February 6 Al Nassr - Al Fateh I. Bebek (CRO), D. Djurdjevic (SRB), M. Ristic (SRB), M. Al Shamrani (KSA) Al Ahli - Al Ittifaq T. Al Khudair (KSA), M. Al Abakry (KSA), K. Al Shamari (KSA), M. Al Hoish (KSA) February 7 Abha - Al Wahda A. Nobre (POR), T. Leandro (POR), P. Martins (POR), K. Saleh Al Taries (KSA) Al Hazm - Al Feiha A. Sidiropoulos (GRE), P. Kostaras (GRE), L. Dimitriadis (GRE), F. Alblwi (KSA) Al Faisaly - Al Shabab D. Higler (NED), B. van Dongen (NED), D. Frijn (NED), S. Al Hanfosh (KSA) Five matches, five nations.
February 10 Al Ittihad - Damak J. Kamphuis (NED), N. van Kampen (NED), Y. Weterings (NED), F. Alblwi (KSA)
February 13 Al Feiha - Al Hilal A. Ekberg (SWE), S. Hallberg (SWE), M. Culum (SWE), S. Al Hanfosh (KSA) Al Ittifaq - Al Hazm M. Jug (SVN), M. Vidali (SVN), M. Zunic (SVN), S. Sughayyir (KSA)
February 14 Al Adalah - Al Taawon M. Al Shamrani (KSA), M. Al Abakry (KSA), B. Al Shamrani (KSA), K. Al Teris (KSA) Al Wahda - Al Ahli S. Vincic (SVN), T. Klancnik (SVN), A. Kovacic (SVN), M. Al Esmaiel (KSA) Al Shabab - Al Nassr O. Hategan (ROU), O. Sovre (ROU), S. Gheorghe (ROU), M. Al Hoaish (KSA) Two Slovenian referees in two days, and Skomina is not involved.
February 15 Al Raed - Abha M. Gestranius (FIN), J. Aravirta (FIN), M. Lamppu (FIN), S. Al Jires (KSA) Al Fateh - Al Faisaly S. Al-Harbi (KSA), K. Al Shamari (KSA), Y. Al Sultan (KSA), K. Al Juhani (KSA)
February 20 Al Shabab - Damak M. Conger (NZL), T. Makasini (TGA), M. Rule (NZL), A. Al Rumaikhani (KSA) Al Wahda - Al Feiha T. Al Khudair (KSA), A. Al Shamari (KSA), M. Al Abakry (KSA), M. Al Hoaish (KSA)
February 21 Al Ahli - Al Fateh M. Al Shamrani (KSA), F. Al Amri (KSA), B. Al Shamrani (KSA), A. Al-Harbi (KSA) Abha - Al Adalah K. Al Teris (KSA), Y. Al Sultan (KSA), O. Al Jamel (KSA), S. Al-Harbi (KSA) Al Faisaly - Al Ittifaq B. Gassama (GAM), D. Camara (SEN), E. Samba (SEN), A. Zafer (KSA) More home referees being used.
February 22 Al Hilal - Al Ittihad S. Marciniak (POL), P. Sokolnicki (POL), T. Listkiewicz (POL), M. Al Hoaish (KSA) Al Taawon - Al Raed S. Gözübüyük (NED), C. Schaap (NED), J. de Vries (NED), M. Asseri (KSA) Al Hazm - Al Nassr J. de Sousa (POR), P. Mota (POR), H. Ribeiro (POR), S. Al Okairy (KSA) Marciniak back in action after the midweek UCL game.
This is something I wonder about too. Bringing in a few foreign referees can help with local referee development, but giving the vast majority of games to foreign referees takes much-needed opportunities away from domestic referees. I'm wondering what the reason for all this is. Are there serious problems with local referees, or is this just the Saudi FA hiring European referees because they can? Or is it because the Euros have experience with VAR? I would find it surprising if the local referees are deemed inadequate, because Saudi Arabia's FIFA referees have generally been quite good over the last 20 years.
What is extra surprising to me is that some of the Saudi refs are still getting the top level ACL/WCQ games despite rarely reffing their own top league.
February 27 Al Taawon - Al Hilal S. Vincic (SVN), T. Klancnik (SVN), A. Kovacic (SVN), M. Al Shamrani (KSA) Al Nassr - Al Ahli D. Skomina (SVN), J. Praprotnik (SVN), R. Vukan (SVN), T. Al Khudair (KSA) Slovenian day in the Kingdom.
February 28 Al Adalah - Al Faisaly I. Bebek (CRO), G. Pataki (CRO), B. Zobenica (CRO), S. Al Jires (KSA) Damak - Al Hazm M. Al Hoaish (KSA), F. Al Amri (KSA), B. Al Shamrani (KSA), M. Al Esmaiel (KSA) Al Feiha - Al Raed G. Kabakov (BUL), M. Margaritov (BUL), D. Valkov (BUL), A. Al-Harbi (KSA) A Bulgarian presence.
February 29 Al Ittifaq - Abha A. Ekberg (SWE), S. Hallberg (SWE), M. Culum (SWE), A. Al Rumaikhani (KSA) Al Fateh - Al Wahda K. Al Teris (KSA), O. Al Jamel (KSA), F. Al Qahtani (KSA), M. Al Beredi (KSA) Al Ittihad - Al Shabab B. Kuipers (NED), S. van Roekel (NED), E. Zeinstra (NED), K. Al Juhani (KSA) Kuipers' appearance came two days after his Europa league match in Portugal.
March 5 Al Shabab - Al Adalah M. Al Shamrani (KSA), F. Al Amri (KSA), B. Al Shamrani (KSA), S. Al Okairy (KSA) Al Hazm - Al Ittihad B. Madden (SCO), F. Connor (SCO), A. Mulvanny (SCO), K. Al Teris (KSA)
March 6 Al Ahli - Al Feiha S. Vincic (SVN), A. Kovacic (SVN), T. Klancnik (SVN), S. Al-Harbi (KSA) Al Raed - Al Fateh M. Jug (SVN), M. Vidali (SVN), M. Zunic (SVN), A. Zafer (KSA) Al Wahda - Damak F. Alblwi (KSA), Y. Al Sultan (KSA), K. Al Shamari (KSA), A. Al-Harbi (KSA) Slovenia continues to be well-represented.
March 7 Abha - Al Taawon T. Bognar (HUN), P. Kobor (HUN), B. Buzas (HUN), M. Al Qarni (KSA) Al Faisaly - Al Nassr D. Makkelie (NED), M. Diks (NED), H. Steegstra (NED), M. Al Hoaish (KSA) Al Hilal - Al Ittifaq S. Jovanovic (SRB), U. Stojkovic (SRB), M. Mihajlovic (SRB), T. Al Khudair (KSA) The top Serbian referee (not Mazic) makes his debut.
March 11 Damak - Al Hilal P. Kralovec (CZE), I. Nadvornik (CZE), T. Mokrusch (CZE), M. Alharbi (KSA) Al Ittifaq - Al Shabab M. Gestranius (FIN), J. Aravirta (FIN), V-M. Leppanen (FIN), S. Al-Harbi (KSA) Al Feiha - Abha M. Al Hoaish (KSA), B. Al Shamrani (KSA), K. Al Shamari (KSA), F. Alblwi (KSA) Al Taawon - Al Ahli S. Jovanovic (SRB), J. Balder (NED), R. de Nas (NED), M. Al Shahdan (KSA) Al Ittihad - Al Wahda I. Kovacs (ROU), M. Artene (ROU), V. Marinescu (ROU), T. Al Khudair (KSA) Al Nassr - Al Raed T. Bognar (HUN), P. Kobor (HUN), B. Buzas (HUN), S. Al Jires (KSA) A surprising number of international crews, given that it's UCL/EL week and other situations.
March 12 Al Fateh - Al Adalah A. Kulbakov (BLR), O. Maslyanko (BLR), D. Zhuk (BLR), R. Al Zahrani (KSA) Just amazing how many referees who could have been doing UCL/EL games this week are in Saudi Arabia.
March 13 Al Hazm - Al Faisaly I. Kovacs (ROU), M. Artene (ROU), V. Marinescu (ROU), M. Al-Shammari (QAT)
The Saudi league has resumed. Matches with foreign referees: August 4 Al Adalah - Al Ittifaq G. Kabakov (BGR), V. Dalkov (BGR), M. Margaritov (BGR), S. Al-Harbi (KSA) Al Nassr - Al Hilal B. Bastien (FRA), F. Haquette (FRA), H. Zakrani (FRA), M. Al Shamrani (KSA)
What time of day are they playing? I reffed in Kuwait for a year and we played most of our games after 9pm. (I think it the hotter months it was down to around 95F from highs of 140F, so...) Although the 4th of July Americans vs British was around 6pm, if I recall.
Sunday 9th August 18:00 Al Ittifaq Ad-Dammam - Al-Faiha'a Al-Majma'ah Mattias Gestranius - Jan-Peter Aravirta, Mikko Alakare - Majid Ash-Shamrani [Daniel Stefański, Sami Aj-Jaris] 18:30 Al-Wahda Mecca - Ar-Ra'id Buraidah Irfan Peljto - Senad Ibrišimbegović, Davor Beljo - Abdullah Ash-Shahri [Gediminas Mažeika, Mamduh Ash-Shahdan] 20:00 Al-Ittihad Jiddah - Al-Ahli Jiddah Srđan Jovanović - Uroš Stojković, Milan Mihajlović - Khalid At-Taris [Georgi Kabakov, Khalid Salawi] (début for Peljto with VAR)
BTW Bastien's game was the top one in Saudi Arabian football. I think he did a good job overall in an easier-than-normal game. Here is the penalty given after OFR [VAR: Jérémie Pignard].