Al‑Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, now occupies a surprising low position in the latest Saudi Pro League financial review, as the club’s squad acquisition costs have dropped sharply. Meanwhile, Al‑Hilal has emerged as the clear financial leader among Saudi clubs, setting the tone for another fiercely competitive league campaign.
The numbers come from the latest CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post 552, published on September 9, 2026. Rather than measuring current player values, the report tallies the cumulative transfer fees and performance‑related add‑ons clubs have paid to assemble their present first‑team squads, offering a fresh lens on the balance of power in Saudi soccer.
Al‑Hilal sits comfortably at the top of the Saudi rankings, followed by Al‑Ahli, Al‑Qadsiah, Al‑Ittihad and Al‑Nassr. The order reflects the varying levels of investment clubs have made in their playing squads, while Al‑Nassr’s current placement marks a notable decline from the previous year.
According to the CIES Football Observatory, the Saudi top five have collectively invested roughly €1.606 billion in transfer fees and add‑ons for the players now on their books. Al‑Hilal alone accounts for about one‑third of that total.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr lifts the Saudi Pro League Trophy
The latest rankings list Al‑Hilal at €535 million, Al‑Ahli at €329 million, Al‑Qadsiah at €257 million, Al‑Ittihad at €251 million and Al‑Nassr at €234 million. Al‑Qadsiah has jumped 20 spots globally, whereas Al‑Nassr has suffered the largest fall among the group, dropping 11 places.
The spending gap finally revealed
That is where the scale of Al‑Hilal’s advantage becomes particularly striking. Al‑Hilal has spent €535 million assembling its current squad, compared with €234 million for Al‑Nassr – a €301 million difference that means Al‑Nassr’s total is less than half of its Riyadh rival’s.
In Saudi currency, CIES estimates Al‑Hilal’s outlay at approximately 2.34 billion Saudi riyals, while Al‑Nassr stands at roughly 1.02 billion riyals. Al‑Ahli follows with 1.44 billion riyals, Al‑Qadsiah with 1.12 billion riyals and Al‑Ittihad with 1.10 billion riyals.
These figures are especially interesting because Al‑Nassr remains the defending Saudi Pro League champion and continues to field several of the competition’s biggest names, including Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, João Félix and Kingsley Coman. Its current squad is therefore still capable of competing at the highest level despite the much lower cumulative acquisition cost.
Why the CIES figures need context
There is an important distinction behind the numbers. CIES measures what clubs paid to acquire the players currently in their squads, including performance‑related add‑ons even if those bonuses have not yet been paid, rather than estimating the players’ present market value.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr.
That means the figures should not be confused with Transfermarkt’s estimated market values. At the time of the report, Transfermarkt placed Al‑Hilal’s squad at roughly €240 million and Al‑Nassr’s at about €137 million, illustrating the gap between historic acquisition costs and current market worth.
Wages and other ongoing financial commitments are also excluded from CIES’s calculations. In the Saudi Pro League, player salaries can represent a substantial portion of a club’s total expenditure, so the reported figures provide only part of the financial picture.