The best sports content in Saudi Arabia right now comes from clubs and federations telling stories about effort, risk and small beginnings. Fans across the Kingdom already know the stars. What moves them is the side that climbed out of a lower division, or the federation that hosted a continental tournament for the first time in decades. For brands, those underdog stories are the most honest and most shareable material in the region.
At iklipse, a creative and AI production agency working across Saudi Arabia, the wider GCC and Egypt, we have cut a few of these stories. Here is what we have learned about making sports content in Saudi Arabia that people actually watch to the end.
Saudi sport has a big stage, and the small clubs have the best scripts.
The headlines go to the giants. FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup at its Extraordinary Congress on 11 December 2024, and the Saudi Pro League has spent heavily on international names. That scale matters, because it puts a camera on everything.
The audience, though, has seen a lot of polished star content by now. A slow-motion shot of a famous striker in a new kit gets a nod. A story about a club from a neighbourhood ground fighting through the third tier gets a share, a comment from a cousin, and a second watch.
That is the gap brands can step into. The big events give the region its attention. The underdog stories give it something to feel.
Al Diriyah FC told its own promotion story, and it told it with a grin.
In April 2025, Al Diriyah beat Al-Ula 1-0 in the final of the Saudi Second Division, their first title in that league since 2013, and went up to the First Division. The club wanted a film about that season.
Underdogs is Al Diriyah FC's own account of winning the Second Saudi Division. Its title card sets the tone straight away: "We are the underdogs, or that awesome story of how Al-Diriyah FC won the Second Saudi Division." The players leap across the pitch in red training kit under letters as tall as the frame.
The idea and the treatment are Ghazy's, made at &That French Guy, the creative arm of iklipse. What we like about it is the attitude. The film happily plays the smaller side, and that self-awareness is exactly why it works.
Why the underdog angle travels so well.
- It is true. A lower-division title is a fact, and fans can check it. Nobody has to stretch the truth to make it dramatic.
- It invites people in. Supporters of a small club feel ownership. They share the film because it is about them.
- It ages well. A promotion story stays relevant as long as the club keeps climbing, and every later win gives the old film a second life.
The Saudi Basketball Federation needed a film big enough for an Asia Cup.
Underdog energy also applies to whole sports. Basketball sits in football's shadow across the Gulf, and the Saudi Basketball Federation was preparing to host the FIBA Asia Cup 2025. The tournament ran from 5 to 17 August 2025 in Jeddah, at King Abdullah Sports City Hall, the first time Saudi Arabia had hosted FIBA's flagship Asian event since 1997.
The federation wanted to celebrate with something extraordinary. For the Saudi Basketball Federation, we crafted a high-end video from handpicked, licensed stock footage, each frame curated and cut to carry the federation's brand. The result feels original and unmistakably theirs, and it lifted their corporate communications for the moment.
This is a useful lesson for any sports body with a tight timeline. A strong film does not always need a fresh shoot. It needs a clear idea, a strict edit and footage that is properly licensed. Good post-production and video editing can turn existing material into something that feels made for one client only.
Here is how we approach sports content in Saudi Arabia.
We start with the fact that makes the story.
Every good sports film has one hard fact at its centre. A final won 1-0. A tournament hosted for the first time in decades. We find that fact first and build the edit around it, so the drama comes from something real.
We let the club's personality lead.
Al Diriyah's film is playful because the club was happy to laugh at its own underdog status. Another club might want something solemn. The tone should come from the people in the kit, and the brand should fit around them.
We cut for the phone first.
Most fans in the Kingdom will meet a sports film on their phone, often with the sound off. Big type, clear faces and a story that reads in the first three seconds matter more than a long build-up. We plan vertical versions from the start and hand them to social media teams ready to post.
We keep everything licensed and clean.
Stock, music and archive footage all need clear rights, especially for federations and government-linked bodies. A great cut that cannot run is no use to anybody.
National moments are the next chapter for sports-minded brands.
Sport is only one way Saudi audiences come together. National Day is another, and brands that understand the emotion of a stadium tend to understand the emotion of a national celebration too.
We recently led the AI production on a Saudi National Day film for Toyota and Abdul Latif Jameel, produced with NaF+, that follows a class of children into the worlds they imagine. It sits in a different genre from Underdogs, but the instinct is the same: a small, human story carries a big national feeling. You can see it on the Toyota case study, and we will write about it properly soon.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of sports content performs best in Saudi Arabia?
Stories with a real fact at the centre, a clear personality and a phone-first edit. Underdog and first-time stories do especially well because fans feel part of them.
Can a sports film be made without a new shoot?
Yes. Our film for the Saudi Basketball Federation was built from carefully chosen, licensed stock footage. The idea and the edit did the heavy lifting.
Who made the Al Diriyah FC Underdogs film?
The idea and treatment came from Ghazy, co-founder and creative director of iklipse, working through &That French Guy, the agency's creative arm.
How do I start a sports content project with iklipse?
Tell us the moment you want to mark and the fact that makes it special. Get in touch through our contact page.
Sources: Wikipedia (2024 to 25 Saudi Second Division League), FIBA, Arab News, Al Jazeera, iklipse case studies.
