Sports
Ronaldo eyes first Saudi League title as Al Nassr face Al Hilal in decisive derby
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Saudi title showdown against Al Hilal could finally deliver Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-awaited first league crown
For four painful years, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored goals at a relentless rate, shattered records, and carried Al Nassr FC on his shoulders — yet the one thing that truly mattered continued to slip through his fingers.
The Saudi Pro League title.
Since arriving from Manchester United F.C. in December 2022 amid global fanfare, Ronaldo has watched rivals celebrate while Al Nassr repeatedly fell agonisingly short. Two runner-up finishes. One third-place disappointment. Endless scrutiny.
Now, with just two matches left in the 2025/26 campaign, destiny has finally placed the trophy within touching distance.
Al Nassr sit top of the table on 82 points, five ahead of fierce rivals Al Hilal SFC, and Tuesday night’s explosive Riyadh Derby could decide everything.
One victory.
That is all Ronaldo needs to finally silence the doubters and deliver Al Nassr’s first league crown in seven years.
Title or Tears: Ronaldo Faces Career-Defining Battle
The equation could not be clearer.
Defeat Al Hilal at Al-Awwal Park and the title belongs to Al Nassr.
Three points would move Ronaldo’s side to 85 points, leaving Al Hilal mathematically unable to catch them despite having a game in hand.
Anything less, however, could throw the title race into chaos.
A draw would leave Al Nassr needing one more victory against Damac FC to finish the job.
But defeat? That would reopen the door for Al Hilal and turn Ronaldo’s dream into another nightmare.
Should Al Hilal triumph, the gap would shrink to just two points, and with extra fixtures remaining, the defending giants could snatch the crown away by defeating Neom SC and Al-Fayha FC.
The pressure has never been heavier.
Ronaldo vs Benzema: Old Madrid Kings Meet Again
Tuesday’s showdown carries even more drama.
Ronaldo will once again lock horns with former Real Madrid CF teammate Karim Benzema in a clash loaded with history, tension, and enormous stakes.
Once partners in one of football’s most feared attacking trios, the two icons now stand on opposite sides of Saudi football’s fiercest rivalry.
This latest chapter comes after Benzema’s controversial move to Al Hilal earlier in the season — a transfer that reportedly infuriated Ronaldo and deepened frustrations over Al Nassr’s recruitment strategy under Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Despite the off-field turbulence, Ronaldo responded the only way he knows how: by delivering on the pitch.
At 41, the Portuguese superstar continues to defy time itself, hammering home 26 league goals this season — nine more than Benzema.
Yet none of those goals will matter if Al Nassr fail to finish the job.
A Legacy on the Line
For Al Hilal SFC, this is about preserving dominance and extending their record as Saudi Arabia’s most successful club.
For Al Nassr, it is about resurrection.
And for Ronaldo, it may be about legacy.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did not move to Saudi Arabia simply to score goals or sell shirts. He came to win.
Tuesday night now offers him the opportunity to finally conquer Saudi football and end years of frustration in the most dramatic way possible — by defeating his biggest rivals under the lights in Riyadh.
One game. One trophy. One defining moment.
US President Donald Trump announced plans Wednesday to attend the World Cup, as the global football tournament prepares to kick off.
“I will, I will,” Trump said when an AFP reporter asked him in the Oval Office if he planned to be at any World Cup matches.
He did not give any details, but FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has said he expects Trump to present the trophy to the winning team at the final on July 19.
Last year Trump did the honors — and was booed — at the FIFA Club World Cup final at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, the same stadium where the World Cup final will take place.
The Republican billionaire has tried to stamp his mark on the World Cup that is being jointly held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, repeatedly mentioning how he successfully bid for it in his first term as president.
He has also struck up a firm friendship with Infantino, who presented Trump with a special peace prize in December, before US military operations in Venezuela and Iran.
“I spoke to Gianni this morning… he said there’s never been anything close” to the success of the coming tournament, Trump said.
The World Cup has however been dogged by off-field distractions ranging from sky-high ticket prices to an immigration crackdown that has seen fans, team officials and a top Somali referee barred from entering the United States.
Trump said his administration was working on the issue.
“We’re working on it very closely to ensure the right people come into our country,” he told reporters.
A protest blocked an avenue leading to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium for hours on Tuesday, just days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off at the venue.
As football fans flood into tournament, co-hosted by the United States and Canada, Mexico is grappling with chaotic teacher protests in its capital.
Thousands took part in Tuesday’s protest, which was led by a breakaway group of the CNTE teachers union following a week of demonstrations that President Claudia Sheinbaum has called a “provocation.”
“As if to say, ‘Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,’” she told a press conference.
A police blockade prevented the demonstrators from reaching the Azteca Stadium, which will host the World Cup opening match on Thursday.
With thousands of officers deployed and concrete barriers set up around the venue, protesters rallied on the street for around three hours before dispersing.
Mexico City’s security chief, Pablo Vazquez, said in a statement that the movement had been peaceful.
Sheinbaum said earlier that the opening match was “guaranteed,” though the left-leaning leader again ruled out using police to repress the demonstrations.
Her government has favored dialogue with the protesting teachers, but to no avail.
“We’re going to continue our struggle,” said protester Austreberto Flores.
The CNTE teachers’ union has been on strike since last week to demand a salary raise and the reversal of a pension law — which the government considers unfeasible.
The teachers have also set up camp near the World Cup fan zone in Mexico City’s Zocalo Square.
On June 1, police dispersed protesters in the area with rubber bullets and teargas.
“They want to make it seem like there is mass social turmoil in Mexico, and that’s not true,” Sheinbaum has said of the protests.
Teachers and students from Ayotzinapa school march to the Ciudad de México Stadium in Mexico City on June 9, 2026.
The teachers have called for demonstrations on Thursday that will also include families of so-called “disappeared” people, who are alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.
The 2026 edition of the world’s biggest football extravaganza is the most logistically complex ever staged.
Teachers and students from Ayotzinapa school march to the Ciudad de México Stadium in Mexico City on June 9, 2026.
A vast global TV audience is set to tune in to the opening ceremony and match pitting Mexico against South Africa.
Mexico is still rushing to complete renovations at subway stations and at its main airport ahead of the tournament.
AFP
Thousands of demonstrators blocked an avenue leading to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on Tuesday, just days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off at the venue.
As football fans flood into tournament co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Central American country is grappling with chaotic teacher protests in its capital.
Thousands of teachers blocked an avenue leading to the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, 48 hours before the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup at that venue.
Tuesday’s protest, led by a breakaway group of the CNTE teachers union, follows a week of demonstrations that President Claudia Sheinbaum has called a “provocation.”
“As if to say, ‘Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,’” she told a press conference.
The Azteca stadium will host the World Cup’s first game – pitting Mexico against South Africa – on Thursday, with a vast global TV audience set to tune in for the opening ceremony and the match.
Authorities have deployed thousands of officers and set up concrete barriers surrounding the venue to block protests.
“We intend to reach the stadium,” demonstrator Angel Villalobos told AFP on Tuesday. “The government has given some responses, but they don’t help, they don’t satisfy.”
Sheinbaum said earlier that the opening match was “guaranteed,” though the left-leaning leader again ruled out using police to repress the demonstrations.
Her government has favored dialogue with the protesting teachers, but to no avail.
“We’re going to continue our struggle,” said Austreberto Flores, another protester looking to block Azteca Stadium.
The CNTE teachers union has been on strike since last week to demand a salary raise and the reversal of a pension law — which the government considers unfeasible.
The teachers have also set up camp near the World Cup fan zone in Mexico City’s Zocalo square.
On June 1, police dispersed protesters in the area with rubber bullets and teargas.
“They want to make it seem like there is mass social turmoil in Mexico, and that’s not true,” Sheinbaum has said of the protests.
The teachers have called for demonstrations on Thursday that will also include families of so-called “disappeared” people, who are alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.
The 2026 edition of the world’s biggest football extravaganza is the most logistically complex ever staged.
Mexico is still rushing to complete renovations at subway stations and at its main airport ahead of the tournament.
AFP
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