Raed’s RA2 flew the flag for Saudi Arabia at Kings League MENA last night, scoring the first win this season for a Saudi team. As Kings League MENA saluted Saudi National Day, the other two Saudi teams did not fare so well, with reigning champions DR7 losing out on penalties to AboFlah’s ABO FC, while Al Shehri’s Rising Peaks couldn’t stop a powerful Ultra Chmicha from scoring their second win on the bounce.
Kings League MENA Split 1, which kicked off on September 18 in Riyadh, entered its second Matchday, as the competition’s first full-length, ten-team season continued to bring a new dimension of football entertainment to the region. Following an action-packed opening round, the teams returned to Cool Arena at Riyadh Boulevard for another evening of competitive football, with Matchday 2 delivering plenty of goals, comebacks, and thrills.
Wael Al-Fayez, Managing Director of Kings League MENA, said: “Matchday 2 gave fans exactly what they came to see: more goals, fierce competition, drama until the final moments and seven-a-side football at the highest level. What made Matchday 2 even more special for us was the celebration of Saudi National Day. We are very proud to celebrate this special occasion here in Riyadh with our fans and everyone across the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is the home of Kings League in the region, and it was fantastic to experience this atmosphere with our fans at Cool Arena, bringing celebration, competition and sport together in a special night for all of us.”
Matchday 2’s heavyweight clash was a meeting of two of the competition’s most recognisable Presidents. Qatar’s ABO FC, led by AboFlah, got the better of Saudi Arabia’s defending champions DR7, led by Drb7h, in a dramatic penalty shootout. The match finished 2-2 after normal time, with AboFlah scoring his President Penalty, before ABO FC held their nerve to win the shootout 4-3. The result means that Kings Cup MENA 2025 champions DR7 remain without a win after two matchdays, having also lost their Matchday 1 opener to FWZ.
The result put ABO FC level with Ilyas Elmaliki’s Ultra Chmicha and Fwaz’s FWZ at 2-0 for the season, with the trio now separated only by goal difference at the top of the table.
Morocco’s Ultra Chmicha lead the Split 1 standings on goal difference after following up their Matchday 1 victory over Turbo with a commanding 7-3 win over Rising Peaks. The match saw both sides misfire from the penalty spot, with Rising Peaks President Al-Shehri and Ultra Chmicha Co-President Iman Ali Dib both missing their President Penalties.
Kuwait’s FWZ continued their winning start to Split 1 with a 7-6 victory over Jordan’s Red Zone in Matchday 2’s most dramatic encounter. FWZ fought back from 6-3 down to secure the win. Successful President Penalties by Fwaz and Maherco added drama for both sides, but it was FWZ who struck the decisive goals in Matchball Mode to secure back-to-back victories. Fwaz’s team sits in second behind Ultra Chmicha, on goal difference.
Jordan’s 3BS replaced their coach after a heavy Matchday 1 defeat, bringing back their Kings Cup MENA coach Mohammed Abdullah Al-Zoubi (Abu Al Ameer). The move paid off as Absi’s side thrashed Morocco’s Bakhira FC 9-3. The high-scoring win, which featured a mix of open-play goals and President Penalties, was a strong response after losing the “Jordanian Derby” to Maherco’s Red Zone last week.
Matchday 2 closed with RA2 claiming Saudi Arabia’s first win of Split 1, over Egypt’s Turbo, coming through a penalty shootout 1-0 after the match finished level at 4-4. The result puts Saudi content creator Raed’s side on the board for the first time this season, and denies Turbo a first win of their own after an opening-night defeat to Ultra Chmicha.
After Matchday 2, individual performances are beginning to stand out, with several players making an early impact in the race for the season’s individual honours. Ultra Chmicha’s Masi Dabo and Red Zone’s Mohamed Abdelfattah are joint top scorers with four goals each. Marc Granero of Ultra Chmicha was named Matchday 2’s MVP, while ABO FC’s Manel Jiménez leads the goalkeeper standings with 17 saves, followed by DR7’s Davi “Major” Natã with 16. Kings League MENA Split 1 continues on Friday, September 25, with Matchday 3 at Cool Arena, as all ten teams return to action in the round-robin league stage of the competition, in which each team plays every other side once. The top-ranked team after the league stage advances directly to the semi-finals, while teams placed second through seventh progress to the three-game quarter-finals. Match schedules and updates will be available on the Kings League MENA website.
