The cost of hiring foreign referees has decreased, and the deadline for submitting requests to attract them in the next season of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, the Saudi League, and the Super Cup competitions has changed, according to what was revealed by the Saudi Football Federation.
The Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiya reported the new mechanism of the Saudi Football Federation for requesting foreign referee crews for the 2026-2027 season in the three competitions.
The mechanism stipulated that any club must submit its request 16 days before the match date instead of 21 for the league and 14 for the King's Cup last season.
It set the financial cost borne by the applicant at 240,000 riyals to bring a crew consisting of a field referee, two assistant referees, and a video assistant referee.
The amount rises to 300,000 when adding an assistant video referee, and to 360,000 when adding an assistant video referee and a fourth official.
Compared to the 2025-2026 season, the amounts decreased from 300,000, 375,000, and 450,000 when requesting four, five, or six referees, respectively.
The practice of allowing requests for foreign referees without a specific cap on the number of matches continues, along with the possibility of two clubs sharing a single request and splitting the cost.
The federation requires that requests be submitted via the MySAFF electronic platform.
In the event that the foreign crew is unable to arrive due to force majeure, the mechanism stipulates assigning the match to a Saudi crew and refunding the financial amount to the club.
If two clubs submit requests for the same match, the first submitted request will be considered, provided it is complete.
The applicant has the right to cancel the request at least seven days before the match date, after which the other club's request will be considered if it has been submitted.
