Al-Nassr Crowned Champions as Simakan Seals Derby Victory

Riyadh has a new champion again. Al-Nassr are Saudi Pro League winners for 2025-26, back on the throne for the first time since 2019 after a knife-edge derby that felt like a title decider in everything but name.

They did it the hard way: a tense, narrow 1-0 victory over bitter rivals Al-Hilal on Tuesday night, settled by an unlikely hero. Mohamed Simakan, once a defender at Strasbourg, wrote his name into club history with the decisive goal that finally broke a derby gripped by nerves and noise.

The strike did more than win a match. It ripped the title out of reach for Karim Benzema’s side, leaving Al-Nassr eight points clear with only two games left. The mathematics ended there. The celebrations started.

This is league title number ten for Al-Nassr, a landmark crown for a club that has spent heavily and talked boldly since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022. The wait since their last domestic triumph had grown uncomfortable. This one feels like a statement.

For Ronaldo, it is another chapter in a career already overflowing with domestic dominance. He has conquered the Premier League with Manchester United, La Liga with Real Madrid, Serie A with Juventus. Now the Saudi Pro League joins that roll call, another country, another medal, another reminder of his enduring impact on title races.

The Portuguese forward came to Riyadh promising to raise standards and chase trophies. The Big Yellow now have the silverware to show for it, finally matching the noise that has surrounded the project since his arrival.

One more line on the honors list, one more league for Ronaldo’s collection. And with summer looming, the question hangs over the season’s end: is there still room for yet another trophy with Portugal before the year is out?