Al-Nasr women's football team was crowned champion of the first edition of the "Winter Challenge Cup" for Premier League clubs on Saturday evening, after achieving a well-deserved and valuable victory over its traditional rival, Al-Hilal, in the final match that brought together the two giants of the capital, Riyadh.
Al-Nasr's women's team asserted their dominance early on, securing the victory in the first half. Tanzanian professional Clara Luvanga opened the scoring in the 28th minute, before her Congolese teammate Ruth Kiubi quickly doubled the lead in the 35th minute, putting Al-Hilal under immense pressure and making a comeback a difficult task.
A strategic step to develop women's football
This victory is not just a one-off win; it comes within the context of a broader sporting movement underway in the Kingdom. The "Winter Challenge" tournament primarily aims to raise the level of competition and increase playing time for local and professional players during off-seasons, as part of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation's ongoing initiatives to develop women's football.
These preparatory tournaments aim to enhance the technical and physical readiness of clubs and ensure optimal preparation for upcoming official competitions, including preparations for the 2025-2026 sports season. These competitive matches also contribute to honing the talents of Saudi female players, who form the backbone of the national women's team, in line with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to empower women in sports and elevate Saudi sports to international levels.
Tournament system and participating teams
The first edition of the tournament saw the participation of elite Premier League clubs, with the participating teams divided into two groups based on the geographical distribution of the eastern and western regions, to ensure equal opportunities and reduce the burden of travel:
- Group (A): included Al-Nasr, Al-Hilal, Al-Qadisiyah and Shoalah Al-Sharqiyah clubs.
- Group (B): included Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ula and Neom clubs.
The organizing committee adopted a special system to increase excitement and competitiveness, holding the tournament as a single round-robin league in its first stage. The regulations stipulated that any match ending in a draw after regulation time would be decided immediately by penalty kicks. The winner in regulation time would receive three points, the winner in the penalty shootout would receive two points, and the loser in the penalty shootout would receive one point. This system encourages teams to play offensively to win matches.
With this victory, Al-Nasr confirms its superiority in Saudi women's football, adding a new title to its collection, and igniting the historic rivalry with Al-Hilal, whose excitement has moved from men's stadiums to women's stadiums, which bodes well for a promising future and increasing popularity for the women's league in the Kingdom.
