Why isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr playing at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?
Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the most impactful and iconic figures in the history of soccer, still breaking records and winning trophies at age 40. Given his storied career, many fans have been left wondering why he and Al Nassr won’t be part of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA, under president Gianni Infantino, revamped the Club World Cup into a larger competition held every four years, featuring 32 clubs in a format similar to the FIFA World Cup. The tournament was designed to showcase global talent—including European stars and players like Lionel Messi, whose Inter Miami will host the event.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will be represented by four teams: Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds, UAE’s Al Ain, and South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai. Ronaldo’s absence, given his stature and the growth of Saudi football, has sparked questions from fans around the world.
Ronaldo’s Al Nassr falls short of Club World Cup qualification
The reason why Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is because he was unable to meet with Al Nassr the strict criteria FIFA imposed to AFC teams to qualify to the tournament. The confederation was allocated four spots, with FIFA setting out two ways to qualify for the 2025 edition:
Being the winner one of the last three editions of the AFC Champions League (2021, 2022, 2023-24), or by being the highest-ranked non-champion in the AFC’s 2021–2024 club ranking system. Al Nassr met neither requirement.
In 2021, Al Nassr were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champions Al Hilal. In 2022, they did not participate in the tournament. In the 2023–24 edition, already with Ronaldo in the squad, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Al Ain—who went on to win the competition too.
As for the AFC rankings, Al Nassr finished fifth with 61 points. Missing the 2022 edition cost them valuable points. Ulsan Hyundai ranked second with 81 points and earned the final spot, as top-ranked Al Hilal had already qualified through a previous Champions League win.
With Ronaldo’s contract set to expire at the end of June, speculation emerged that he could join a club participating in the Club World Cup. Even Gianni Infantino’s public comments added fuel to the rumors. However, Ronaldo put those rumors to rest by confirming he will remain with Al Nassr—officially ruling him out of the inaugural edition of the expanded tournament.