- Address: Jeddah
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Capacity: 62,000
- Opened: 1 May 2014
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: Al-Ahli SFC (football), Al-Ittihad (football)
Extra stadium info – King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
The construction of the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, which is also known as The Shining Jewell, started in 2012. It is among the main sports venues in Saudi Arabia. The venue is named after the person who ruled as the king of Saudi Arabia from 1 August 2005 until his death in 2015. The stadium opened with a football match, which was attendended by king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Al-Ahli SFC drew an average home attendance of 34,000 in their first-ever top-flight football league season at the venue, while their rivals Al-Ittihad drew an average home attendance of 42,000 during the same league season.
Al-Ahly SFC and Al-Ittihad
Al-Ahly SFC and Al-Ittihad both won the top-flight football league of Saudi Arabia several times. Al-Ahly SFC played their first-ever Asian championship final in 1986. They lost the final, which took place in Jeddah. Al-Ittihad, one of the first Saudi Arabian football clubs with 1 million followers on its main social media page, were crowned Asian champions in 2004 for the first time in their history. They won the title after beating Seongnam FC from Korea in a two-legged final. One year later, Al-Ittihad won the Asian championship for football clubs again. They won the tournament after defeating Al-Ain FC from the United Arab Emirates in a two-legged final.
Fahad al-Muwallad
Fahad al-Muwallad is one of the former players of Al-Ittihad. In 2018, he became the first Saudi football player in the world-famous Spanish top-flight football league. Al-Muwallad played two matches for the Spanish side Levante Unión Deportiva from Valencia before he returned to Al-Ittihad. He also played numerous matches for the national football team of Saudi Arabia.
Karim Benzema
In 2023, Al-Ittihad signed Karim Benzema. The football legend, born in the French city of Lyon to Algerian parents, played hundreds of matches for Real Madrid. He won numerous trophies with the world-famous Spanish club. Benzema won several world championship titles with Real Madrid. He also played numerous matches for the national football team of the French Republic.
