Cristiano Ronaldo To Play In India? Al-Nassr To Face FC Goa In AFC Champions League

Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo could play in India soon, as the draw for the upcoming AFC Champions League Two was revealed on Friday. Saudi giants Al-Nassr have been drawn into Group D, alongside Indian Super League (ISL) FC Goa, Iraq's AL Zawraa FC and FC Istiklol of Tajikistan. FC Goa, who finished second in the ISL 2024/25 league season, secured a place in the playoff round after winning the Super Cup in May. They then defeated Omani side Al Seeb in the playoff match to seal a spot in the competition.

Captained by Ronaldo, the Portuguese five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Al Nassr failed to qualify for AFC Champions League Elite after finishing third in the Saudi Pro League. They are now clubbed in Group D of ACL 2, along with FC Goa, Al Zawraa SC of Iraq and FC Istiklol of Tajikistan.

The draw for the tournament was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday.

FC Goa are the Super Cup 2025 winners and semifinalists in the ISL 2024-25. Al Zawra'a SC are the Iraq Stars League 2024-25 runners-up, and FC Istiklol are the Tajikistan Higher League 2024 champions.

The tournament will be played in home and away format. But, it is difficult to know just yet whether Ronaldo will play in India in FC Goa's home match.

Thirty-two teams, 16 each in the West and the East Zone, have been divided into eight groups of four each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Round of 16.

The group stage will run from September 16 to December 24. The Round of 16 will take place between February 10-19, 2026. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are set for March 3-12 and April 7-15, respectively, with the final scheduled for May 16, 2026.

Matchdays for AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 group stage:

Matchday 1: September 16 - September 18

Matchday 2: September 30 - October 2

Matchday 3: October 21 - October 23

Matchday 4: November 4 - November 6

Matchday 5: November 25 - November 27 / October 28 - October 29 (Matches of BHR Clubs)

Matchday 6: December 10 - December 11 (East)

December 23 - December 24 (West)

(With PTI Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Al-Nassr FC FC Goa Cristiano Ronaldo Sadio Mane AFC Champions League Football