GCC Club Champions Cup Titles

Lore & Background

Al-Hilal was established on 15 October 1957 in Riyadh, originally under a different name that lasted one year before being changed to Al-Hilal on 3 December 1958 by King Saud. The club won its first King's Cup in 1961 and added another in 1964, along with the Crown Prince Cup in 1963–64. Al-Hilal were the inaugural winners of the Saudi Premier League in 1976–77 and won the league again in 1978–79. The club achieved sustained success in the 1980s, winning four league titles and four King's Cup titles. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Al-Hilal dominated continental competitions, winning the Asian Club Championship in 1991 and 1999–2000, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1997 and 2002, and the Asian Super Cup in 1997 and 2000. The club also reached the final of the Asian Club Championship in 1987 but were unable to field a team due to player call-ups. In the 2007–08 season, Al-Hilal won the league title in dramatic fashion on the final matchday against rivals Al-Ittihad in Jeddah, with a 1–0 victory sealed by a Yasser Al-Qahtani header. Under manager Eric Gerets in 2009–10, the club won the league with three games to spare, also capturing the Crown Prince Cup.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed over the artificial turf of the away stadium in Kuwait City, casting long shadows against the night sky. The air was thick with humidity and the chanting of thousands of Qadsia supporters, a sea of red and white that seemed to swallow the pitch. Al Hilal's captain tightened his gloves, looking at the scoreboard where the clock ticked down the final minutes. One goal away from another regional crown, the silence in the blue half of the stadium was palpable, broken only by the heavy thud of boots on grass as they prepared for the decisive penalty that would seal their destiny.

Reader's Guide

Al-Hilal is the most successful Saudi club domestically, with a record 21 league titles, 13 Crown Prince Cup titles, seven Saudi Federation Cup titles, 10 King's Cup titles, five Saudi Super Cups, and the Saudi Founder's Cup. In continental competitions, the club has won a record eight AFC trophies: four AFC Champions League titles (1991, 2000, 2019, 2021), two Asian Cup Winners' Cups (1997, 2002), and two Asian Super Cups (1997, 2000). Internationally, Al-Hilal were runners-up in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first Asian club from outside the host nation to reach the final. The club was awarded Greatest Asian Club of the 20th Century by the IFFHS in September 2009. As of 2024, Al-Hilal has a market value of €242.5 million, the highest in Saudi Arabia. The club has no titles in the GCC Club Champions Cup.

Did You Know?

• Al-Hilal was originally founded under a different name on 15 October 1957, and was renamed by King Saud on 3 December 1958.
• The club's first major trophy was the King's Cup in 1961.
• Al-Hilal were the inaugural winners of the Saudi Premier League in 1976–77.
• Brazilian legends Mario Zagallo and Rivellino played for Al-Hilal in the 1970s.
• Al-Hilal won the 2007–08 league title on the final matchday with a 1–0 win over Al-Ittihad in Jeddah, thanks to a header by Yasser Al-Qahtani.