2012–13 Saudi Pro League
The 2012–13 Saudi Professional League (known as the Zain Professional League for sponsorship reasons) was the 37th season of the Saudi Professional League, the top Saudi professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1976. The season began on 2 August 2012 and ended on 27 April 2013. Al-Shabab were the defending champions. The league was contested by the 12 teams from the 2011–12 season as well as Al-Shoulla and Al-Wehda, who joined as the promoted clubs from the 2011–12 First Division. They replace Al-Ansar and Al-Qadisiyah who were relegated to the 2012–13 First Division.
| Season | 2012–2013 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 August 2012 – 27 April 2013 |
| Champions | Al-Fateh (1st title) |
| Relegated | Hajer Al-Wehda |
| AFC Champions League | Al-Fateh Al-Ittihad Al-Hilal Al-Shabab |
| GCC Champions League | Al-Raed Al-Shoulla |
| Matches played | 182 |
| Goals scored | 531 (2.92 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sebastián Tagliabué (19 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Hilal 6–0 Al-Raed (28 September 2012) |
| Biggest away win | Najran 0–6 Al-Hilal (23 August 2012) |
| Highest scoring | Al-Wehda 2–5 Al-Shabab (28 August 2012) Al-Faisaly 4–3 Al-Wehda (19 October 2012) Al-Faisaly 6–1 Najran (18 April 2013) |
| Longest winning run | 10 games Al-Hilal |
| Longest unbeaten run | 17 games Al-Fateh |
| Longest winless run | 19 games Al-Wehda |
| Longest losing run | 11 games Al-Wehda |
| Highest attendance | 28,188 Al-Ahli 1–1 Al-Ittihad (14 February 2013) |
| Lowest attendance | 60 Al-Shoulla 1–1 Al-Faisaly (30 January 2013) |
| Average attendance | 3,544 |
← 2011–12 2013–14 → | |
On 14 April, Al-Fateh won their first League title, with 2 games to spare, following a 1–0 home win over Al-Ahli. Al-Fateh became the seventh club to win the Pro League. This is considered by many to be one of the greatest shocks in Saudi football history, especially considering that Al-Fateh were promoted to the Pro League for the first time only four years earlier.
Al-Wehda were the first team to be relegated following a 2–1 home defeat to Al-Faisaly on 29 March. Hajer became the second and final team to be relegated following a 2–1 defeat away to Al-Shabab on the final matchday.