening on 1 May 2014, Ittihad shares theKing Abdullah Sports City Stadium with local rivalAl-Ahli, while their previous home thePrince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium faced construction until it was renovated in 2022.
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In a press conference on 9 January 2006, president of the club Mansour Albalawi announced thatSela Sport Co (which is the sponsor ofSaudi National Team) will pay 350 millionriyals to sponsor Ittihad for 5 seasons. Ittihad was later on sponsored by theSaudi Telecom Company, however the team has not renewed STC's contract.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–03 | Umbro | Multiple |
| 2003–05 | Lotto | Lingo |
| 2006–07 | Hattrick | STC |
| 2007–08 | Nike | |
| 2008–10 | Lotto | |
| 2010–12 | Nike | |
| 2012–13 | One | |
| 2013–2014 | One | None |
| 2014–2015 | Errea | |
| 2015–2016 | Adidas | Bupa Arabia /Mobil 1 |
| 2016–2017 | Joma[23] | Bridgestone /Unionaire /Almosafer /Mobil 1 |
| 2017–2018 | Bridgestone /Unionaire /Mobil 1 | |
| 2018–2019 | Noon /faqih /Mobil 1 | |
| 2019–2020 | Stribes /S.Team | Noon /faqih /C. Hub /Al Wefaq Rent A Car /Ibrahim Al-Qurashi |
| 2020–2021 | Tamim | faqih /C. Hub /Al Wefaq Rent A Car /Ibrahim Al-Qurashi |
| 2021–2022 | Erreà | Yelo /Emkan |
| 2022–2023 | Nike[24] | Yelo /Emkan /DARCO /SAL /Tameeni /ALAMOUDI |
| 2023–2024 | Roshn[25] /SURJ Sports Investments /Nua[note 1] | |
| 2024–2025 | Roshn[26] /SURJ Sports Investments /Milaf[note 1] /Yaqoot /Jamjoom Pharma /Flow Progressive Logistics /Volkswagen |
Ittihad is one of the most of successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, it has 37 official honours, 32 of which are domestic. In addition to their continental successes, the club is one of the only three Asian clubs to have won the AFC Champions League twice in a row.
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Premier League/Pro League | 10 | 1982,1997,1999,2000,2001,2003,2007,2009,2023,2025 |
| King's Cup | 10 | 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1967,1988,2010,2013,2018,2025 | |
| Saudi Super Cup | 1 | 2022 | |
| Crown Prince's Cup | 8 | 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1991,1997,2001,2004,2017 | |
| Saudi Federation Cup | 3 | 1986, 1997, 1999 | |
| Continental | AFC Champions League Elite | 2 | 2004,2005 |
| Asian Cup Winners Cup | 1 | 1999 | |
| Regional | Arab Champions League | 1 | 2005 |
| GCC Champions League | 1 | 1999 |
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| Season | Stage |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Quarter-finals |
| 2002 | Second round |
| 2003 | Did not qualify |
| 2004 | Champions |
| 2005 | Champions |
| 2006 | Quarter-finals |
| 2007 | Did not qualify |
| 2008 | Group stage |
| 2009 | Runner-up |
| 2010 | Group stage |
| 2011 | Semi-finals |
| 2012 | Semi-finals |
| 2013 | Did not qualify |
| 2014 | Quarter-finals |
| 2015 | Did not qualify |
| 2016 | Group stage |
| 2017 | Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues |
| 2018 | Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues |
| 2019 | Quarter-finals |
| 2020 | Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues |
| 2021 | Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues |
| 2022 | Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues |
| 2024 | Quarter-finals |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| KSA | AFC | CAF | UEFA | CONMEBOL | CONCACAF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Sérgio Conceição |
| Assistant coach |  Siramana Dembélé Fábio Moura Hassan Khalifa |
| Goalkeeping coach | Diamantino Figueiredo |
| Assistant Goalkeeping coach |  Vedran Runje |
| Fitness coach | João Costa |
| Performance analyst | Eduardo Oliveira |
| Medical Team | Sergio Gomez Ali Yagdah |
| Physiotherapist | Eduardo Oliveira |
| Additional assistant | Fábio Moura |
| President | Loay Mashabi |
| Vice President | Abdulaziz Al-Zaid |
| Chief Executive Officer | Domingos Soares de Oliveira |
| Director of Football |  Ramón Planes |
| Board Member | Fahad Sindi |
| Board Member | Abdullah Al-Ghamdi |
| Board Member | Abdullah Al-Husaini |
| Board Member | Fares Al-Hejailan |
| Board Member | Suhaib Jamjoom |
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| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Champions of Asia 2004 | Succeeded by Holders |
| Preceded by Holders | Champions of Asia 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Asian Cup Winners' Cup Runner up:Chunnam Dragons 1999 | Succeeded by |
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| Arab Club Champions Cup | |
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| Arab Unified Club Championship | |
| Arab Champions League | |
| UAFA Club Cup | |
| Arab Club Championship | |
| Arab Club Champions Cup | |
