Al-Nassr omit Cristiano Ronaldo as full lineups are confirmed for Al Fateh season opener

Al-Nassr will begin their Saudi Pro League title defence against Al Fateh at Al‑Awwal Park in Riyadh on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with full Matchday 1 lineups confirmed and Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the starting XI. Ange Postecoglou opted not to include Ronaldo in his first XI for the new league campaign.

The hosts ended a seven-year wait for the league title last season and will look to start the 2026-27 season with a victory. Al-Fateh finished 11th in the previous campaign and arrive under new leadership, with Khalid al-Atawi named as their new head coach. Al-Nassr will be without Sultan Al-Ghannam and Sami Al-Najei due to cruciate ligament injuries. Khel Now noted that the hosts, despite Ronaldo’s omission, "boast a much stronger squad on paper" and "will likely dominate tonight’s match."

Al-Nassr’s confirmed starting XI is: Bento; Nawaf Boushal, Inigo Martinez, Mohamed Simakan, Saad Al-Nasser; Kingsley Coman, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Angelo, Sadio Mane; Joao Felix, Abdullah Al-Hamdan. The substitutes named on the bench are: Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi (gk), Ali Al-Hassan, Salem Al-Najdi, Sami Al-Najei, Nader Al-Sharari, Saad Haqawi, Mohammed Maran, Samu Costa, Ayman Yahya. The club posted the selection on Twitter with the message: "📋 Our first XI of the new league journey 💛 pic.twitter.com/xok2gX2eDE."

Al-Fateh’s starting XI reads: Walid Al-Enezi; Saeed Baattiah, Kennedy Boateng, Marwane Saadane, Abdulrahman Al-Khaibre; Mihai Lixandru, Zaydou Youssouf; Mourad Batna, Faisal Al-Abdulwahed, Lukas Haraslin; Fahad Al-Zubaidi. Their substitutes are listed as: Abdul Aziz Al-Fawaz, Ziyad Al-Jari, Abdulelah Al-Khaibri, Ali Al-Masoud, Bin Mahmoud, Wilfried Kanga, Robin Kelder, Ramos Jefferson. The club shared the selections on social media under the caption: "Technical Director Khaled Al-Atwi’s selections for the participants in \"Al-Nassr\" match 📋#AlNassr_AlFateh pic.twitter.com/GGCMhSa5I8."

Although Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to training following the FIFA World Cup 2026, his recent marriage to Georgina Rodriguez has led him to delay the start of his league campaign, according to the report. Ange Postecoglou’s decision not to start Ronaldo leaves Joao Felix and Sadio Mane among the attacking options for the hosts.

The Matchday 1 fixture will be played on Saturday, August 15, 2026; in India the kick-off time is scheduled for 11:30 PM IST, and the game takes place at Al‑Awwal Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.