Type:	Sports Law
Release Date:	2026-08-06
Release Tool:	Councils and commissions decisions
Issuance Instrument Number:	48/145q
Entity:	The Saudi Arabian Football Federation
Validity:	Valid
Summary:	By AI The regulatory statute for the Saudi Women's Federation Cup competition addresses provisions related to the scope of application and the rights and duties of the concerned parties. It includes sixteen clubs from the Premier League and the First Division League. The competition is organized in four knockout stages, with technical procedures specified regarding warnings and expulsions. Clubs bear the costs of the matches, while the Federation bears the costs of the referees. The regulation also se...

Chapter 1: Preliminary Provisions

Article 1: Scope of Application and Interpretation

The definitions and terms contained in the Regulation of Competitions and Championships shall apply to this Regulation, unless otherwise expressly stated.
Without prejudice to the provisions of this Regulation; the provisions contained in the Regulation of Competitions and Championships shall apply to all matters not addressed in this Regulation.
Any reference to the Federation's Charter or any of its regulations shall be a reference to those charters and regulations in force at the time of application.
This Regulation stipulates the rights, duties, and responsibilities of the Federation, clubs, officials, and players in the competition.
This Regulation, along with all decisions, instructions, and circulars approved by the Federation's Board of Directors related to the competition, shall be binding on all persons subject to this Regulation.
The Federation shall organize and manage the competition and shall undertake the commercial, marketing, and media affairs of the competition in accordance with the Federation's Charter, the Regulation of Competitions and Championships, this Regulation, and other Federation regulations.

1. Sixteen (16) clubs participate in the competition, namely all the clubs of the Women's Premier League and the First Division League clubs in the same season in which the competition is held.
1. In the event of approval to increase or decrease the number of clubs in the competition, the Committee shall issue its decision regarding the implementation mechanism and the commencement of its effect.
1. In the event of a club's withdrawal due to force majeure, or before the official competition schedule is issued, the following shall apply:
- 1/4 The highest-ranked club in the Women's Second Division League, excluding the clubs participating in the season preceding the season in which the competition is held, shall participate.
- 2/4 If the highest-ranked club is ineligible or withdraws, the next club in the ranking shall participate in descending order.
1. Subject to the penalties stipulated in the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations regarding a club's withdrawal or abstention after the official competition schedule is issued, the subparagraphs of paragraph (4) of this article shall apply to the mechanism for selecting a replacement club for the club that abstains from this competition.

The competition matches are played over (4) four stages, which are the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the Final match.
The competition matches are played in a single-elimination format in all stages of the tournament.
The winning team in each stage match advances to the next stage, while the losing team is eliminated from the competition. The winning team in the final match is the champion of the competition.
In the event of a tie between the two teams in the regular time, paragraph (5) of Article (26) of the Competitions and Championships Regulations shall apply.
A draw is conducted to determine the matchups and venues for the Round of 16 stage (to determine the host team and the guest team) by dividing the participating clubs into two levels, where the first level includes the Saudi Women's Premier League clubs, and the second level includes the Women's First Division League clubs. The Round of 16 matches are played between a club from the first level and a club from the second level.
After conducting the draw for the Round of 16 matches, a draw is held to determine the venues (to determine the host team and the guest team) for the subsequent stages (Quarterfinals, Semifinals) according to the match sequence based on the Round of 16 draw.
The host team and the guest team in the final match are determined based on the Semifinals draw, while the Federation shall determine the venue and date of the final match later in coordination with the relevant authorities.

1. Without prejudice to the provisions of the Discipline and Ethics Regulations; the following shall apply:
- 1/1 If a player or official receives two warnings in different matches in the competition, they shall be automatically suspended from participating in the next match.
- 2/1 If a player or official is sent off with a red card (direct or indirect dismissal), they shall be automatically suspended from participating in the next match, unless a decision is issued by the Discipline and Ethics Committee specifying the details of the penalty.
1. Any player who has one warning at the end of the quarter-final matches shall not carry this warning forward to the semi-final stage of the competition.
1. In the event of cancellation, replay, or non-completion of any match; the relevant articles in the Discipline and Ethics Regulations concerning warnings and dismissals shall apply.
1. Each club shall be responsible for monitoring the number of warnings and dismissals of its players and officials and ensuring their eligibility to participate in matches.
1. If any player or official is transferred or loaned to another club, the record of their yellow and red cards during the competition matches shall be retained.
1. The remaining provisions contained in the Discipline and Ethics Regulations shall apply in this regard, including but not limited to: the mechanism for transferring cards between different competitions, and the mechanism for transferring cards from one season to another.

Each club has the right to field its players, whether Saudi, foreign, or born players, in the competition according to the number allowed to be registered in the team list for the league competition in which the team participates in the same season in which the competition is held.
It is required that the number of foreign players present on the field does not exceed (5) players, and the number of born players present on the field does not exceed (1) player.
Each club may include any player classified in the rosters of lower divisions than the first team grade in each match of the competition, whether they are Saudi, born, foreign (residents), professional, or amateur (without an upper limit), provided that the number of foreign (resident) players and born players does not exceed the allowed limit in the competition list according to paragraph (2) of this article.
The number of substitute players in the match list shall be a minimum of (3) three players and a maximum of (9) nine players.

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