JEDDAH: The Crown Prince Cup, one of the major tournaments of the Saudi Football Federation (SFF), kicks off today with a lone match between Al-Hazem and Najran in Al-Rass.
The 16-team field includes all 12 teams from the Saudi Professional League, three from the Saudi League First Division (Riyadh, Al-Ansar and Al-Fat’h) and one from the Second Division (Al-Faihaa).
The tournament goes full blast tomorrow with five matches on cards. Al-Fat’h of Al-Ahsaa will host the Jeddah-based Al-Ahli club.
Al-Nasr will entertain Al-Faihaa from Al-Majmaa in Riyadh. Riyadh of Riyadh will receive the Dammam-based team Al-Ittifaq. Al-Ansar of Madinah will host Al-Wehda of Makkah and the final match of the day will be between Abha and Shabab in Abha.
The two matches on Sunday pit Al-Ittihad against Al-Raid at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah and Al-Watani of Tabuk against Al-Hilal in Tabuk.
Under the 16-team draw the winner between Hazem and Najran faces the Riyadh-Ittifaq game winner in the quarterfinals. The winner between Al-Fat’h and Ahli plays the winner between Abha and Shabab. The winner between Nasr and Al-Faihaa takes on the winner of the Ittihad-Al-Raid match. The Ansar-Wehda game winner battles the winner between Al-Watani and Hilal in the quarterfinals.
Ittihad and Hilal are the favorites both having won the title on seven occasions.
Ittihad won in 1958, 1959, 1963, 1991, 1997, 2001 and 2004. Hilal, the defending champions, triumphed in 1964, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Ahli has five championships (1957, 1970, 1998, 2002 and 2007), and Shabab three (1993, 1996 and 1999). Nasr won the competition twice in 1973 and 1974. Riyadh club triumphed in 1994, Qadisia in 1992, Ittifaq in 1965 and Wehda in 1960.
