4 month idea…delayed decision turns Roshen into “League of Aliens”

The number of foreign players currently remains the focus of Saudi League fans, especially after the first team’s early exit from the 2026 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia bowed out of the World Cup in the group stage, finishing bottom of Group Eight with 2 points, which they earned from draws with Uruguay and Cape Verde before a heavy 4-0 loss to Spain.

Some attributed the reason for this slippage to the increase in the number of foreign players in the Saudi League, while others believed that the solution to avoid a repeat of this slippage is to increase the number in the coming period.

Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat He said the Roshen League Association had recently discussed with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to allow all clubs to sign an unlimited number of foreign players.

The decision is aimed at pushing Saudi players towards overseas professionalism, particularly in European leagues, as this is one of the long-term solutions that could benefit the Saudi national team in the coming years.

The newspaper explained that the idea was not born of the moment, but started 4 months ago, through meetings of both parties, to discuss the consequences of this decision and its positive and negative aspects, without deciding on its final implementation.

The newspaper suggested that this decision should not be implemented next season, especially since… The association has already contacted Rushen League clubs to inform them that they will have the same number of foreign players next season..

The regulations currently state that each club is allowed to register 8 foreign players with no age limit and 2 under the age of 21, with only 8 of them joining the roster for Rushen League Championship games.