Al-Hilal Poised for Full Private Takeover by Prince Al-Waleed

Saudi giants Al-Hilal stand on the verge of a seismic shift in the kingdom’s football landscape, with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal poised to take complete control of the club in a move that would rewrite the rules of ownership in the domestic game.

Prince Al-Waleed, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company, already holds a 70% stake in Al-Hilal after last April’s binding agreement between his company and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). That deal marked a major step in the government-backed privatisation drive. What comes next would go even further.

Saudi media figure Waleed Al-Farraj revealed that Prince Al-Waleed is expected to request an increase of his stake to 100%, turning Al-Hilal into the first major Saudi “popular club” to move entirely into private hands. No shared control. No state slice. Total ownership.

The timing is no coincidence. On Wednesday, the Saudi Ministry of Sport announced it had transferred its remaining 25% stakes in the country’s four flagship clubs – Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli – to PIF. That consolidation has cleared the path for individual investors to step in and take clubs fully private.

So when Al-Farraj spoke, people listened. His words landed with extra force because he delivered them on his own programme, “Rotana Sport with Waleed”, broadcast on “Rotana Khalijia” – a channel originally owned by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal himself. The message came from a platform closely linked to the man at the centre of the story.

If the move is completed, Al-Hilal will immediately stand apart. They would become the only one of the four big clubs to step out from under the PIF umbrella, a standalone private powerhouse in a league increasingly shaped by state-backed investment.

For now, Al-Hilal lead the way. The expectation is that Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli will eventually follow the same route. The question is not whether Saudi football is changing, but which giant will be next to hand the keys to a single owner.