Saudi Football League Draws Fewer Fans Than Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham

  • Avg attendance of 8,500/game is lower than European leagues
  • Revenue from TV rights also trails more established leagues
Al-Nassr fans wave a banner bearing the image of Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of a Saudi Pro League football match.Photographer: Fayez Nureldine/Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Saudi Arabia’s football spending spree may have transformed it into one of the world’s biggest transfer markets, but relatively low attendance numbers and minuscule revenue from media rights illustrate the scale of the challenge facing the local league.

The Saudi Professional Football League has so far averaged 8,500 spectators per game this season. While that’s a 24% increase from last year, it’s lower than the average for Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham AFC which until recently competed in the fifth tier of British soccer. Games in the English Premier League and Bundesliga average about 40,000 fans each.