Shabab Al Ahli has successfully topped ADNOC Pro League standings in 10 rounds during the current 2024–2025 season—eight of them consecutively.
This made it the second most frequent team to lead the league in the Pro League era, following Al Ain.
Shabab Al Ahli Needs Just One Point to Secure the Trophy
Shabab Al Ahli is also on the verge of clinching the title.
As it needs just one point in today’s Round 23 match against Al Wasl to officially secure the league trophy for the ninth time in its history.
This season has seen three different teams take the lead in the standings.
Al Nasr
Al Nasr started off on top in Rounds 1 and 2, followed by Sharjah leading from Round 3 through Round 5.
Shabab Al Ahli then took the lead in Rounds 7 and 8.
Before Sharjah reclaimed it in Round 8 and maintained it for seven consecutive rounds until Round 14.
Shabab Al Ahli regained the top spot in Round 15 and has remained there through Round 22, marking eight consecutive rounds at the summit.
Al Ain Leads in 116 Rounds out of a Total of 392
Al Ain holds the record for most rounds at the top since the start of the Pro League in the 2008–2009 season.
Leading the table in 116 rounds out of a total of 392 (excluding the canceled 2019–2020 season due to COVID-19).</p>
Shabab Al Ahli has now narrowed the gap, ranking second with 82 rounds at the top.
Their standout season was 2013–2014, when they won the title by leading the league for 24 consecutive rounds, from Round 3 through Round 26.
And finishing with 64 points from 20 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses.
Al Ain also holds the record for the longest consecutive run at the top—25 rounds in the 2021–2022 season.
Starting from Round 2 through the final round.
Al Wahda led Round 1 of that season before eventually finishing the first half as runners-up.
Sharjah vs Shabab Al Ahli
Shabab Al Ahli is now in a position to surpass Sharjah in terms of most rounds led this season.
Sharjah previously led for 10 rounds, according to the UAE Pro League standings after each round.
It’s worth noting that match postponements, due to external competitions involving Sharjah and Shabab Al Ahli, have influenced this tally.
Al Jazira ranks third all-time with 68 rounds at the top, most notably during the 2010–2011 season, when they won their first title.
They led the league in 19 rounds, including 18 consecutive rounds, having regained the lead in Round 5 and holding it through Round 22.
Sharjah is fourth with 52 rounds as league leader.
Their best run came in the 2018–2019 championship season, where they led the standings for 21 rounds, including 14 straight.
They repeated a similar run in 2020–2021, leading from Round 4 through Round 17—14 consecutive rounds.
Before eventually ceding the top spot to Al Jazira in Round 18, who finished as champions.
Al Wasl
Al Wasl comes fifth with 30 rounds as leader, most of which came last season, when they won the title.
They took the lead after Round 7 and stayed on top for 20 consecutive rounds, until the season’s end.
Al Wahda follows with 28 rounds at the top.
Other clubs have had varying success in leading the league:
- Al Nasr led the league in 5 rounds across 15 seasons.
- Al Shabab (now merged) and Baniyas led for 4 rounds each.
- Al Dhafra, Al Shaab (defunct), and Al Bataeh each led for one round.
