The 2022–23 First Division League (known as the Yelo League for sponsorship reasons) was the second season of the

Saudi First Division League The Saudi First Division League (), currently known as the Yelo League for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia. It ranks below the Saudi Pro League and above the Saudi Second Division League in the ...

after its rebrand, and the 46th season of the Saudi First Division since its establishment in 1976. The season started on 22 August 2022 and concluded on 29 May 2023. On 5 May, Al-Ahli became the first team to be promoted following Al-Faisaly's 2–2 draw with

Najran Najran ( '), is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of Najran Province. Today, the city of Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As of the 2022 census, the city population was 381,431, wi ...

. They were crowned champions following a 1–0 win against Al-Qadsiah on 23 May. The second club to be promoted was

Al-Okhdood Al-Okhdood (Arabic: الأخدود) or Al-Okhdood Archaeological Site, is an ancient South Arabian town located in Najran Province in Saudi Arabia, southeast of the present-day city of Najran. Currently in ruins, the town dates back to at least 5 ...

who were promoted after Al-Faisaly's 2–2 draw with

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

on 15 May. The third club to be promoted was

Al-Riyadh Riyadh F.C. or Al-Riyadh () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It currently plays in the Saudi Pro League (the first tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia). It was established in 1953 as Ahli Al-Riyadh, then ...

who were promoted following a 1–0 home win against Al-Orobah. The fourth and final club to be promoted was Al-Hazem who were promoted following a 3–2 win against Al-Sahel. On 1 May, Al-Shoulla became the first team to be relegated following

's 1–0 win against Al-Orobah. On 23 May, Al-Sahel became the second team to be relegated despite a 3–2 win against Al-Okhdood.

became the third and final club to be relegated after a 4–1 defeat to derby rivals Al-Okhdood on the final matchday.

Overview

Changes

On 9 October 2020, the Saudi FF announced that the number of teams in the league would be decreased to 18 starting from the 2022–23 season. Due to this decision, 5 teams were relegated last season instead of the usual 4 teams. In addition, only 3 teams were promoted from the Second Division instead of 4 teams. On 14 April 2022, the Saudi FF announced that the number of teams in the Pro League would be increased from 16 to 18 teams. To prepare for this change, only 2 teams would be relegated to the First Division League and 4 teams would be promoted to the Pro League.

Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2022–23 season.

To the First Division League

Promoted from Second Division * Al-Arabi * Al-Qaisumah *

Relegated from Pro League * Al-Hazem * Al-Ahli * Al-Faisaly

From the First Division League

Promoted to Pro League * Al-Khaleej * Al-Adalah * Al-Wehda Relegated to Second Division * Al-Jeel * Al-Diriyah *

Al-Nahda The Nahda (, meaning 'the Awakening'), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Arab Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arab-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Tunisia, during ...

* Al-Kawkab *

Bisha Bisha (, '), also known as Qal`at Bishah (, '), is a town in the south-western Saudi Arabian province, Asir. Bisha was its own province before merging with its neighboring province, Asir. Bisha has a population of 202,096 according to the 2022 Ce ...

Teams

A total of 18 teams are contesting the league, including 12 sides from the 2021–22 season, the three promoted teams from the Second Division and the three relegated sides from the Pro League. The first club to be relegated to the First Division League was Al-Hazem following a 5–2 defeat away to

Al-Ettifaq Al-Ettifaq Club (), commonly known as Al-Ettifaq or simply Ettifaq, is a professional football club in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, which competes in the Saudi Pro League. The club was established by the merger of three Dammam-based clubs in 1945. Al- ...

on 21 May. Al-Hazem were relegated after just one year in the top flight. This was their second relegation in three years. Both Al-Ahli and Al-Faisaly were relegated following on the final day of the season. Al-Ahli were relegated following a 0–0 away draw with Al-Shabab. Al-Ahli were relegated for the first time in their history while Al-Faisaly were relegated after 12 consecutive seasons in the top flight. The first club to be promoted was Al-Arabi who were promoted following a 1–0 home win against Al-Rawdhah on 30 March 2022. On 31 March 2022, Al-Qaisumah became the second side to be promoted following a 2–1 win over Al-Nairyah. The third and final club to be promoted was

, who were promoted following a 3–2 aggregate win over Al-Taraji in the promotion play-offs. Al-Arabi were crowned champions after defeating Al-Qaisumah 1–0 to win their second title and first since 1986. Al-Arabi return to the First Division League after an absence of 27 years. They return to the league for the first time since the 1994–95 season and will play in their 9th overall season. Al-Qaisumah return after an absence of three seasons and will play in their 4th overall season in the First Division League. Al-Riyadh return after an absence of six seasons and will play in their 18th overall season in the First Division League.

Stadia and locations

:''Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.''

Foreign players

On 15 April 2022, the Saudi FF announced that the number of foreign players was increased from 5 players to 6 players. Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.

League table

Positions by round

The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterward.

Results

Statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

;Note (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Clean sheets

Awards

Monthly awards

Round awards

Annual awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2022-23 Saudi First Division League 2 Saudi First Division League seasons

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...