Saudi Arabia offers five more sports clubs for privatization

The Ministry of Sport and the National Center for Privatization (NCP) announced offering five additional sports clubs to investors, Riyadh, Abha, Al-Fateh, Al-Tai, and Al-Shoulla.

The ministry said the clubs have completed the required regulatory procedures and are now ready to be offered to investors.

The deadline for submitting prequalification applications is July 5, with applications to be submitted through the NCP’s website.

The ministry noted that sports clubs are being prepared for privatization under a comprehensive framework that takes into account each club’s readiness, as well as the seriousness and preparedness of potential investors, to ensure sustainable outcomes for both clubs and investors.

It also confirmed that expressions of interest for acquiring sports clubs remain open on an ongoing basis under the project's regulations. The offering process typically takes between eight and 10 months once an expression of interest is received for a specific club.

According to the ministry, local and international investors have shown strong interest in acquiring sports clubs, with more than 80 expressions of interest registered so far for 22 clubs.

Regarding Al-Najma and Al-Akhdoud, the ministry said negotiations are currently underway and will be followed by the contract-signing before the official transfer of ownership is announced.

In July 2025, the Ministry of Sport and NCP completed the privatization of the first three Saudi sports clubs through a public offering, Al-Ansar, Al-Kholood, and Al-Zulfi.

This followed the announcement in August 2024 of plans to privatize six clubs under the second phase of the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project, according to Argaam data.