Al Nassr remain five points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League after a dramatic 1-1 draw with rivals Al Hilal on Tuesday, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo’s side on the brink of their first league title since 2019 with one match to play.
Mohamed Simakan headed Al Nassr in front from a corner in the 37th minute at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, and the hosts looked set to clinch the championship on the night. However, Al Hilal equalised deep into stoppage time in the most chaotic of circumstances, as goalkeeper Bento Matheus Krepski parried a harmless throw-in into his own net in the 98th minute to silence the home crowd.
The result moves Al Nassr to 83 points from 33 games, while Al Hilal sit second on 78 points but have two fixtures remaining compared to Al Nassr’s one. To secure the title without relying on other results, Al Nassr must beat Damac FC in their final league match on Thursday, 21 May. Should Al Nassr drop points, Al Hilal would need to win both remaining games to stand any chance of overtaking them.
A title that has eluded Ronaldo since his arrival
The Saudi Pro League crown remains the one domestic honour Cristiano Ronaldo has been unable to claim since joining Al Nassr from Manchester United in January 2023. The Portuguese forward, who extended his contract with the club until 2027, has become the most recognisable figure in the Saudi Pro League and a central pillar of the Kingdom’s broader ambitions in sport and tourism.
Ronaldo had chances to put the tie beyond Al Hilal before the interval and shortly after the restart, but the visitors held firm until their late leveller. Al Nassr finished the match with 36.5 per cent possession but registered four shots on target, matching their opponents in that regard.
The season has been a remarkable one for the Riyadh club. Al Nassr opened the campaign by winning their first ten matches, setting a record for the best start in Saudi Pro League history, before a run of 16 consecutive victories further underlined their dominance. The team finished the regular schedule with a record of 27 wins, two draws and four defeats.
Saudi football’s global moment
A title win for Al Nassr would carry significance well beyond the club. Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a global sports tourism destination ahead of hosting the AFC Asian Cup in 2027 and the FIFA World Cup in 2034, and the Saudi Pro League’s growing international profile is central to that strategy.
In September 2025, the Saudi Tourism Authority launched a global campaign featuring Ronaldo under the tagline “I came for football, I stayed for more,” targeting visitors across Europe, India and China. Visitor numbers to the Kingdom tripled from 10 million in 2016 to 30 million in 2024, with tourism revenues reaching 41 billion dollars, according to industry figures. Riyadh Season, the Kingdom’s flagship entertainment festival, attracted more than 20 million visitors in 2023 alone.
Speaking at the TOURISE global tourism conference in Riyadh in November 2025, Ronaldo said Saudi Arabia’s transformation had exceeded his expectations. “I believe in the football, I believe in the people, I believe in the league,” he said. “They have huge potential for the present and for the future.”
Al Nassr’s social media following has grown from 5.2 million to 57.5 million since Ronaldo’s arrival, a trajectory that mirrors the wider league’s expanding reach. The club plays home matches at Al-Awwal Park, a venue also used for concerts and entertainment events as part of Riyadh’s drive to diversify its cultural offering.
The final round
Al Nassr face Damac FC on 21 May in what could be a title-clinching occasion. Al Hilal, who won the King’s Cup on 8 May, play two further league fixtures and must win both to have any realistic prospect of overhauling the leaders. The 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season has produced 805 goals across 260 matches, averaging 3.1 per game, with Al Nassr holding the record for the longest winning run of the campaign.
For Ronaldo, who has confirmed the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will be his final international tournament, a Saudi league title would represent one of the last significant trophies of a career that has spanned more than two decades at the highest level.
