Al Nassr to host Al Fateh in Saudi Pro League opener at Al Awwal Park on August 15

Al Nassr will begin their Saudi Pro League 2026-27 title defence against Al Fateh at Al Awwal Park on August 15, the opening fixture of the season. The match pits last season's champions against an Al-Atwi-led Al Fateh side seeking a better campaign.

Al Nassr won the league last season under Jorge Jesus but enter the new campaign managed by Ange Postecoglou. The club have made one signing during the ongoing summer transfer window, bringing in Samú Costa from Mallorca following the departure of Marcelo Brozovic. Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to training and might feature as a substitute, while Sultan Al Ghannam and Sami Al Najei will miss the match due to injury. Joao Felix finished the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League with 20 goals and 13 assists in 33 matches for Al Nassr.

Al Fateh finished 11th in the league last season after winning nine of their 34 matches and will be led by Khaled Al-Atwi in this encounter. The side lost both league meetings with Al Nassr in the previous campaign and will play away at Al Awwal Park. The source lists the following players in match consideration: "Bento (GK); Boushal, Simakan, Martinez, Al Najdi; Costa, Al Hassan; Coman, Felix, Mane; Al Hamdan Al Enezi (GK); Saadne, Darsi, Boateng; Batna, Youssef, Harrison, Al Sahihi, Haraslin; Machado, Al Masoud."

Joao Felix has featured in pre-season minutes and is expected to start for Al Nassr, according to the preview. For Al Fateh, Mourad Batna is identified as a key attacking figure; the 36-year-old scored nine goals and provided eight assists across 29 matches last season. The preview notes that Batna was one of Al Fateh's most consistent performers in 2025-26 and will be relied upon again in the final third.

The Al Nassr squad are described as confident at home, while Al Fateh face the challenge of a perceived lack of squad quality away from home. The article states Al Nassr encountered issues in midfield during the middle of last season but resolved them and produced consistent performances through the end of the campaign. Two short messages included in the coverage read: "Two days until the champions return 🏆💛" and "The captain is back with the squad 🐐."

The preview concludes with a match projection and broadcast details: the writer forecasts an Al Nassr 2-0 win over Al Fateh. The fixture will take place at Al Awwal Park on August 15 and is available to view live on the FanCode app and website.