Saudi El Clásico () is the name given to any football match between rival clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad. It is contested at least twice a year in the Saudi Pro League competition and often in other competitions. The rivalry comes about as Riyadh and Jeddah are the two largest cities in Saudi Arabia.
The first-ever match between these two teams was in 1957. The two teams played a friendly match in Al-Saban Stadium in Jeddah which ended in a 8-0 for Al-Ittihad. 1961 The two sides played again in a friendly match which ended 7-1 for Al-Ittihad. In 1964, both teams met in the final of the King Cup in what would be the first final between these two teams and the first official match. Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Hilal 3âÂÂ0 in the Al-Sayegh stadium in Riyadh to lift their fourth title. Ahmed Bahja and Salem Al-Dawsari are the top scorers of the fixture with 10 goals each. The clubs have met each other in 11 finals, with Al-Hilal winning 6 and Al-Ittihad winning 5.
Statistics as of 22 February 2025.
Below is the list of players who have scored at least four goals in official meetings.
As of 21 September 2024. Source:
Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form.
The rivalry reflected in "El Clásico" matches comes about as Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are the most successful football clubs in Saudi Arabia. As seen below, Al-Hilal leads the count in official titles won with 70 trophies, while Al-Ittihad has won 37 trophies. Only official trophies are counted.