Al-Nassr hand five Under-21 players Asian opportunity as Ronaldo stays home

Al-Nassr have called up five players from their Under-21 squad for their AFC Champions League Elite trip to Uzbekistan, with Cristiano Ronaldo among the senior players left out of the travelling party.

Ange Postecoglou’s side will visit Pakhtakor on Monday, 02 November 2026, in the fourth round of the league phase. The match will take place in Tashkent, where Al-Nassr travelled on Saturday, 31 October 2026.

Postecoglou opted to rest several key players for the journey, including Portugal captain Ronaldo, France internationals Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan.

Their absences have opened the door for five members of the club’s Under-21 team: Abdulrahman Sufyani, Rakan Al-Ghamdi, Awad Aman, goalkeeper Abdulhadi Alwan and goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi.

The call-ups come despite an important fixture for Al-Nassr Under-21 in the Jowy Elite League Under-21. The team are due to visit Al-Khaleej on Sunday, 01 November 2026, in the ninth round of the competition.

Al-Nassr’s first team are seeking a result that would improve their position in the West section of the AFC Champions League Elite. They currently sit ninth with three points from one victory and one defeat, while their match against UAE club Al Wasl remains postponed.

The Under-21 side are 11th in the Saudi Under-21 league table with 10 points. Their record consists of three wins, one draw and two defeats, and they still have two postponed matches to play.

The decision to use younger players allows Postecoglou to manage his squad for the trip to Pakhtakor while giving the five Under-21 footballers an opportunity to be involved in the continental competition.

Al-Nassr will be hoping to strengthen their campaign in the West section after beginning the league phase with mixed results. The visit to Pakhtakor is scheduled for 02 November 2026, while the Under-21 fixture at Al-Khaleej takes place a day earlier.