# 1978 King Cup

The 1978 King Cup was the 20th season of the knockout competition since its establishment in 1956. Al-Ahli were the defending champions and successfully defended the title, winning their second one in a row. Al-Ahli beat Al-Riyadh who became the first First Division side to reach the final.
By winning both the 1977–78 Saudi Premier League and the 1978 King Cup, Al-Ahli became the first Saudi team to achieve the domestic double.

## Bracket

| Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | Final |
| H | Al-Ahli | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Jazeera | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Jazeera | 0 | H | Al-Ahli | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | A | Al-Nassr | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Nassr | 3 | A | Al-Nassr | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Shate'e | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Shate'e | 0 | | | | H | Al-Ahli (a.e.t.) | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | A | Al-Wehda | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Wehda | 6 | | | | | | | A | Al-Wehda | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Kawkab | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Kawkab | 0 | H | Al-Wehda | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | A | Al-Hada | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Rabe'e | 2 | A | Al-Hada | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Hada | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Hada | 3 | | | | | | | | A | Al-Ahli | 2 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | H | Al-Qadsiah | 1 | | | | |
| H | Al-Qadsiah | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | H | Al-Qadsiah | 1 | | | | |
| A | Al-Shoulla | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Shoulla | 0 | A | Al-Qadsiah | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | H | Al-Hilal | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Hilal | 2 | H | Al-Hilal | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Arabi | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Arabi | 1 | | | | A | Al-Qadsiah | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | H | Al-Ittihad | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Ittihad | 2 | | | | | | | H | Al-Ittihad | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Jabalain | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Jabalain | 0 | H | Al-Ittihad | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | A | Ohod | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Ohod | 7 | A | Ohod | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Fayha | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Fayha | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | – | Al-Ahli | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | – | Al-Riyadh | 0 |
| H | Al-Riyadh | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | – | Al-Riyadh | 0 |
| A | Al-Nakhil | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Nakhil | 0 | A | Al-Riyadh | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | H | Al-Ansar | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Ansar | 4 | H | Al-Ansar | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Damac | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Damac | 0 | | | | H | Al-Riyadh (pen.) | 1 (4) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | A | Al-Shabab | 1 (1) | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Shabab (a.e.t.) | 4 | | | | | | | A | Al-Shabab | 1 (1) | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Khaleej | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Khaleej | 1 | H | Al-Shabab | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | A | Hajer | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Hajer | 2 | A | Hajer | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Taawoun | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Taawoun | 1 | | | | | | | | A | Al-Riyadh | 1 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | H | Al-Nahda | 0 | | | | |
| H | Al-Nahda | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | H | Al-Nahda | 0 | | | | |
| A | Al-Majd | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Majd | 0 | H | Al-Nahda (pen.) | 2 (3) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | A | Al-Tai | 2 (2) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Tai | 1 | A | Al-Tai | 2 (2) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Okaz | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Okaz | 0 | | | | H | Al-Nahda | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | A | Al-Ettifaq | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Ettifaq | 14 | | | | | | | A | Al-Ettifaq | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Tadamon | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Al-Tadamon | 1 | H | Al-Ettifaq | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | A | Al-Wadea | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| H | Al-Wadea | 9 | A | Al-Wadea | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A | Tuwaiq | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Source: Bracket

## Round of 32

The matches of the Round of 32 were held on 30 and 31 March 1978.
| Home team | Score | Away team |
| Al-Nassr | 3–0 | Al-Shate'e |
| Al-Ittihad | 2–0 | Al-Jabalain |
| Al-Tai | 1–0 | Okaz |
| Hajer | 2–1 | Al-Taawoun |
| Ohod | 7–0 | Al-Fayha |
| Al-Qadsiah | 2–0 | Al-Shoulla |
| Al-Ahli | 9–0 | Al-Jazeera |
| Al-Nahda | 4–0 | Al-Majd |
| Al-Riyadh | 3–0 | Al-Nakhil |
| Al-Wadea | 9–0 | Tuwaiq |
| Al-Rabe'e | 2–3 | Al-Hada |
| Al-Wehda | 6–0 | Al-Kawkab |
| Al-Ettifaq | 14–1 | Al-Tadamon |
| Al-Shabab | 4–1 (a.e.t.) | Al-Khaleej |
| Al-Hilal | 2–1 | Al-Arabi |
| Al-Ansar | 4–0 | Damac |

## Round of 16

The Round of 16 matches were held on 5 and 6 April 1978.
| Home team | Score | Away team |
| Al-Hilal | 1–2 | Al-Qadsiah |
| Al-Ittihad | 1–0 | Ohod |
| Al-Ettifaq | 4–0 | Al-Wadea |
| Al-Wehda | 6–0 | Al-Hada |
| Al-Shabab | 1–0 | Hajer |
| Al-Nahda | 2–2 (3–2 pen.) | Al-Tai |
| Al-Ansar | 2–3 | Al-Riyadh |
| Al-Ahli | 1–0 | Al-Nassr |

## Quarter-finals

The Quarter-final matches were held on 11 and 12 April 1978.
| Home team | Score | Away team |
| Al-Nahda | 1–0 | Al-Ettifaq |
| Al-Ittihad | 1–3 | Al-Qadsiah |
| Al-Ahli | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | Al-Wehda |
| Al-Riyadh | 1–1 (4–1 pen.) | Al-Shabab |

## Semi-finals

The four winners of the quarter-finals progressed to the semi-finals. The semi-finals were played on 16 April 1978. All times are local, AST (UTC+3).

## Final

The final was played between Al-Ahli and Al-Riyadh in the Youth Welfare Stadium in Riyadh. By reaching the final Al-Riyadh became the first First Division side to reach the final. This final was a repeat of the 1962 final which ended in a win for Al-Ahli.