Women’s sports have long been scoffed at in Saudi Arabia’s conservative society.
However, the Nov.2 launching is part of the program formed in 2017 by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to support women’s soccer.
The new women’s league, according to the federation, would be played in two phases inside the regional league. Saudi football officials announced on Saturday that the inaugural season of a women’s league will begin later this month.
The establishment of a women’s tournament, as per federation chairman Yasser Almisehal, is an “important matter” for the federation.
Sixteen teams will participate in the first phase, which will be held in three cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. The matches will include six teams out of each area, excluding Dammam, which will have only four teams.
All those who qualify will be able to keep pace in a knockout playoff at the Kingdom Final Championship, which will be hosted in the Red Sea city of Jeddah early next year.