Al-Khaleej FC

Khaleej Club
Full nameKhaleej Club
NicknamesAl-Danah (The Pearls)
Al-Nusoor (The Eagles)
Founded1945 (1945)
GroundPrince Nayef Sports City Stadium
Qatif, Saudi Arabia
Capacity12,000
OwnerMinistry of Sport
ChairmanAlaa Al-Hamal
Head coachGus Poyet
LeagueSaudi Pro League
2024–25Pro League, 12th of 18
Websitekhaleejclub.sa

Khaleej Club (Arabic: نادي الخليج, lit. 'Gulf Club'), better known as Al-Khaleej FC, is a Saudi Arabian professional football and multi-sport club based in Saihat, in the Eastern Province, that competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system.[1]

History

The club was founded in 1945, under the name "Al-Nasr Club" (meaning "Eagle") with its yellow and black emblem. It was officially recognized as one of the clubs of the Eastern Province in 1968. Later, its name was changed to "Al-Khaleej Club" with a yellow and green emblem by order of King Faisal.[2]

Ground

Al-Khaleej is a football club based in Saihat, a city in the Qatif Governorate of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Over the years, the club has played its home matches at various venues, including Prince Nayef Sports City Stadium in Qatif and Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam. In 2024, it was announced that the club’s old training ground would be redeveloped into a modern football stadium (Al-Khaleej Club Stadium).[3] This development will finally allow Al-Khaleej to play its home games in its own city.

Coaching staff

  • Head coach: Gus Poyet
  • Assistant coach: Mauricio Taricco, Diego Poyet
  • Goalkeeper coach: Giannis Plavoukos
  • Fitness coach: Panagiotis Voulgaris
  • Match analysis: Abdulaziz Al-Bakr
  • Sporting director: Constantin Pană
  • Doctor: Abdulelah Al-Marzouq
  • Physiotherapist: Nawaf Al-Dossari
  • Technical director: Hussain Hawsawi

Managerial history

  • Egypt Zaki Osman (1990 – 1991)
  • Tunisia Ahmad Al-Ajlani (1997 – 1999)
  • Saudi Arabia Khaled Al-Marzouq (May 1, 1999 – October 11, 1999)
  • Algeria Abdelkrim Bira (October 11, 1999 – March 1, 2000)
  • Bulgaria Angel (July 6, 2000 – March 1, 2001)
  • Saudi Arabia Khaled Al-Marzouq (March 1, 2001 – June 1, 2004)
  • Tunisia Yousef Al Suryati (August 9, 2004 – February 7, 2005)
  • Saudi Arabia Khaled Al-Marzouq (February 7, 2005 – October 31, 2006)
  • Czech Republic Jan Kmoch (caretaker) (October 31, 2006 – January 8, 2007)
  • Tunisia Lotfi Benzarti (January 8, 2007 – May 20, 2007)
  • Portugal Ricardo Formosinho (August 3, 2007 – November 4, 2007)
  • Saudi Arabia Khaled Al-Marzouq (November 4, 2007 – May 30, 2008)
  • Tunisia Samir Sellimi (June 23, 2008 – November 17, 2008)
  • Saudi Arabia Sameer Hilal (November 17, 2008 – May 31, 2009)
  • Saudi Arabia Khaled Al-Marzouq (June 8, 2009 – May 1, 2010)
  • Netherlands Eelco Schattorie (July 27, 2010 – January 5, 2011)
  • Tunisia Abderrazek Chebbi (January 5, 2011 – May 16, 2011)
  • Egypt Ahmed El Agouz (July 29, 2011 – November 5, 2011)
  • Saudi Arabia Khaled Al-Marzouq (November 5, 2011 – May 30, 2012)
  • Egypt Ayman Ragab (July 1, 2012 – May 24, 2013)
  • Saudi Arabia Sameer Hilal (May 28, 2013 – April 6, 2014)
  • Tunisia Jalel Kadri (April 29, 2014 – May 30, 2016)
  • Belgium Patrick De Wilde (June 9, 2016 – August 30, 2016)
  • Tunisia Jalel Kadri (August 30, 2016 – May 5, 2017)
  • Romania Eusebiu Tudor (May 18, 2017 – January 6, 2018)
  • Kuwait Maher Al-Shammari (January 6, 2018 – May 1, 2018)
  • Saudi Arabia Sameer Hilal (May 27, 2018 – June 1, 2019)
  • Croatia Alen Horvat (July 7, 2019 – December 14, 2019)
  • Tunisia Mohammed Tlemceni (caretaker) (December 14, 2019 – January 1, 2020)
  • Algeria Kheïreddine Madoui (January 9, 2020 – September 20, 2020)
  • Saudi Arabia Sameer Hilal (September 23, 2020 – June 1, 2021)
  • Serbia Dejan Arsov (July 13, 2021 – November 23, 2021)
  • Portugal Paulo Gomes (November 23, 2021 – May 6, 2022)
  • Saudi Arabia Khaled Al-Marzouq (caretaker) (May 6, 2022 – June 1, 2022)
  • Portugal Pedro Emanuel (July 3, 2022 – June 23, 2024)
  • Greece Georgios Donis (July 11, 2024 – April 23, 2026)
  • Uruguay Gus Poyet (April 23, 2026 – present)

Players

Current squad

As of 4 August 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF  KSA Ali Al-Salem (on loan from Saudi Arabia Al-Wehda)
3 DF  KSA Mohammed Al-Khabrani
4 DF  NED Bart Schenkeveld
5 DF  POR Pedro Rebocho
7 FW  NOR Joshua King
8 MF  GAM Abdoulie Mboge
9 MF  GRE Giorgos Masouras (on loan from Greece Olympiacos)
10 MF  GRE Kostas Fortounis
11 MF  ESP Paolo Fernandes (on loan from Greece AEK Athens)
12 MF  KSA Majed Kanabah
13 DF  KSA Ahmed Assiri
15 MF  KSA Mansour Hamzi
16 MF  KSA Bader Munshi
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF  KSA Abdullah Al-Hafith
19 MF  KSA Mohammed Al-Abdullah
20 MF  KSA Hussain Al-Eisa
21 MF  GRE Dimitris Kourbelis
24 MF  KSA Ali Abdulrouf
25 DF  KSA Arif Al Haydar
28 DF  KSA Hamad Al-Jayzani
33 DF  KSA Bander Nasser
39 DF  KSA Saeed Al Hamsal
49 GK  LUX Anthony Moris
90 FW  KSA Thamer Al-Khaibari (on loan from Saudi Arabia Neom)
93 MF  KSA Saleh Al-Amri
96 GK  KSA Marwan Al-Haidari

U21 squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
6 DF  KSA Ziyad Hantol
23 MF  KSA Rakan Al-Kaabi
26 MF  KSA Raed Al-Shanqiti
27 MF  KSA Abdullah Al Zaynaldeen
No. Pos. Nation Player
31 GK  KSA Mohammed Al-Ghanem
34 GK  KSA Salman Al Mubarak
70 FW  KSA Abdulmajeed Al-Khathami
78 MF  KSA Faisal Al-Bakr

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
14 DF  KSA Ali Al-Shaafi (on loan to Saudi Arabia Al-Zulfi)
No. Pos. Nation Player
71 FW  KSA Hussain Al-Sultan (on loan to Saudi Arabia Al-Jabalain)

Honours

  • Saudi First Division League
    • Winners (2): 2005–06, 2021–22
    • Runners-up (2): 2002–03, 2013–14
  • Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cup for Division 1 and 2 Teams
    • Winners (1): 1999–00
    • Runners-up (1): 2008–09

Handball

The handball team is one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having won the league title 10 times.

Partners

Laser Erima

Honours

Asian Club League Handball Championship

  • Winners (1): 2023-2024 Asian Club League Handball Championship

IHF Men's Super Globe

  • 2022: 6th out of 12
  • 2023: 6th out of 12
  • 2024: 5th out of 12

Arab Handball Championship of Champions

  • Winners (2): 2002, 2007
  • Runners-up (4): 1983, 1984, 1985, 1995

Saudi Handball League

  • Winners (10): 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2022–23, 2023–24
  • Runners-up (Since 2005): 2005–06, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22

Saudi Handball Federation Cup

  • Winners (9): 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Runners-up(12): 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2021

Saudi Handball Elite Championship

  • Runners-up (4): 2003, 2005, 2015, 2019

Saudi Handball Super Cup

  • Winners (2): 2023, 2024

Saudi Handball Olympic Games

  • Winners (2): 2022, 2023

Saudi Beach Handball Championship

  • Runners-up (1): 2022

Current squad

Squad for the 2024–25 season

Head coach: Greece Dimitris Dimitroulias

Goalkeepers
  • 12 Saudi Arabia Abdullah Alabdalali
  • 16 Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Salem
  • 33 Saudi Arabia Hussain Al-Mohsen
Left wingers
  • 2 Saudi Arabia Mohamed Al Meskeen
  • 4 Saudi Arabia Hassan Al Mubarak
Right wingers
  • 7 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Al Meskeen
  • 59 Saudi Arabia Hassan Al-Turaiki
Line players
  • 3 Saudi Arabia Ali Al-Ibrahim
  • 5 Saudi Arabia Jawad Jaffal
  • 77 Saudi Arabia Marhoon Al-Maa
  • 87 Saudi Arabia Jawad Al Ghafli
Left backs
  • 31 Serbia Nemanja Mladenović
  • 78 Saudi Arabia Hassan Al Ibrahim
  • 94 Qatar Ameen Zakkar
Centre backs
  • 1 Saudi Arabia Sadiq Al-Mohsin
  • 10 Saudi Arabia Jehad Al Saihati
  • 11 Saudi Arabia Sajad Al Shuwaikhat
  • 13 Serbia Petar Nenadić (Joined for the 2023 IHF Men's Super Globe & 26th Asian Club League Handball Championship)
  • 23 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Hani Al Basha
  • 34 Saudi Arabia Mansour Al Saihati
Right backs
  • 19 Japan Shinnosuke Tokuda (Joined for the 2023 IHF Men's Super Globe & 26th Asian Club League Handball Championship)
  • 66 Saudi Arabia Rami Al Mutairi

See also

  • List of football clubs in Saudi Arabia

References

  1. ^ "نادي الخليج". Saudipedia (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  2. ^ "تاريخ التأسيس". Al-Khaleej Club Official Website (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  3. ^ "«منشأة الخليج» الجديدة... أيقونة رياضية عنوانها «صناعة الأبطال»". Asharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). 27 March 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
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