The Final Reckoning: ACL Elite, Relegation and Ronaldo | OneFootball

So this is it.

A truly thrilling Roshn Saudi League comes to a close on Monday night, when the final round of fixtures plays out across the Kingdom at the same kick-off time of 9pm.

And just because Al Ittihad have already etched their name on the trophy doesn’t mean we’re short of compelling storylines going into the Matchweek 34 denouement.

Far from it. Whether it’s a place in next season’s AFC Champions League Elite at stake, or a berth in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two, or the shootout to stay in the RSL.

Or even whether Cristiano Ronaldo retains his grip on the golden boot, or an Ittihad title winner or an Al Hilal legend breaking into the history books, we’re set for a fitting conclusion to the campaign.

Head spinning a tad? Need to understand exactly what’s at play on Monday? Well, we’ve got you covered.

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The fight for second - and ACL Elite

An inferior head-to-head record against Al Nassr (1-1 draw in Matchweek 9 and 3-1 defeat in Matchweek 26), means second-placed Al Hilal must win their final game of the season at home to Al Qadsiah to secure their place in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite.

Revenge will serve as added motivation, with the 2023-24 RSL champions having suffered a 2-1 defeat at Al Qadsiah in January.

Al Nassr have the superior head-to-head record over Al Hilal this season

For Al Nassr, having been retrospectively awarded the three points from their game against Al Orobah in Matchweek 23, the opportunity of playing in Asian football’s premier club competition depends on winning them at Al Fateh in the hope Al Hilal fail to triumph against Al Qadsiah.

Meanwhile, for Al Qadsiah, victory in Riyadh, coupled with defeat for Al Nassr at Al Fateh, confirms a third-placed finish in their first season back in the top division.

Do that, and it also secures a place in the next term’s AFC Champions League Two regardless of the outcome of their King’s Cup final against Al Ittihad on Friday.

The relegation battle

After Al Orobah’s 2-1 victory against Al Nassr was overturned, the second-from-bottom club have been consigned to relegation, leaving two teams to battle it out for the right to stay in the Roshn Saudi League.

For Al Wehda (33 points, -24 GD), a win at Al Ettifaq seals their top-flight status regardless of other results. A draw, however, will only be sufficient if Al Okhdood (31 points, -24 GD) fail to defeat Al Khaleej.

Al Okhdood need to beat Al Khaleej in Dammam to stand a chance of survival, but even then, they can eclipse Al Wehda only on points if the latter lose their last match.

In case both teams conclude the campaign on 34 points, the first tiebreaker, head-to-head results, has them tied 4-4 (Al Wehda lost 3-2 at home to Al Okhdood in Matchweek 13 but then won 2-1 at Al Okhdood in Matchweek 30).

The only combination of results that can see both teams finish level on points is a draw for Al Wehda and a win for Al Okhdood, in which case Al Okhdood’s goal difference will be superior, granting them the advantage.

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The shootout for golden boot

Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to stand tall as the RSL’s top scorer for the second season running.

The Al Nassr captain currently leads golden boot race with 24 goals, his most recent coming in last week’s 2-0 home win against Al Khaleej. Remember, Ronaldo won the award last season in record-breaking style.

This time, though, he has an in-form Ivan Toney hot on his heels. The Al Ahli striker, in his debut season in the RSL, is only two goals behind; like Ronaldo, he scored from the penalty spot last time out, in the 3-1 defeat to Al Ettifaq.

Toney will no doubt be looking to celebrate his return to the England squad by bagging a few more goals – and possibly usurping Ronaldo in the scoring charts.

And, make no mistake, you can never count out Karim Benzema or Abderrazak Hamdallah, who each lie three back, on 21 goals. Benzema, of course, had already landed the principal prize he targeted at the beginning of the season, the Al Ittihad captain playing a lead role in his club’s title success.

Hamdallah, a championship winner with Al Ittihad two seasons ago, has continued to shine since last summer’s move to Al Shabab. The club captain, second on the RSL’s all-time goals list, knows what it takes to be crowned the top flight’s master marksman: he is a three-time golden boot winner.

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Goals, however, aren’t the only measure of an attacking player’s impact. Another comes in the form of the one to lay on the opportunity to find the net, and none come any better his season than Al Ittihad’s Moussa Diaby and Al Hilal’s Salem Al Dawsari.

One is a RSL debutant enjoying an incredible first campaign in the division; the other a highly decorated, living legend. Both, though, are locked at the top of the assist charts, with 14.

What’s more, not only is that prize up for grabs on the final day, when Al Ittihad host Damac and Al Hilal welcome Al Qadsiah, but a new record could be theirs, too.

At present, the record for most assists produced in a single RSL campaign sits at 15, by Al Taawoun’s former playmaker Kaku, in 2022-23. Can someone emulate him, or even better his haul?