Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr set to face club who knocked them out of AFC Champions League last season as tournament undergoes revamp
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are set to face Al-Ain in the 2024-25 edition of the newly structured AFC Champions League Elite. The draw for the competition's league stage took place on Friday, August 16, and the Saudi outfit was drawn alongside the United Arab Emirates club.
Both sides met in the quarter-finals of the tournament last term. Al-Ain defeated Al-Nassr 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a 4-4 aggregate scoreline en route to winning a second consecutive AFC Champions League.
Now, the Knights of Najd will have the opportunity to seek revenge when they meet this season in the league stage. The fixture is set to go down at Al-Nassr's Al-Awwal Park on a date yet to be confirmed by the AFC.
Ronaldo's team will also face fellow Saudi clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli in a group consisting of 12 clubs from the western Asian region. The revamped format has seen the tournament be renamed from the AFC Champions League to the AFC Champions League Elite.
The new format consists of two leagues of 12 clubs each from the West and East Asian regions. All teams in each league will play against eight opponents from their league (four home and four away).
At the end of the league stage fixtures, the top eight clubs in each league will progress to the round of 16, which will be a two-legged affair. The eight clubs who make it to the quarter-finals will then face each other in cross-regional pairings for the remainder of the knockout stage.
Matches from the quarter-final stage will be single-legged ties and will all be played in Saudi Arabia between April 25 and May 4. The revamped competition also comes with a significant increase in prize money for the eventual champions, reportedly a three-times rise from the amount given in the previous format.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are yet to win the continental title, with Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal being the only Saudi Arabian clubs to have lifted the AFC Champions League trophy.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr gunning for first trophy of the season
Cristiano Ronaldo will be gunning for his first trophy of the season when he leads the line for Al-Nassr in their Saudi Super Cup final on Saturday, August 17. The Knights of Najd will take on rivals Al-Hilal at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium, Abha.
The Portuguese ace began his campaign perfectly by netting and providing an assist in Al-Nassr's 2-0 semi-final victory over Al Taawoun. He will look to continue from where he left off against the side that beat his club to the league title and Kings Cup last season.