Cristiano Ronaldo to Miss Al-Nassr's Season Start After Wedding

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be on the pitch when Al-Nassr launch their title defence. He will not even be in the squad.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Yaum, the Portuguese star is expected to miss Al-Nassr’s first two competitive games of the 2026–2027 campaign, against Al-Fateh and Al-Diriyah, after getting married to long-time partner Georgina Rodriguez on Saturday.

Two Games Without Their Captain

Al-Nassr open their Roshn League season next Saturday against Al-Fateh, before turning quickly to the King’s Cup, where they face Al-Diriyah in the round of 32 just three days later.

Those are usually Ronaldo fixtures. Statement games. Early markers in a long season.

This time, Al-Yaum report he will sit them out, extending an absence that has already stretched well beyond what the club and supporters initially anticipated.

From World Cup Exit to Prolonged Absence

Ronaldo has not featured for Al-Nassr since returning from international duty with Portugal at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Portugal’s campaign ended on 6 July, knocked out in the round of 16 by Spain, who edged them with a single goal. Under standard regulations, Ronaldo was entitled to a 21-day rest period following that exit.

Everyone expected him back when that grace period expired. He never walked through the door.

He missed the team’s overseas training camp, which concluded last Wednesday, and did not appear at any of the sessions held across three different locations: Riyadh, Abha and Lisbon. Day after day, the squad worked without their captain. The gap has now grown to 32 days away from club duties.

High Stakes for Al-Nassr

The timing is delicate. Al-Nassr, built and branded around Ronaldo’s star power, are chasing back-to-back Saudi League titles after finally snapping a seven-year domestic drought last season. The club has been reshaped around his standards, his goals, his presence.

They also have continental ambitions. The AFC Champions League Elite sits high on the agenda, a trophy that has never found its way into the club’s cabinet. Ronaldo is central to that push, both as a finisher and as a magnet for pressure that frees others around him.

For at least two games, though, Al-Nassr must start their campaign without him, forced to show they can carry the weight of expectation on their own while their biggest name prepares to rejoin the fight.