Al Nassr's X Official Account
Apr 05, 2026 05:12+06:00
Translated by Elite Air League…
Al-Hilal Derby to Decide Al-Nassr’s Fate… and Al-Ahli Threaten Al-Qadisiyah’s Title Hopes in the Final Round
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Al Nassr U21 vs Al Hilal U21 | Al Nassr U21 | Al Hilal U21 | Jawwy Elite League U-21
Al Ahli U21 vs Al Qadisiyah U21 | Al Ahli U21 | Al Qadisiyah U21
Al Ittihad U21 vs Al Shabab U21 | Al Ittihad U21 | Al Shabab U21 | Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Under-21 League has reached its final stage before the knockout rounds.
The Joi Elite League (Saudi Under-21 League) has reached the final stage of the league phase, with fans eagerly awaiting the matches of the 20th and final round of this prestigious competition. This round kicks off with a variety of ambitions: some teams are seeking direct qualification for the quarter-finals, others are dreaming of reaching the play-offs, whilst a third group are hoping to escape the relegation zone. Amidst all these conflicting dreams and ambitions, fans are anticipating a round of unparalleled excitement, in which young players will become big stars, turning their fans’ dreams into reality.
Matchday 20 Fixtures
All matches in the 20th and final round of the Joi Elite League will be played on a single day – Monday 6 April – and indeed at the same time, in order to uphold the principles of fairness and transparency; kick-off is scheduled for 8.30 pm Makkah time.
Al-Ittihad will host Al-Shabab at their home ground in Jeddah, whilst Al-Jabalain will travel to face Al-Adalah at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium in Al-Ahsa, and Al-Ittifaq will host Al-Khaleej at Igo Stadium in Dammam. Al-Arabi face Al-Wehda at Al-Jouf University Stadium, whilst Al-Hazm host Al-Najma at their home ground in Al-Ras, and Damak visit Al-Akhdoud in Najran. As for Neom, they will host Al-Bukairiyah at King Khalid Sports City Stadium in Tabuk, whilst Al-Raed will be the visitors to Al-Fayha at Al-Majma’ah Sports City Stadium, and Al-Riyadh will host Al-Fateh at their home ground in the Saudi capital.
Al-Ahli will face a tough match against Al-Qadisiyah at their home ground in Jeddah, whilst Al-Taawoun travel to Al-Khaloud at Al-Bukairiyah Club Stadium. The highlight of the round will be the Riyadh derby between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr at the latter’s stadium in the Saudi capital.
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Elite Air League | Getty/Goal
Following the conclusion of this round, the final line-up for the next stages of the Joi Elite League will be confirmed, whether for the quarter-finals or the qualifying play-offs.
The top four teams qualify directly for the quarter-finals of the Saudi Under-21 League, awaiting the winners of the play-offs. Eight teams qualify for the play-offs – those ranked fifth to twelfth – and will face off in a two-legged knockout format to determine the four additional teams that will join the final stage, forming the quarter-finals. The fifth-placed team will face the twelfth, the sixth against the eleventh, the seventh against the tenth, and the eighth against the ninth, with the second legs taking place at the home ground of the higher-ranked team.
The quarter-finals will also be played over two legs, with the second legs taking place at the grounds of the four teams that qualified directly from the league stage. In contrast, eight teams will retain their places in next season’s Joi Elite League, namely those ranked 13th to 20th, without playing any further matches after the end of the league stage. As for the clubs in the bottom four places, from 21st to 24th, they are relegated to the Regional League, with Al-Bukairiya and Al-Shabab having already been relegated.
The Riyadh Derby | Getty/Goal
The Riyadh Derby
The standout fixture of the round will be the Riyadh derby, when Al-Hilal visit Al-Nassr in a clash where the ambition to stay top of the table meets the bid to regain a quarter-final spot.
Al-Hilal sit top of the Joi Elite League ahead of the final round with 40 points, having secured 11 wins, seven draws and a single defeat, two points clear of second-placed Al-Ittifaq. “The Leader” has already secured its place in the quarter-finals, as it cannot fall out of the top four, but it is seeking a win, or at least a draw, to ensure it finishes the league phase at the top of the table.
Al-Nassr does not share Al-Hilal’s luxury, as it must win to return to the top four and qualify directly for the quarter-finals; it will have to wait for the results of its rivals, hoping that one of them slips up in its favour. Al-Nasr currently sit fifth in the table with 35 points, one point behind fourth-placed Al-Qadisiyah, two points behind third-placed Al-Taawoun, and three points behind runners-up Al-Ittifaq.
It is worth noting that both teams’ results have been extremely poor in recent rounds, though less so for Al-Hilal, who drew their last two matches goalless against Al-Hazm and Al-Khulud. As for Al-Nassr, they have not recorded a win in nearly 40 days, having stumbled in their last four matches: they drew 1-1 with Al-Fateh and Al-Najma, suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat to Damac, and lost 4-2 to Al-Taawoun in the last round.
Both teams have an impressive record in this season’s Riyadh derbies, with Al-Hilal beating Al-Shabab 5-0 and Al-Riyadh 2-1, whilst Al-Nassr defeated Al-Shabab 2-0 and Al-Riyadh by a single goal.
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Al-Ahly Threatens Al-Qadsia’s Dream
Another big match is on the cards this round, as Al-Ahli take on Al-Qadisiyah in Jeddah, in a fixture where the eastern side have the greater ambition: to qualify directly for the quarter-finals.
Al-Qadsia are enjoying their best run of the current Joi Elite League season, having won their last five matches in a row to leapfrog to fourth place with 36 points. “Banu Qadis” have a chance to secure second place should Al-Ittifaq slip up, as they are just two points behind them, whilst the team trails third-placed Al-Taawoun by a single point.
However, at the same time, Al-Qadisiyah could miss out on the top four entirely if they slip up against Al-Ahli, as Al-Nassr, in fifth place, are just one point behind them, and Al-Akhdoud, in sixth, are two points adrift.
Al-Ahli do not share such ambitions, having lost all hope of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Saudi Under-21 League, but they still have some concerns, as their survival from relegation has not yet been officially confirmed. Al-Ahli sit 17th in the table with 21 points, having recorded 5 wins, 6 draws and 8 defeats. Al-Raqi are just two points ahead of Al-Jabalain, who sit in 21st place and face relegation to the Regional League, meaning they desperately need a positive result against Al-Qadisiyah to secure their survival.
Al-Ahli have picked up 4 points from their last two matches, having beaten Al-Jabalain 3-0 and drawn 0-0 with Al-Fateh, following two consecutive defeats against Al-Khaleej and Al-Wehda, which motivates them to secure a positive result against Al-Qadisiyah.
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Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab… A Goalless Mini-Clásico?
In particular, the ‘Mini Clásico’ matches between Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab have always been full of excitement, regardless of the division in which they are played; however, this fixture is not expected to be the same.
The match, taking place at Al-Ittihad Stadium in Jeddah, pits two teams against each other who have already sealed their fate in this season’s Joi Elite League, with Al-Shabab being the first team to be officially relegated to the Regional League. Al-Shabab sit in 24th and last place in the table with 12 points, from 3 wins, 3 draws and 13 defeats, a full 8 points behind Al-Khulud in 20th place, who have avoided relegation.
As for Al-Ittihad, they have lost all chance of qualifying directly for the quarter-finals, sitting eighth in the table with 31 points, five points behind Al-Qadisiyah in fourth place. Al-Ittihad have also secured their place in the play-offs, sitting five points clear of Al-Riyadh, who are in 13th place – the first position not to qualify for that stage. However, Al-Ittihad’s greatest ambition from this match may be to climb the table, or at least not drop below eighth place, in order to play the second leg of the play-off round at home in front of their own fans.
Al-Ittihad will need to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat to Al-Khaleej in the last round, which saw them return to losing ways after drawing 1-1 with Al-Raed and thrashing Al-Bukairiya 7-1 in the previous two rounds.
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3 Play-off Deciders
Round 3 will also feature three other matches that will play a direct role in determining the four teams to qualify directly for the quarter-finals, most notably the clash between Al-Ittifaq and Al-Khaleej at the Ego Stadium in Dammam.
Al-Ittifaq sit second in the table with 38 points, three points clear of fifth-placed Al-Nassr, meaning they need only a draw to secure direct qualification for the quarter-finals. With the same objective in mind, third-placed Al-Taawoun must secure a win when they visit Al-Khaloud at Al-Bukairiyah Stadium, as they are just two points ahead of fifth-placed Al-Nassr.
As for Al-Akhdoud, they must beat Damak when they host them in Najran, whilst Al-Qadisiyah lose to Al-Ahli and Al-Nasr fail to beat Al-Hilal, in order to reach the top four. Al-Akhdoud sit sixth in the Joi Elite League table with 34 points, two points behind fourth-placed Al-Qadisiyah and one point behind Al-Nasr in fifth.
The tasks facing Al-Ittifaq, Al-Taawoun and Al-Akhdoud will not be easy; although the matches are against teams in the bottom half of the table, they are all fighting to avoid relegation, meaning they will battle to avoid defeat at the very least. Al-Khaleej sit in 16th place with 22 points, whilst Damak are in 19th place with 20 points, the same tally as Al-Khalood in 20th place, the first spot to secure safety from relegation.
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