Balancing motherhood and work is a challenge in any profession. But for footballers, whose peak sporting years coincide with their peak fertility, the choice can feel stark.
“For a woman whose sports career might last, say, 10 years at a high level, she starts thinking that getting pregnant really isn’t an option,” former Real Sociedad player, Larraitz Lucas, told DW. “When you are competing at a high level, all you are focusing on is the present.”
Until the last few years, only about 2% of footballers got pregnant during their careers, with many leaving the sport to pursue motherhood. But with increasing professionalization, organizations are starting to wrestle with the question of how to deal with players who want to have children.
US club, Racing Louisville, were the first club side to offer to pay for such treatments in 2021, while English club Chelsea have announced this month that egg freezing will be funded for any player that wants it.
But, perhaps more significantly, the Spanish football federation, RFEF, are expected to become the first national federation to announce a similar policy soon after reported lobbying from star player Alexia Putellas and others.
How egg freezing can affect players during a season
Such options weren’t available to Spaniard Lucas in her playing career, which ended more than a decade ago. While she went through egg retrieval, in her case it was so her partner could have an embryo implanted to carry the baby.
“You keep competing as best you can but no matter how much you try to align it with a weekend break from matches it’s tough. Really, before, during, and after the egg extraction, well… it wasn’t ideal,” said Lucas.
Though it depends somewhat on circumstances, egg freezing can take around three weeks. Women inject themselves every day before their eggs are harvested and frozen under sedation. To use the eggs at a later date, they must be thawed and injected with sperm to create embryos.
Advertisement
IVF explained: Process, costs & risks
But, as athlete gynaecologist,Lamia Zafrani, told DW, egg freezing is far from straightforward. “Egg freezing is not an insurance policy that is guaranteed to pay out.It’s always better if you freeze your eggs whilst you’re young because you’ve got younger eggs to then use for future IVF.
“But actually there’s no guarantee that when you defrost or thaw those eggs,turn them into embryos, that they’ll actually be successful and result in a successful live birth.And I think it’s these conversations that the athletes need to be made aware of because, at the end of the day, it’s all about informed consent.”
Advertisement
Egg freezing ‘shouldn’t be tool to pressure players’
Zafrani added that the number of athletes in her London clinic asking about the procedure has risen sharply in recent times. “It is definitely something that athletes are very much asking for,” she said.
“But there’s always nuance to all of these conversations. While it’s great because the federations are listening to the players, ethically, it always does bring up the question of whether by offering egg freezing and fertility preservation, the underlying message is that you’re telling your players ‘don’t get pregnant whilst you’re working for us.’ And that can be problematic.”
It’s a concern that is shared by Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud. The legal director of global players’ union, FIFPRO, was a co-author of the maternity policies adopted by football’s global governing body, FIFA. She said FIFPRO have been working on policies for assisted reproduction, including the freezing of eggs, but that ensuring players were educated about their choices was paramount.
“We don’t want it [egg freezing] to be used as a tool to pressure players not to become pregnant while they are playing because they are and they should always be fully entitled to decide when and how to become pregnant,” Bruinewoud told DW.
Advertisement
Former Germany goalkeeper Almuth Schult is one of relatively few players to give birth mid-careerImage: Memmler/Eibner-Pressefoto/picture alliance
There are, she said, several other considerations with regards to fertility and football, including doping concerns.
“When players go through assistive reproduction in general and if they are going to freeze eggs, in some situations they have to take hormones. And these substances can be prohibited in the WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) code.
“So we want to be sure to prevent a player being sanctioned when they are actually only trying to become pregnant or prepare things to be able to become pregnant in the future,” said Bruinewoud.
Why one global freezing policy may not work
She added that with costs, recovery and procedures varying, mandating one blanket global rule would be near impossible, and should be guided by medical practitioners. It is also tough to apply any universal standard to a sport where professionalization and finance varies significantly between countries.
“In my view, the best solution for that is collective negotiation at national level,” Bruinewoud said. “These are very expensive procedures and most of the players worldwide will probably not have access to this because of the cost.”
Advertisement
For all three women, the most important factors are choice, education and empowerment to get pregnant at a time that suits them. The hope is that, if managed well, egg freezing provides another option, rather than the default path.
Sun Goddess (4/7 favourite) followed up on her recent York success with victory in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh on Sunday afternoon.
In the colours of the Coolmore partners, the daughter of Justify was winning for a fifth times from seven career starts.
Trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien, and ridden by Ryan Moore, the two-year-old out of the Starspangledbanner daughter Etoile Bleu ran out an easy six-and-a-half length winner over Green Express (3/1) and Colin Keane.
Dancing Destiny (14/1), like the runner-up, trained by Joseph O’Brien, finished third one-and-three-quarter lengths furthar back, under jockey Declan McDonagh.
Advertisement
“She looks a freak.”
Aidan O’Brien offers a succinct analysis of Sun Goddess following her jaw-dropping success in the Moyglare …
Pakistan cricket legend and the country’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, continues to draw attention from the global cricketing fraternity. Twenty-one international captains recently wrote to the Pakistan government, urging better treatment of Imran Khan, who has been in prison since 2023. Now, one of the greatest pacers of all time, Michael Holding, has joined the bandwagon in support of the jailed former Pakistan cricket team captain. While Holding, a West Indies cricket legend, is wary of the politics behind the imprisonment, he didn’t shy away from speaking highly of the person Imran Khan is.
Holding and Imran didn’t play a lot of matches against each other in international cricket, but they did spend quality time in each other’s company. Holding highlighted that when Imran was in London to raise funds for a cancer hospital, he accompanied him. This was when he came to know deeply who the person is.
“I’ll mention one name, Imran Khan, but you probably don’t want to go down the political route, and I don’t want to either, but that’s a sad story. It has become one of the former Pakistan captain’s defining legacies. I played with Imran, I wouldn’t say I played a lot. I played some one-day games with him. I played county cricket, a few games against Imran, but apart from playing with Imran, I have spent time with Imran,” Holding said during a chat with Sports Now.
Advertisement
“When Imran was going around London looking to garner funds for that cancer hospital, I went around with him, I tried to support him as best as I possibly could, where that was concerned. So I know the man, and I know exactly what type of person that he is. And it’s extremely sad to see the situation now and what is going on with Imran Khan,” the 72-year-old recalled.
Recently, during Pakistan’s tour of England, an interview featured Imran Khan’s sons where they spoke about how much the health of the former cricketer has deteriorated in prison. The two sons even alleged that the Pakistan government isn’t allowing them to meet their father, while also denying treatment in a private hospital. This worsening condition has seen former international captains write two letters to the Pakistan government, urging intervention and better treatment.
#PAKWatch🇵🇰: Today, THOUSANDS took to the streets of Lahore to DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF IMRAN KHAN.
Holding also extended support to the letter. Targeting the Pakistan government, Holding expressed disappointment at the way Imran is being treated.
“I am in total support of the captains who wrote that letter. I don’t know what effect it will have, but I am in total support of trying to get the man to be treated just like another human being. You don’t treat human beings that way. People who have committed murder aren’t treated that way. So I don’t see the reason why this man should be treated that way,” Holding said.
Advertisement
“I don’t know if there’s jealousy involved in this, because Imran Khan. I don’t think there’s a Pakistani who is more well-known around the world than Imran Khan. That is ridiculous, the way the man is being treated,” he added.
Featured Video Of The Day
Spain Vs Argentina | Dani Olmo On WC Triumph: ‘Wanted To Set An Example For The Next Generation’
With the news that Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Landon Dickerson was being placed on IR with a knee injury, Dickerson himself seemed fine with the development — especially since, in the guard’s view, he had no business being on the field in Week 1.
“Honestly, (to) address the elephant in the room, I played like sh** yesterday,” Dickerson said. “I was a complete liability yesterday and, again, that was my fault … I shouldn’t be out there until I feel healthy.”
Advertisement
Dickerson said that he got “rolled up on” in practice last month during training camp, but continued to push through the injury. Imaging on Monday confirmed that he had a bone bruise in his right knee.
Dickerson found out that he was being placed on IR while live on air: After being read a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McClane, who was the first to report the news, the Eagles’ starting left guard admitted to WIP that he hadn’t been officially told, but that he knew it “was kind of the plan.”
“Really, the best plan moving forward is put me on IR so I can get this thing better to have a good stretch at the back end of the season,” Dickerson said.
The guard wanted to take this strategy as opposed to gritting through injuries — which he said he did last season. “I don’t think anyone wants to see that again, ’cause that was just ugly. I don’t want to do that again, because that was just B.S.,” he added.
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Eagles’ narrow two-point win on Sunday came in part thanks to the defense pulling off a late stop to save the game. Though Philadelphia‘s offense had some struggles across the board, the offensive line was a particular point of concern, as quarterback Jalen Hurts was sacked three times.
Dickerson wasn’t alone in the o-line issues, but he said that pushing through the injury meant that he wasn’t playing at 100%. He will now have to miss at least four games while on IR.
“Bone bruising doesn’t really heal if you keep banging it and doing stuff. And it sucks because you just have to actually shut it down and not do anything. That’s really the only way that it gets better,” Dickerson said later in Monday’s interview. “Once it gets better, you don’t really have to worry about it moving forward. It’s not a lingering thing. Once it’s kind of healed up and done, it’s done.”
Dickerson, 27, has been a consistent starter for Philadelphia since the team drafted him in 2021. The guard has earned three Pro Bowl nods in the 2022-2024 span.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said a proposed NBA Europe league would “respect the traditions of European basketball.”
Silver used the occasion of Thursday’s NBA game in Berlin between the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies — the first regular season game to ever take place in Germany — to give an update on the venture.
He said the NBA was continuing to hold discussions with clubs about its plans, which would see it partner with FIBA, world basketball’s governing body, to create a 16-team European league. Up to 12 spots would be reserved for permanent members, and at least four would be available to teams that qualify through FIBA’s existing European competition.
“I would just say we continue to be enormously excited about it,” Silver said about the notion of an NBA Europe, adding that discussions with media organizations and sponsors were still ongoing.
Advertisement
The Orlando Magic beat the Memphis Grizzlies 118-111 in the first-ever regular season NBA game held in BerlinImage: Andreas Gora/dpa/picture alliance
However, the NBA’s plans are likely to encounter resistance from the EuroLeague, European basketball’s current top-tier tournament, and European politicians concerned about the threat to the so-called European sports model.
They fear an invite-only league would stifle the development of national leagues in Europe. Such “closed” leagues “benefit only the top percent of the commercially successful clubs,” a European government official told Politico last month.
Asked about the threat of legal action from the EuroLeague, Silver joked that he sends any legal letters to his lawyers.
“I don’t think it’s inevitable that there is a clash,” he said. “I think there is an opportunity here to grow European basketball.
“We’re trying to find the best combination of old and new, tradition and innovation. And I think, frankly, that’s what the NBA brings to the table.”
Advertisement
Silver said he is ‘enormously excited’ about the prospect of an NBA Europe basketball leagueImage: Soeren Stache/dpa/picture alliance
NBA returns to Germany
The last time the NBA came to Germany, who are the current world and European champions, was for a pre-season game in 2008.
Silver told reporters that basketball was enjoying a “golden era” in Germany and called the capital’s club, Alba Berlin, a “model of the type of club that we would like to see in a potential European league.
“To me, they are an example of how a top-tier club should be run and organized,” Silver added. “They have tremendous youth programs, they have deep fan support [and] they’ve created enormous enthusiasm around the game.”
As well as Germany, the NBA is reportedly targeting teams in England, France, Spain and Turkey, among others. Silver said the league would be a “mix of existing teams and potentially new teams.”
There were about 14,000 people in the stands for the NBA game in BerlinImage: Andreas Gora/dpa/picture alliance
European talent drain
Europe has long provided a rich pool of talent for NBA teams in North America. This season, about one in six NBA players — more than 70 in total — hail from Europe.
These include Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, a three-time Most Valuable Player, as well as three Germans representing Orlando: the Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, and Tristan da Silva.
Advertisement
Although da Silva called playing in the United States his “dream as a kid,” he suggested young players had a “good incentive” to ply their trade in Europe.
“It’s just a high level of basketball,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. “There’s a lot of guys from overseas, from America, coming to Europe playing here. So, it’s just getting globalized.”
Basketball is Europe’s No. 2 sport
The appetite for basketball in Europe already exists, according to the NBA, which points to the “untapped” potential of 270 million fans. It says basketball is the continent’s fastest-growing sport and ranks second only to football in popularity. Earlier this week, NBA Europe’s chief suggested that basketball could even “catch up” to football.
Advertisement
However, Silver appeared to lower expectations when DW asked how the NBA would put a dent in European football’s market share.
“We view ourselves as complementary to other sports leagues,” Silver said. “Being the number two sport in Europe, and only faster growing than football because it’s so much larger than we are, that to me speaks to the opportunity that exists to build a viable business around this sport.”
Franz Wagner, who, like his brother, grew up in Berlin and came through the youth system at Alba, said comparisons with football took “the joy out of” basketball.
“I look at the recent developments in Germany and I’m super grateful to be part of it,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I think it’s amazing the sport is growing so fast.”
The biggest ever televised heads-up poker match just happened, to the tune of $20 million. At a casino on Jeju Island, South Korea, poker legend Patrik Antonius went up against crypto casino owner Ossi Ketola, and the result was a gruelling four and a half hours of poker.
Antonius is a Poker Hall of Famer, one of the most feared and most watched cash game players who has ever lived. Ossi “Monarch” Ketola, also Finnish, made his fortune from CS:GO skin gambling and his current crypto casino ventures. A few years ago, reportedly, he didn’t know the rules of the game.
It was a surprisingly even match, with the commentators lauding Ketola’s play at various junctures. This clearly isn’t the Ketola who was getting cleaned out by professionals in smaller heads-up battles at previous events.The gap between them never really exceeded $2 million either way, until a hand befitting the stakes arrived just past the four-hour mark.
Antonius opened for $100,000 with K♦️9♠️ and Ketola 3-bet to $350,000 with Q♥️9♥️. The flop came Q♠️8♥️J♥️, giving Ketola top pair with a flush draw and a straight draw. He checked it. Antonius took a stab for $175,000 with his gutshot and was instantly check-raised to $525,000. The Finnish legend took a second, called, and the dream turn card came off — for Ketola.
Advertisement
The T♥️ brought in Ossi’s straight flush, while Antonius hit his gutshot straight. Ketola checked once again, and Antonius had to think he had the best hand, betting $625,000 and leaving himself just over $4 million behind. Ketola found the play every poker player loves making, the double check-raise, bumping it up to $1.6 million. The always stoic Antonius took little time before calling. The river 3♣️ was a pure blank, and Ossi took seconds before putting in the rest of Antonius’s chips. He thought it over with clear discomfort, counted his stack, and found the fold, putting his straight in the muck.
Antonius joked about whether he was allowed to know if he’d just been bluffed, before looking down at A♦️K♦️ the very next hand. Ossi opened K♣️J♣️ for $250,000. Antonius resumed the stoic face and slid out a raise to $850,000. Ossi took little time before pushing all in, and all of a sudden Antonius was a huge favourite in an $8.15 million pot, and very much back in the match.
While the dealer prepared to run out the board, Antonius was still poking Ketola about whether he’d made a good fold. “Secret,” smiled Ossi. Antonius replied: “There are no secrets between you and I, you know that.” He might not be wrong. Antonius is publicly tied to Ketola’s casino as a business partner, though neither man has ever spelled out the arrangement, and he’s the person who brought Ketola into poker in the first place allegedly.
The Q♠️9♠️5♣️ flop was a little scary for Antonius, adding outs and a backdoor flush for his protégé, but the killer J♠️ turn was the dagger, before the $20 million bout ended on the 7♣️.
Advertisement
For the past few decades, heads-up poker has always been the action driver at the highest stakes. Whether it was Andy Beal, the Texas billionaire, challenging accomplished pros to heads-up mixed game matches at the Bellagio, Tom “durrrr” Dwan setting up the online durrrr Challenge, or the celebrity and VIP circuit, where well-known poker figures and wealthy amateurs battled mano a mano in private games.
The public never really got to see any of it until Ossi arrived on the high-stakes scene. He first battled Dan “Jungleman” Cates last year in Cyprus, losing around €13 million, and at Jeju at this time last year he scooped an $11 million pot off Alex Foxen, the biggest ever poker broadcast at the time (if you allow for the format), before outdoing it with a $12.7 million pot against Bjorn Li, still the largest we’ve seen on a poker livestream.
This week he took $6 million off well-known pro Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski, before winning this monumental match against Antonius, a match where he admitted on stream that the $20 million mark made him “feel something.”
Antonius has been an ever-present in poker, the perpetual grinder who can commonly be found at the Bellagio or the Aria or wherever there’s a good high-stakes cash game running in the world. But it was a surprise to see him get this seat. His biggest heads-up claim to fame until now was losing the format’s most popular challenge many years ago to Dwan, battling no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha on Full Tilt.
Advertisement
Seventeen years after losing poker’s most famous heads-up challenge, Antonius just lost its biggest one.
David Payne expressed his disbelief at the pre-race odds for Persian Wonder in the Ming Dynasty Quality at Rosehill, a sentiment that proved well-founded as the gelding surpassed more fancied rivals to claim victory.
Sent out as a $19 outsider despite carrying a favourable weight following a striking fifth in the Up And Coming Stakes (1300m), Persian Wonder was ridden patiently by jockey Ash Morgan, kept out of the early speed battle before launching a potent run from the pack for a convincing win.
“He’s been a bit unlucky. I think he is learning to race now,” Payne stated.
“He has taken a while, but he dropped three kilos from his last start, and he only got beaten a length or so by (Ming Dynasty rivals) Genesis Runner and Savagram. I thought, gee he comes into the race with a big chance.”
Advertisement
“The form people, I don’t think they’re doing their job properly because his sectionals were very good and all he needs is a good pace and he’s getting stronger.”
Persian Wonder had showcased talent at two, finishing second in the Group 3 Baillieu (1400m) and had reached the end of his preparation when unplaced in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m).
Given his strong finish over 1400m on Saturday, Payne is keen to test the three-year-old’s stamina over longer distances. Nominations include the Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill on October 10, with a potential appearance in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick a fortnight later, dependent on his performance.
“He’s not bred to get a trip, but everybody who rides him says he’ll stay so we’ll go to the Gloaming now,” Payne said.
Advertisement
“The Gloaming and the Spring Champion, if he stays, we might go there.”
Morgan executed a masterful ride, positioning Persian Wonder to trail the busy pace from an inside draw without conceding ground. He followed James McDonald on Stormy Marco ($8) into the straight and reeled in that colt to win by a half-length, with Tenenbaum ($4.80) finishing a further half-neck behind in third.
“James said, ‘you have some balls going there’, but I just wanted to hold my spot,” Morgan said.
“I really like the horse. He has a lot of ability but is still working it out.”
Advertisement
“James gave his a great ride, and I just wanted to follow him through and have the last crack at them.”
This victory provided David Payne with his second black-type win in as many weeks, following Bangkok Hottie’s success in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick the previous Saturday.
Explore the available racing odds on sports betting platforms for upcoming events.
Phil Foden was sent off during the first-half at Old Trafford before Erling Haaland scored a controversial winner to hand Manchester City all three points
18:20, 14 Sep 2026Updated 19:36, 14 Sep 2026
Advertisement
Bruno Fernandes has been told he should have been booked for his role in Phil Foden’s sending off during the Manchester derby. The Manchester City star was shown a straight red card during the first-half of his side’s 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. Foden kicked out at Fernandes after being fouled by the United captain, but replays showed Fernandes had appeared to kick Foden first. And former Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief and FIFA referee Keith Hackett believes Fernandes deserved to be punished for his role in the incident.
“I think this is an interesting one,” he told Football Insider. “The minimum that the Man United player should have received is a yellow card because his actions were reckless.
“But it was a kick. So I’m actually saying he should have received a sanction. I’ve already spoken to one or two colleagues who believe that he should have been sent off.
“But the thing that persuades me towards yellow and against red is I don’t think there was any excessive force and I generally don’t think there was malice in it.
“But that’s how I’m reading it, and that’s me as an individual. But certainly not getting a yellow was an error by the referee.”
Speaking immediately after the incident, Gary Neville said he was ‘surprised’ Fernandes avoided any punishment.
While former United skipper Roy Keane said at half-time: “Bruno goes in, tackles him, clearly fouls him and gives him a little boot on the floor. Foden gets up, does react, and he’s now sent off.
Advertisement
“I’m guessing it’s classed as violent conduct, but to me Bruno’s the one who’s violent here. I have to call it out.
“I called Kyle Walker out a few years ago when he went down to a headbutt [which Man Utd striker Rasmus Hojlund was sent off for in December 2024]. I don’t think that’s a red card for Foden, I really don’t.”
Before he added: “Did the player give the referee a chance [to send him off]? Foden’s a bit daft here, but so is Bruno. If Bruno got sent off for that and nothing happened with Foden then we’d be saying, ‘Do you know what, Bruno was a bit daft, a bit silly’.
Advertisement
“The players are all in the PFA [Professional Footballers’ Association], everyone’s in a union – you’ve got to try and look out for each other; you can’t be rolling around.
“We saw Walker do it a few years ago with the headbutt and Bruno’s got to do better there. People say there’s tension and it’s a big game, but you’ve got to look out for your team-mates and the opposition players as well. Foden, I don’t think it’s a red card.”
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Monday said Indian women team’s refusal to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi was Board’s “collective decision” and the Asian Cricket Council chairman also “did not raise any objection” to it. India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final on Sunday in Dubai but did not accept the trophy from Naqvi, continuing a trend started by the men’s team during the 2025 Asia Cup following last year’s Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
“We discussed the matter among ourselves and decided that we would not accept it (trophy) from him. It was our collective decision. He (Naqvi) also did not raise any objection to it,” Shukla told reporters after arriving at the Indira Gandhi International Airport with the team.
“We informed our team accordingly, and he presented it to whoever he had to and then left,” Shukla added.
Advertisement
The veteran administrator’s words mirrored the stance of BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.
“We had taken a conscious decision considering all prevailing aspects, and our position had been communicated to the ACC in advance, that the Indian team would not participate in the trophy presentation under the circumstances,” Saikia had told PTI earlier.
Some images had surfaced earlier of Saikia talking to Naqvi during the Asia Cup final but Shukla said it was a mere “routine interaction.”
“What Saikia ji said is absolutely correct. When you are at a match, everyone is present there and interacts in a professional capacity. Therefore, I do not think there should be so much criticism over that,” he said.
Advertisement
Shukla also congratulated the team on the Asia Cup triumph, and expressed confidence in the team doing well in the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
“We became Asia Cup champions. Our women have once again made us proud and we will continue to win in the future.
“The team is now heading to Japan and we are fully confident that we will secure a victory there as well,” he said.
Featured Video Of The Day
Spain Vs Argentina | Dani Olmo On WC Triumph: ‘Wanted To Set An Example For The Next Generation’
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Saudi Pro League trophy. (Pic credit: Al Nassr)
Cristiano Ronaldo is back where he believes Al Nassr belong. After spending last season in Asia’s second-tier competition, the Saudi giants return to the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday, with Ronaldo once again chasing the one major continental club trophy that has eluded him since moving to the Middle East. Their opening assignment is a familiar one: Al Ain, the same UAE club that ended Al Nassr’s Champions League run in 2024. But this is a very different Al Nassr, with a league title, a new manager and a revamped continental competition waiting for them.
Why are Al Nassr back in the AFC Champions League Elite?
Al Nassr’s absence from the top tier last season was not a permanent step down. The Riyadh club failed to qualify for the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite and instead competed in the second-tier AFC Champions League Two, where they eventually lost the final to Japan’s Gamba Osaka.Their route back was secured by winning the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League, ending a seven-year wait for the domestic title. Al Nassr finished two points ahead of Al-Hilal, with Ronaldo scoring twice in a 4-1 final-day victory over Damac to seal the championship.The title also brought a significant change on the touchline. Jorge Jesus departed after leading Al Nassr to the league crown, and the club appointed Ange Postecoglou on a two-year contract. The former Tottenham and Celtic manager had already won the UEFA Europa League with Spurs and brings previous Asian experience from his time with Australia and Yokohama F. Marinos.So, after playing in the secondary competition last season, Al Nassr are back in the continent’s premier club tournament for 2026–27.
What has changed in the AFC Champions League Elite?
Ronaldo’s return comes in the first season of a major expansion to the competition.The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite has grown from 24 clubs to 32, split evenly between the West and East regions. Each region contains 16 teams, with every club playing eight league-stage matches: Four at home and four away, against eight different opponents.There are no traditional groups. Instead, all 16 clubs in each region are ranked in a single league table, with the top eight from each region advancing to the knockout stage.The round of 16 remains regional and is played over two legs, but the competition then moves to a centralised Finals in Saudi Arabia. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be staged there, with the final scheduled for May 1, 2027.For Al Nassr, the West Region is packed with familiar Saudi opposition. They are joined by Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah, alongside clubs including Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli from the UAE, Qatar’s Al Sadd, Al Gharafa and Al Shamal, Iran’s Esteghlal and Tractor, Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor and Neftchi, and Iraq’s Air Force Club.
Advertisement
What is Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record with Al Nassr?
Ronaldo has already played a significant role in Al Nassr’s recent continental campaigns, although he has never taken the club all the way to the title.His first top-tier AFC Champions League campaign came in 2023–24, when Al Nassr reached the quarter-finals before losing to Al Ain on penalties. Ronaldo scored six goals in that tournament.He returned for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite, when Al Nassr went further, reaching the semi-finals. Ronaldo scored eight goals, including against Al Ain in the league stage and in the quarter-final victory over Yokohama F. Marinos. The AFC confirmed he had reached eight goals in the competition after scoring in the 4-1 quarter-final win.That gives Ronaldo a top-tier record of 14 goals in 16 appearances for Al Nassr across those two campaigns.Last season was different. Ronaldo appeared four times in the AFC Champions League Two, scoring once, as Al Nassr’s continental campaign moved into the second tier.Now, at 41, he returns to the competition that matters most in Asia, and he does so having already won Champions League titles in Europe with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Who do Al Nassr play and what are their chances?
The comeback begins against Al Ain on Tuesday, September 15, at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm local time.It is a particularly interesting opening fixture because Al Ain are not an unfamiliar opponent. They eliminated Al Nassr in the 2023–24 quarter-finals, winning the tie on penalties after the two legs finished level on aggregate.The UAE side arrive with their own credentials, having completed a domestic double without losing a league match. They therefore represent a serious test immediately rather than a gentle introduction to the expanded competition.Al Nassr, meanwhile, have plenty of attacking firepower. Ronaldo is joined by Sadio Mané, João Félix and Kingsley Coman, while Postecoglou is now tasked with translating last season’s domestic success into continental progress.There is also unfinished business. Al Nassr have yet to win Asia’s premier club competition during Ronaldo’s time at the club, despite reaching the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals in his previous two top-tier campaigns. The club’s loss to Gamba Osaka in last season’s AFC Champions League Two final only added another painful continental chapter.This time, they return to the top table with a Saudi title behind them, a new manager in charge and Ronaldo once again leading the pursuit of a trophy he has never won in Asia.
“She looks a freak.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login