Cristiano Ronaldo to Miss Al-Nassr’s Opening Games After Wedding
Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature for Al-Nassr when their new 2026–2027 campaign kicks off, with reports in Saudi Arabia stating the Portuguese star is set to miss the club’s opening two fixtures.
According to Saudi newspaper Al-Yaum, Ronaldo will sit out the Roshn League opener against Al-Fateh next Saturday, as well as the King’s Cup round-of-32 clash with Al-Diriyah three days later.
The reason is off the pitch, not on it. The paper reports that Ronaldo will be absent after marrying his long-time partner Georgina Rodriguez on Saturday, extending a spell away from the club that has already stretched beyond a month.
A 21-Day Grace Period Becomes 32 Days Out
Ronaldo has not been seen in Al-Nassr colours since returning from international duty with Portugal at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Portugal’s campaign ended on 6 July, knocked out in the round of 16 by Spain, who edged them with a single goal. From that moment, the clock started on the standard 21-day legal grace period granted to players after a World Cup exit.
Everyone around the club expected him back once those three weeks were up. The date came and went. Ronaldo did not report back.
He missed Al-Nassr’s overseas training camp, which concluded last Wednesday, and stayed away as the squad moved between three different bases: Riyadh, Abha and Lisbon. Every session went ahead without their captain. His absence now stands at 32 days.
Al-Nassr’s Title Defence Starts Without Their Icon
The timing is delicate. Al-Nassr enter the new season with the pressure of champions and the ambition of a club that wants more.
Led by Ronaldo last season, they snapped a seven-year wait for the Saudi League title. That breakthrough has only sharpened expectations. Inside the dressing room and across the stands, the message is clear: defend the domestic crown and push harder on the continental stage.
The club also have their eyes on the AFC Champions League Elite, a trophy that has never found its way into Al-Nassr’s cabinet. For that, they built around Ronaldo, not just as a finisher but as the standard-bearer for a squad chasing a new era.
Now, the first steps of that journey will be taken without him.
Al-Fateh in the league, Al-Diriyah in the cup: two games that should, on paper, be manageable for a champion side. Yet they will serve as an early test of Al-Nassr’s depth and mentality without their main star on the pitch.
Ronaldo will return to a team already in motion, a title defence already underway, and a club still demanding more history from a player who has built a career on exactly that.
