https://www.scmp.com/rss/522510/feed The latest news and top stories on Al-Nassr. A prominent Riyadh-based professional sports club, Al-Nassr Football Club is dedicated to excelling in national and international football competitions. Founded in 1955, its main areas of activity include professional football, with teams also in handball basketball, esports and volleyball. Al-Nassr is recognised for its significant domestic success, including multiple Saudi Pro League titles and for being the first Asian club to participate in the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Iranian club Tractor FC are set to travel to Saudi Arabia for a play-off against Shabab Al-Ahli of Dubai for a place in the Asian Champions League Elite quarter-finals against Buriram United of Thailand. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw on Wednesday to determine the quarter-final pairings, a day after announcing that the western zone play-offs that were postponed because of the war in the Middle East had been rescheduled for April 13-14 in Jeddah. The Saudi city is also... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3347896/asian-champions-league-elite-irans-tractor-fc-line-quarter-final-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3347896/asian-champions-league-elite-irans-tractor-fc-line-quarter-final-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton are among the sports stars whose schedules are in doubt because of the spreading war in the Middle East. Cancellations and travel shutdowns are already affecting events since the United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran on Saturday. Organisers of Formula 1 and major football games will face decisions soon on whether the competitions can go ahead as scheduled. Middle Eastern nations have become crucial to the world sports... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3345200/us-bombing-iran-disrupts-sports-doubt-over-messi-ronaldo-games-and-f1-races?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3345200/us-bombing-iran-disrupts-sports-doubt-over-messi-ronaldo-games-and-f1-races?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 01:22:14 +0000 Associated Press,Reuters Associated Press,Reuters Cristiano Ronaldo missed his third consecutive game for Al-Nassr as the Saudi Arabian club defeated Arkadag FC of Turkmenistan 1-0 on Wednesday in the first leg of the round of 16 in the AFC Champions League Two, but will reportedly return to the field this weekend. Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored the only goal of the game in Asia’s second-tier competition to put Al-Nassr in control ahead of next week’s return match in Riyadh. Ronaldo – who has yet to win a major trophy since joining Al-Nassr in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3343283/ronaldo-missing-saudi-club-al-nassr-wins-asian-champions-league-2-set-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3343283/ronaldo-missing-saudi-club-al-nassr-wins-asian-champions-league-2-set-return?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad said Cristiano Ronaldo – who joined Al-Nassr in December 2022 – was the only foreign player in the Saudi Pro League who truly deserved his multimillion-dollar salary. Abdullah, who was in the post from 2014 to 2017 – before the huge influx of foreign players that has transformed the league – also warned that the influx was sidelining local talent and threatening the national team’s future. In an interview with the Fi Al-Marama TV programme... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3334411/cristiano-ronaldo-only-foreign-player-worth-his-pay-says-saudi-ex-sports-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3334411/cristiano-ronaldo-only-foreign-player-worth-his-pay-says-saudi-ex-sports-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:00:11 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Son Heung-min has been named Best Footballer in Asia for 2025 to claim the crown for a remarkable 10th time. The South Korean beat his compatriot Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain into second place, with Al-Nassr’s Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in third. The award was established in 2013 and is open to players from Asia and those who ply their trade on the continent. A panel of 64 Asian football experts voted in the latest edition, which considered performances from August 16 last year... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3328763/son-heung-min-beats-cristiano-ronaldo-win-asian-award?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3328763/son-heung-min-beats-cristiano-ronaldo-win-asian-award?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:39:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former English Premier League stars could make the difference in the Asian Champions League, which begins on Monday, with Ivan Toney, Jesse Lingard, Riyad Mahrez and Darwin Nunez all having a chance of winning Asian football’s premier club tournament. Saudi clubs dominated last season, providing three of the semi-finalists before Al-Ahli won the final in front of 60,000 spectators in Jeddah in May. Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are also back and expected to challenge again for the title. Since the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3325379/asian-champions-league-ex-english-premier-league-players-set-star-new-season-starts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3325379/asian-champions-league-ex-english-premier-league-players-set-star-new-season-starts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 13:00:20 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Roberto Losada said it had been hard to summon the motivation for another campaign of fighting the odds, after his Eastern squad was again ransacked over the summer by overseas clubs and a big-spending Hong Kong Premier League opponent. Coach of the year for the past three seasons, Losada overcame the loss of five key players midway through last term to lead Eastern to FA Cup and Senior Shield glory. But prolific goal scorer Noah Baffoe, who has joined title rivals Lee Man, spearheaded a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3323274/hong-kongs-top-coach-struggling-motivation-after-overseas-clubs-title-rivals-ransack-squad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3323274/hong-kongs-top-coach-struggling-motivation-after-overseas-clubs-title-rivals-ransack-squad?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 04:29:21 +0000 Tom Bell,Lars Hamer,Paul McNamara Tom Bell,Lars Hamer,Paul McNamara Football fans were granted most of their wishes at Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday as the Saudi Super Cup concluded with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, even if the Portuguese was narrowly denied the silverware. Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr may have been beaten by Al-Ahli in a deciding penalty shoot-out, but the plaudits were largely for the man wearing No 7, the organisers’ star asset as they brought the tournament to East Asia for the first time. A crowd of about 30,000 cheered Ronaldo’s every... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3322945/ronaldo-wows-hong-kong-saudi-super-cup-given-very-satisfactory-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3322945/ronaldo-wows-hong-kong-saudi-super-cup-given-very-satisfactory-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 16:13:55 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The appearance in Hong Kong of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of football’s greatest players, has thrilled fans and further boosted the city’s reputation as a host for the sport’s superstars. Ronaldo fever will reach a peak on Saturday evening, when his Al-Nassr team plays rivals Al-Ahli at Hong Kong Stadium in the Saudi Super Cup final. The competition has built on the success of the Football Festival last month, which featured three leading English teams and one from Italy. A crowd of more than 30,000... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3322776/hong-kong-needs-more-facilities-ensure-football-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3322776/hong-kong-needs-more-facilities-ensure-football-all?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Ivan Toney has blasted the “crazy treatment” of his Al-Ahli team at the Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong. England striker Toney was on the scoresheet when Al-Ahli thumped Al-Qadsiah 5-1 on Wednesday to book a Saturday night final date with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. Late replacements for Al-Hilal, who withdrew from the competition following their involvement in the summer Club World Cup, Al-Ahli arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday. “To be honest, the preparation and how we’ve been treated has been... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322868/ivan-toney-blasts-crazy-treatment-al-ahli-saudi-super-cup-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322868/ivan-toney-blasts-crazy-treatment-al-ahli-saudi-super-cup-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 12:30:21 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Jorge Jesus has tipped Al-Nassr to surf the wave of energy generated by superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in their Saudi Super Cup final against Al-Ahli on Saturday. Ronaldo fever swept Hong Kong Stadium on Tuesday, as head coach Jesus’s team overcame the first-half dismissal of Sadio Mane to beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 in their semi-final. And Jesus was anticipating another animated and one-sided crowd when his side tackle the reigning Asian champions back at the same venue this weekend. “I am expecting the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322844/al-nassr-boss-tips-cristiano-ronaldo-fever-return-hong-kong-stadium-saudi-final?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322844/al-nassr-boss-tips-cristiano-ronaldo-fever-return-hong-kong-stadium-saudi-final?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:31:51 +0000 Lorraine Chiang Lorraine Chiang Restaurants and bars near Hong Kong Stadium have enjoyed a spike in business of at least 20 per cent thanks to the city hosting the Saudi Super Cup and are gearing up for Saturday’s final when football legend Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play again. More than 30,000 spectators watched Ronaldo and his team Al-Nassr beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 at the Causeway Bay stadium on Tuesday. Al-Nassr will play Al-Ahli, which swept aside Al-Qadsiah 5-1 on Wednesday evening, in the final. Yuga, a cha chaan teng, or... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3322566/bars-near-hong-kong-stadium-hoping-another-big-score-ronaldo-match?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3322566/bars-near-hong-kong-stadium-hoping-another-big-score-ronaldo-match?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:22:01 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Al-Ahli stand in the way of Cristiano Ronaldo and Saudi Super Cup glory after they beat Al-Qadsiah 5-1 in a heavily VAR-influenced semi-final at Hong Kong Stadium on Wednesday. On a night that felt very much like after the Lord Mayor’s show, 24 hours on from Cristiano Ronaldo mania sweeping the same venue, Al-Ahli were stung into action after Gaston Alvarez headed their opponents into an eighth-minute lead. Franck Kessie capitalised on some lax defending to equalise four minutes later, before... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322564/saudi-super-cup-al-ahli-sweep-aside-al-qadsiah-book-final-date-ronaldo-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322564/saudi-super-cup-al-ahli-sweep-aside-al-qadsiah-book-final-date-ronaldo-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:29:01 +0000 Lars Hamer Lars Hamer Scenes outside Hong Kong Stadium on Wednesday could not have been any more different to just 24 hours earlier, when football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo pulled 30,000 fans from across the world to the venue in Causeway Bay. What a difference a day makes. Walking towards the stadium two hours before Wednesday’s 8pm kick-off, you could easily be forgiven for not knowing there was a match going to take place. Al-Qadsiah were playing Al-Ahli Saudi in the second semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup, by... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3322555/saudi-super-cup-post-ronaldo-slump-hits-second-semi-final-fans-mix-business-pleasure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3322555/saudi-super-cup-post-ronaldo-slump-hits-second-semi-final-fans-mix-business-pleasure?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:09:36 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Jorge Jesus acknowledged the pulling power of “global phenomenon” Cristiano Ronaldo lured more than 30,000 people to watch his Al-Nassr team beat Al-Ittihad in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Supporters turned the tired Hong Kong Stadium into a colourful corner of Riyadh, as they roared Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr into Saturday’s Saudi Super Cup final. The 2-1 victory over last season’s league and cup winners Al-Ittihad was all the more impressive for the fact Jesus’ team played with 10 men for more than an hour... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322469/al-nassr-boss-says-global-phenomenon-cristiano-ronaldo-biggest-show-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322469/al-nassr-boss-says-global-phenomenon-cristiano-ronaldo-biggest-show-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 07:30:09 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara Cristiano Ronaldo extended his Hong Kong adventure on Tuesday, creating the winning goal for 10-man Al-Nassr to beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 on a night of high drama at Hong Kong Stadium. With the teams level, and Al-Nassr reduced by the 25th-minute dismissal of Sadio Mane, Ronaldo galloped onto a ball from Nawaf Boushal in the 61st minute and unselfishly presented Joao Felix with the easiest of debut goals. When an original decision to disallow the strike for offside against Ronaldo was overturned, he... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322419/saudi-super-cup-cristiano-ronaldo-creates-winner-al-nassr-beat-al-ittihad-semi-final?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322419/saudi-super-cup-cristiano-ronaldo-creates-winner-al-nassr-beat-al-ittihad-semi-final?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:26:18 +0000 Lars Hamer Lars Hamer Thousands of football fans descended on Hong Kong Stadium hours before Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr took on Al-Ittihad in the first semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup on Tuesday. All roads leading to the stadium were a sea of jerseys sporting Ronaldo’s name on the back, as thousands from Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China and Saudi Arabia made their way to the ground. There was even one spectator wearing a shirt that combined Al-Nassr, Real Madrid and Manchester United colours and badges, all teams... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3322401/saudi-super-cup-ronaldo-fever-strikes-again-fans-flock-stadium-hours-kick?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3322401/saudi-super-cup-ronaldo-fever-strikes-again-fans-flock-stadium-hours-kick?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:39:09 +0000 SCMP Sport SCMP Sport Hong Kong is this week playing host to the Saudi Super Cup, which is why Cristiano Ronaldo is in town. The tournament has been running annually since 2013 but this is the third edition of its four-team format. It brings together the winners and runners-up from the Saudi Pro League and the country’s King's Cup in a mini-tournament, comprising two semi-finals and a final at Hong Kong Stadium. Hong Kong is its third overseas host city after London – three times – and Abu Dhabi. Al-Nassr will play... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322374/saudi-super-cup-cristiano-ronaldos-hong-kong-who-else-coming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322374/saudi-super-cup-cristiano-ronaldos-hong-kong-who-else-coming?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:47:58 +0000 Paul McNamara Paul McNamara New Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus has said on the eve of the Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong that the opportunity to manage Cristiano Ronaldo was a “big incentive” to accept a new challenge at 71. Al-Nassr are the 16th club of Jesus’ cosmopolitan career, after he was tasked with masterminding overdue Saudi success for superstar Ronaldo. The forward, who has plundered 93 goals in 105 Al-Nassr appearances, is in Hong Kong chasing only his second piece of silverware in 2½ years with the Riyadh side,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3322272/ronaldo-hong-kong-new-al-nassr-boss-says-coaching-cr7-was-incentive-join?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3322272/ronaldo-hong-kong-new-al-nassr-boss-says-coaching-cr7-was-incentive-join?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:30:07 +0000 Paul McNamara,Tom Bell Paul McNamara,Tom Bell The excitement generated by Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence in Hong Kong this week can be attributed not only to his fame but to how long fans have waited to see him play in the city. Their first opportunity to do so may also be the last, with Ronaldo now 40 years old – even if he has shown little desire to slow down since his arrival at Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr two years ago. His time in Riyadh has followed a familiar pattern of goals and yet more goals, a theme through his rise to fame at... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322279/cristiano-ronaldo-hong-kong-making-icon-and-what-drives-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322279/cristiano-ronaldo-hong-kong-making-icon-and-what-drives-him?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 22:00:27 +0000 Paul McNamara,Mike Chan Paul McNamara,Mike Chan This week’s Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong could help deepen ties between two “very powerful countries” in Saudi Arabia and China, a leading executive from Cristiano Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr has said. The four-team competition is being staged in Hong Kong for the first time, with Al-Nassr set to meet Saudi champions Al-Ittihad in the first semi-final on Tuesday night. The two nations expanded cooperation during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2022 visit to the kingdom, and Hong Kong has since forged... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322268/ronaldos-hong-kong-visit-can-boost-china-saudi-ties-al-nassr-executive-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322268/ronaldos-hong-kong-visit-can-boost-china-saudi-ties-al-nassr-executive-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 13:04:47 +0000 Mike Chan,Paul McNamara,Lars Hamer Mike Chan,Paul McNamara,Lars Hamer Al-Ahli, the last of the Saudi Super Cup teams landed in Hong Kong on Sunday and will stay at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wan Chai, where they were greeted by over 50 fans. The fans, mostly men between the ages of 20 and 40, had come to catch a glimpse of former Premier League footballers Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney and Edouard Mendy. John Kulpakdeesinghworn, 41, travelled to Hong Kong from Thailand to see former Leicester City winger Mahrez. The country has a strong Leicester following, as the club... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322117/cristiano-ronaldo-al-nassr-head-early-sunday-training-session?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3322117/cristiano-ronaldo-al-nassr-head-early-sunday-training-session?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 04:06:54 +0000