Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to win a major trophy since arriving in Saudi Arabia, and Al-Nassr will be hoping the 41-year-old Portuguese star returns to action on Wednesday to help the Riyadh club move closer to silverware.
Al-Nassr takes on Arkadag of Turkmenistan with a place in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League Two on the line.
Ronaldo hasn't played any part in Al-Nassr’s most recent two games in the Saudi Pro League amid reports he was unhappy with the way the club is being funded, particularly after watching rival Al-Hilal sign Karim Benzema in last month's transfer window.
Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are all majority owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
In a statement, the SPL outlined that no player is bigger than the club or the league.
“The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules,” the league said. “Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al-Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club’s growth and ambition. But no individual — however significant — determines decisions beyond their own club.”
Despite the absence of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Al-Nassr beat reigning champion Al-Ittihad 2-0 on Friday.
Ittihad is the only one of three Saudi teams in the top-tier AFC Champions League Elite not to have secured a place in the round of 16, with two group games remaining.
Despite losing star striker Karim Benzema last week to Al-Hilal, which has a history of making high-profile signings, including Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, Ittihad will advance to the next round if it defeats Al-Gharafa of Qatar on Tuesday.
The top eight in each of the tournament’s two 12-team groups — divided geographically into East and West Asia — qualify for the second round.
Al-Hilal leads the western zone and is the only team with a perfect record of six wins from six, meaning coach Simone Inzaghi can choose to rest players. Al-Ahli, which won its first Champions League title in May, is also guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage.
In the eastern zone, only Vissel Kobe has clinched qualification, but Japan will have three teams in the round of 16 if both Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Machida Zelvia win this week.
The pressure is on China’s three representatives, which occupy the bottom three positions.
Chinese champion Shanghai Port is in last place and on the verge of being ousted from the tournament. Wins for Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Shenhua would keep both teams in contention.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Al Ittihad's Karim Benzema celebrates at the end of the Soccer Club World Cup first round soccer match between Al Ittihad and Auckland City FC at King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo smiles during warmup before a World Cup 2026 group F qualifying soccer match between Portugal and Hungary in Lisbon, on Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
Pops of color dominated the Oscars red carpet as stars from Renate Reinsve to Chase Infiniti stunned in their custom gowns ahead of the ceremony Sunday.
Reinsve, who is nominated for best actress, radiated on the carpet in a classic red Louis Vuitton strapless dress with a high side slit. She paired the look with a red lip and her hair slicked back. For her first Academy Award ceremony, Infiniti opted for a pale lavender mermaid style ruffle dress also by Louis Vuitton that she wore with shimmering jeweled choker. Infiniti has delivered strikingly stylish looks across award show season for her role in “One Battle After Another.”
Rose Byrne brought old Hollywood glamour to the carpet in a chic custom black Dior gown embroidered with colorful beaded flowers.
Like their colorful animated film, the cast of “KPopDemon Hunters” delivered a splash of bright colors to the red carpet in their regal gowns. Arden Cho chose Korean designer Miss Sohee for her Oscars look. Cho posed for photos in a structured black lace mermaid gown with her shoulders draped in an opulent vibrant green silk stole designed with an intricate nature scape scene down the panels. Her co-star Ji-young Yoo opted for a two-toned blue Carolina Herrera ballgown with a romantic sweetheart shaped neckline.
While the women brought vivid colors to the carpet, the men kept it classy in black suited looks. Actor Hudson Williams arrived in an all-black suited Balenciaga look paired with Bvlgari jewelry. Shaboozey rarely disappoints on the carpet with his modern takes on black tie attire. The red-carpet style maven sported a Balenciaga tailcoat look with a vest and a pearled pocket chain.
For this year’s nominees, the Oscars red carpet is the final chance to dazzle before the curtain closes on award season. While some stars stick to traditional codes of red-carpet attire choosing to wear tuxedos and evening gowns, others shake it up with their own fresh spin on black tie dressing.
Teyana Taylor, Timothée Chalamet and Emma Stone are just a few of the fashionable actors up for Academy Awards. With their track record of red carpet risk-taking, these stars are guaranteed to liven up the carpet.
Chalamet famously wore a Givenchy by Sarah Burton butter yellow leather suit to the 2025 Oscar ceremony.
Each red carpet leading up to the Oscars has served as Taylor’s runway. Nominated for best supporting actress, Taylor has become one to watch for her stylish choices. At the Golden Globes, she showed off a jeweled bow whale tail on the back of her custom Schiaparelli draped black gown. Taylor delivered another showstopping look at the Actor Awards when she wore a Thom Browne dress with a bodice designed to look like a painting of the female form.
The Oscars have the potential to catapult an actor’s career into another level of star status.
With that magnitude in mind, some actors choose to play it safe on the carpet, arriving in old Hollywood Glamour instead of edgy or dramatic looks, leaving the more risque looks for the after parties.
The luxury fashion houses from Armani, Dior, Valentino, Prada to Chanel dominate the Oscars red carpet each year. Rarely will celebrities wear an independent designer on the carpet as many of these household names are under contracts as brand ambassadors with these major brands.
Frankenstein actor Mia Goth, for instance, was named a brand ambassador by Dior last year and wore a black Dior gown to Golden Globes.
Oscar attendees sometimes make more than fashion statements. Actors have made political statements as well with “ICE OUT” or “BE GOOD” pins have made an appearance at several red carpets this award season in response to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Oscar attendees sometimes make more than fashion statements. Actors chose to make political statements on the carpet by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza with their ‘Artists4Ceasefire’ pins. Actor Charithra Chandran added the pin on the carpet to lush bright green ballgown.
For more coverage of the 2026 Oscars, visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards.
A security guard stands along an empty red carpet Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the night before Sunday's 98th Academy Awards ceremony. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Workers install an Oscar statue Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, in preparation for Sunday's 98th Academy Awards ceremony. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
