The 2023 King Cup Final was the 48th final of the King Cup, Saudi Arabia's main football knock-out competition since its inception in 1957.
The final was played at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, on 12 May 2023.[4] The match was contested by Al-Hilal and Al-Wehda.[5] It was Al-Hilal's 18th King Cup final and Al-Wehda's 8th.
Al-Hilal defeated Al-Wehda on penalties in the final following a 1–1 draw after extra time to win their 10th title.[6]
The King Abdullah Sports City, also known as the Jewel Stadium, was announced as the venue of the final on 27 April 2023.[7] This was the seventh time the King Abdullah Sports City hosted the final following those in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022 and was the fifteenth time it was hosted in Jeddah.
Al-Hilal reached their record-tying 18th final after a 1–0 win against Al-Ittihad.[8] This was Al-Hilal's second consecutive final, third final in four years, and sixth final since the tournament was reintroduced. Al-Hilal lost last season's final on penalties after a 1–1 draw against Al-Fayha.[9]
Al-Wehda reached their eighth final after a 1–0 win against Al-Nassr.[10] This was Al-Wehda's first final since the tournament was reintroduced in 2008. It was also Al-Wehda's first final since 1970, setting the record for the longest gap between final appearances at 53 years.
The two teams met twice earlier in the season with the first fixture ending in a 3–0 victory for Al-Hilal and the second ending in a 3–3 draw. This will be the second King Cup final between these two sides after the 1961 final which ended in a 3–2 win for Al-Hilal.[11] This was the eighth meeting between these two sides in the King Cup with Al-Hilal winning six times and one draw between them. In the clubs' 103 previous meetings, Al-Hilal won 75, Al-Wehda won 8 and the remaining 20 were drawn.[12]
Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
