Al-Hilal deal puts SAR1.2bn price on Saudi football flagship

Kingdom Holding has completed its acquisition of 70% of Al-Hilal Club Company from the Public Investment Fund after satisfying all regulatory and no-objection conditions attached to the transaction.The SAR840m consideration has been paid in full, implying a SAR1.2bn valuation for 100% of Al-Hilal’s equity and completing the change of control.The transaction moves Saudi football’s privatisation programme from proposed ownership restructuring into an executed deal involving one of the country’s most prominent sporting properties.Kingdom Holding now controls a majority stake while the remaining 30% stays outside the transaction, giving the market one of its clearest disclosed valuations for a leading Saudi club.That valuation is commercially significant because Saudi clubs have attracted substantial investment in players, infrastructure and international marketing without equivalent transparency around underlying equity values.Al-Hilal now provide a concrete benchmark that investors can use when assessing other clubs emerging from the state-backed ownership model.The deal also matters because ownership reform has become central to the Saudi Pro League’s attempt to build a more sustainable commercial structure around clubs that have historically depended heavily on state support.Private control creates different expectations around revenue growth, cost discipline, governance and return on capital.Kingdom Holding’s involvement brings one of Saudi Arabia’s best-known investment groups directly into football ownership at a time when clubs are seeking to expand sponsorship, media, matchday and international revenues.The completed transaction also distinguishes Al-Hilal from clubs where privatisation remains at the proposal, tender or negotiation stage.No further consideration beyond the SAR840m purchase price has been disclosed.The next commercial test will be whether the ownership change produces new capital commitments or a materially different approach to Al-Hilal’s revenue generation and long-term investment strategy.