| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Al-Ittihad (2nd title) |
| Relegated | Al-Ansar Al-Qadsiah |
| ← 1995-96 1997-98 → | |
Al-Ittihad won the 1996–97 Saudi Premier League, their second championship, the last being won in 1982.
Stadia and locations
JeddahRiyadhDammamAl KhubarUnaizahHa'ilMedinaMeccaclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in the 1996-97 Saudi Premier League
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ittihad | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 54 | 24 | +30 | 44 |
| 2 | Al-Nassr | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 39 |
| 3 | Al-Hilal | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 36 |
| 4 | Al-Shabab | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 35 |
| 5 | Al-Ahli | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 30 |
| 6 | Al-Riyadh | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 29 |
| 7 | Al-Ettifaq | 18 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 35 | 36 | −1 | 29 |
| 8 | Al-Wehda | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 28 |
| 9 | Al-Najma | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 30 | −2 | 26 |
| 10 | Al-Ta'ee | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 26 |
| 11 | Al-Ansar | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 34 | −11 | 25 |
| 12 | Al-Qadsiah | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 44 | −18 | 19 |
Promoted: Al-Shoulla FC and Al-Taawoun FC.
Playoffs
Semifinals
Al-Shabab v Al-Ittihad| 22 May 1997 | Al-Shabab | 2–4 | Al-Ittihad | King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
Salem Al-Alawi  40'Fuad Amin 41' |
15' Ahmed Bahja 25' (pen.) Ahmed Bahja 36' Ahmed Bahja 86' (pen.) Ahmed Bahja |
Referee: Ibrahim Al-Omar |
| 23 May 1997 | Al-Hilal | 2–2 | Al-Nassr | King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
| 25' Mansour Al-Mowena 46' Mansour Al-Mowena |
Ohene Kennedy 60' Ohene Kennedy 67' |
Referee: Omer Al Mehannah |
| 29 May 1997 | Al-Ittihad | 2–2 | Al-Shabab | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah |
| Khamis Al-Zahrani 42' Meshal Al-Turki 73' |
30' Fahad Al-Mehallel 63' Abdullah Al-Shihan |
Referee: Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid |
| 30 May 1997 | Al-Nassr | 1–3 | Al-Hilal | King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
| 81' Ang Victor |
Abdullah Al-Shareedah 30' Khamis Al-Dosari 44' Sami Al-Jaber 86' |
Referee: Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil |
Third place match
Al-Nassr v Al-Shabab| 4 June 1996 | Al-Nassr | 1–0 | Al-Shabab | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
| Khaled Al-Dhaidh 88' |
Referee: Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiman |
Final
Al-Ittihad v Al-Hilal| 6 June 1997 | Al-Ittihad | 2–0 | Al-Hilal | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah |
| 13' Ghiberti Al-Shamrani 90' Gary Al-Qarni |
Referee: Omer Al Mehannah |
| Saudi Premier League 1996-97 winners |
|---|
| Al-Ittihad 2nd title |