The 2017–18 Crown Prince Cup was the 43rd and final unfinished season of the Saudi premier knockout tournament for football teams of the Saudi Professional League. It began on 7 September 2017 and would have been concluded with the final in March 2018.[1] However, it was abolished early during the first stage.
Al-Ittihad are the defending champions after a 1–0 win over Al-Nassr in the final.[2]
On 19 September 2017, the General Sports Authority decided to cancel and abolish the tournament and start the new edition next season.[3]
Changes and Format
For the first time, the Crown Prince Cup tournament will be contested by the 14 teams of the Pro League, having been decreased from the 30-team format that had been used since the 2013–14 season.[4] Under this new format, the finalists from the previous season will receive a bye to the knockout stage while the remaining 12 enter at the preliminary round. The Crown Prince Cup is played as a knockout cup competition with each tie being played as a single match with the winner advancing to the next round.
On 16 June 2017 it was announced by the SAFF that VAR would be implemented in the tournament.[5]
