Asian Cup rescheduling puts Al Ahli v Al Nassr back on the November agenda

The postponed Roshn Saudi League meeting between Al Ahli and Al Nassr could be restored to the calendar later this month, only about two weeks after it was originally moved, following a change to the schedule for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The Asian Football Confederation announced on Tuesday that the tournament will no longer begin in January 2027. Instead, the 2027 AFC Asian Cup will start in December of the same year.

That decision is expected to give the Roshn Saudi League more flexibility when rearranging fixtures during the remainder of the season. The change has opened the possibility of bringing the Al Ahli-Al Nassr fixture forward from its currently planned date in March next year.

Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Osaimi said in a post on his personal X account that the match is expected to be played towards the end of November.

No final date has yet been announced, but the fixture could now be reconsidered after the Asian Football Confederation’s decision removed the scheduling pressure created by the tournament’s original January start.

Al Nassr had been due to visit Al Ahli on 15 October at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah in the ninth round of the Roshn Saudi League. However, the Roshn Saudi League issued an official statement on 13 October confirming that the match had been postponed because of logistical circumstances.

The fixture was subsequently scheduled for March next year. That arrangement was based on the competition’s calendar and the need to accommodate the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which was then expected to take place at the beginning of the year.

With the continental tournament now moved to December, the league has greater scope to redistribute postponed matches without placing excessive pressure on the remaining schedule. The Al Ahli-Al Nassr match is therefore among the fixtures that could be moved into an earlier available window.

The league has already made one further adjustment to its programme. Matches in round 13 of the Roshn Saudi League, originally scheduled to take place between 5 and 7 November, have also been postponed.

That round was moved because there is now considered to be sufficient time to stage the matches later without creating significant congestion in the remainder of the season. The latest change to the Asian Cup timetable could provide another opportunity to reorganise domestic fixtures, including the eagerly anticipated meeting between Al Ahli and Al Nassr.