Ronaldo leads Al Nassr back to Asia’s top table after a year in the second tier

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Saudi Pro League trophy. (Pic credit: Al Nassr)

Cristiano Ronaldo is back where he believes Al Nassr belong. After spending last season in Asia’s second-tier competition, the Saudi giants return to the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday, with Ronaldo once again chasing the one major continental club trophy that has eluded him since moving to the Middle East.

Their opening assignment is a familiar one: Al Ain, the same UAE club that ended Al Nassr’s Champions League run in 2024. But this is a very different Al Nassr, with a league title, a new manager and a revamped continental competition waiting for them.

Why are Al Nassr back in the AFC Champions League Elite?

Al Nassr's absence from the top tier last season was not a permanent step down. The Riyadh club failed to qualify for the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite and instead competed in the second-tier AFC Champions League Two, where they eventually lost the final to Japan's Gamba Osaka.Their route back was secured by winning the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League, ending a seven-year wait for the domestic title. Al Nassr finished two points ahead of Al-Hilal, with Ronaldo scoring twice in a 4-1 final-day victory over Damac to seal the championship.The title also brought a significant change on the touchline. Jorge Jesus departed after leading Al Nassr to the league crown, and the club appointed Ange Postecoglou on a two-year contract.

The former Tottenham and Celtic manager had already won the UEFA Europa League with Spurs and brings previous Asian experience from his time with Australia and Yokohama F. Marinos.

So, after playing in the secondary competition last season, Al Nassr are back in the continent's premier club tournament for 2026–27.

What has changed in the AFC Champions League Elite?

Ronaldo's return comes in the first season of a major expansion to the competition.The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite has grown from 24 clubs to 32, split evenly between the West and East regions.

Each region contains 16 teams, with every club playing eight league-stage matches: Four at home and four away, against eight different opponents.There are no traditional groups. Instead, all 16 clubs in each region are ranked in a single league table, with the top eight from each region advancing to the knockout stage.The round of 16 remains regional and is played over two legs, but the competition then moves to a centralised Finals in Saudi Arabia.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be staged there, with the final scheduled for May 1, 2027.

For Al Nassr, the West Region is packed with familiar Saudi opposition. They are joined by Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah, alongside clubs including Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli from the UAE, Qatar's Al Sadd, Al Gharafa and Al Shamal, Iran's Esteghlal and Tractor, Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor and Neftchi, and Iraq's Air Force Club.

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League record with Al Nassr?

Ronaldo has already played a significant role in Al Nassr's recent continental campaigns, although he has never taken the club all the way to the title.His first top-tier AFC Champions League campaign came in 2023–24, when Al Nassr reached the quarter-finals before losing to Al Ain on penalties. Ronaldo scored six goals in that tournament.He returned for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite, when Al Nassr went further, reaching the semi-finals.

Ronaldo scored eight goals, including against Al Ain in the league stage and in the quarter-final victory over Yokohama F. Marinos. The AFC confirmed he had reached eight goals in the competition after scoring in the 4-1 quarter-final win.That gives Ronaldo a top-tier record of 14 goals in 16 appearances for Al Nassr across those two campaigns.Last season was different. Ronaldo appeared four times in the AFC Champions League Two, scoring once, as Al Nassr's continental campaign moved into the second tier.Now, at 41, he returns to the competition that matters most in Asia, and he does so having already won Champions League titles in Europe with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Who do Al Nassr play and what are their chances?

The comeback begins against Al Ain on Tuesday, September 15, at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm local time.It is a particularly interesting opening fixture because Al Ain are not an unfamiliar opponent. They eliminated Al Nassr in the 2023–24 quarter-finals, winning the tie on penalties after the two legs finished level on aggregate.The UAE side arrive with their own credentials, having completed a domestic double without losing a league match. They therefore represent a serious test immediately rather than a gentle introduction to the expanded competition.

Al Nassr, meanwhile, have plenty of attacking firepower. Ronaldo is joined by Sadio Mané, João Félix and Kingsley Coman, while Postecoglou is now tasked with translating last season's domestic success into continental progress.

There is also unfinished business. Al Nassr have yet to win Asia's premier club competition during Ronaldo's time at the club, despite reaching the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals in his previous two top-tier campaigns. The club's loss to Gamba Osaka in last season's AFC Champions League Two final only added another painful continental chapter.This time, they return to the top table with a Saudi title behind them, a new manager in charge and Ronaldo once again leading the pursuit of a trophy he has never won in Asia.