It's getting closer: Ronaldo's return date for Al-Nassr matches revealed | Goal.com

Published on 18 Aug 2026 | Reading time: 1 minute

Cristiano Ronaldo's return date is out. Press reports have pinpointed when Al-Nassr's captain will feature again after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The Portugal star was back in Al-Nassr training last week, ending an absence of more than a month that stretched back to Portugal's exit from the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico.

Saudi Arabia's "Al-Riyadiah" newspaper report that Al-Nassr's fitness coach is working to get Ronaldo ready for the upcoming matches, having missed the first two games of the new season.

"The Don" sat out Al-Nassr's Roshn League opener, a 3-0 win over Al-Fateh last Saturday, and misses today's clash with Al-Diriyah in the round of 32 of the King's Cup.

He faces a 90-minute fitness session on Tuesday afternoon at the Dar Al-Nassr centre in the Saudi capital Riyadh, building towards his comeback in the coming weeks.

Once the Al-Diriyah tie is done, "Al-Alami" travel to neighbours Al-Riyadh next Friday in the second round of the Roshn League. That trip could mark Ronaldo's return.

According to the newspaper, "the Madeira Rocket" lost little of his sharpness during his time away from Al-Nassr training, and the fitness programme he is now following has brought his comeback closer still.

Ronaldo dragged Al-Nassr to the Saudi Roshn League title last season, ending a seven-year wait. Now he dreams of leading them to a first AFC Champions League Elite crown.

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