About Al-Ittihad Club

Al-Ittihad Club is a Saudi football club founded in 1927, based in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. Its home stadium is King Abdullah Sports City, and it currently competes in the Saudi Professional League.

Team History

Al-Ittihad is the oldest football club in Saudi Arabia. To date, the club has won 9 Saudi Professional League titles, 10 Saudi King's Cup titles, 8 Saudi Crown Prince Cup titles, 1 Saudi Super Cup title, and 2 AFC Champions League titles—including back-to-back AFC Champions League victories in 2004 and 2005. Entering the 2010s, Al-Ittihad’s competitiveness began to decline, dropping from the top tier of the league to the mid-table. Throughout the decade, they failed to win a league title, with only relatively significant honors: the Saudi King's Cup in 2013 and 2018, and the Saudi Crown Prince Cup in 2017. Starting from the 2020/21 season, Al-Ittihad re-emerged as a top-tier team in the Saudi league, finishing 2nd that season with a record of 20 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses. In the 2021/22 season, they maintained their 2nd-place finish with the same record (20 wins, 5 draws, 5 losses). In the 2022/23 season, under the management of Nuno Espírito Santo, Al-Ittihad returned to the league summit, winning the title with 22 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses, scoring 60 goals and conceding only 13—their first league title since 2009. Additionally, they claimed their first-ever Saudi Super Cup title that season.

Current Situation

On August 6, 2023, Al-Ittihad lost 1-3 to Al-Hilal in the quarterfinals of the Arab Club Champions Cup, failing to reach the semifinals. On December 16, they lost 1-3 to Al Ahly SC in the second round of the FIFA Club World Cup, missing out on the semifinals. On April 12, 2024, Al-Ittihad were defeated 1-4 by Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final, finishing as runners-up. In 2025, Unai Hernández joined the club.