Al Nassr vs Al Wasl postponed, AFC yet to set a new date

Al Nassr vs Al Wasl, the AFC Champions League Elite match due at 18:15 UTC on Monday, October 26, in Riyadh, has been postponed by the Asian Football Confederation after the Dubai club did not travel amid flight disruptions. No new date has been set.

Key takeaways

• The AFC announced on Sunday, October 25, that the West Region round 3 fixture at Al-Awwal Park would not go ahead as scheduled.
• The AFC gave no official reason; Gulf News reports Al Wasl chose not to travel because of a lack of available flights.
• The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) says flight permits and hosting arrangements for the Al Wasl delegation were already complete.
• No replacement date or kick-off time has been announced; the confederation says both will follow later.
• The disruption follows Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which have already forced other sporting and business events in Riyadh to be postponed.

What happened to Al Nassr vs Al Wasl?

The game was one of the most searched football fixtures of the day, trending on Google in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the US, the UK, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Argentina and Turkey. Many fans searching for a live score or kick-off time will find no match: the AFC called it off the day before.

According to Gulf News, the AFC statement said the new date and kick-off time "will be confirmed and announced in due course." The National, the Abu Dhabi-based daily, quoted near-identical wording ("confirmed and communicated in due course") and said no official reason was given. FotMob, which had listed the match for 18:15 UTC (21:15 Riyadh time), now shows it as postponed.

The fixture was due at Al-Awwal Park, the sponsored name of King Saud University Stadium and Al Nassr's home ground. Al Nassr is the Saudi Pro League club of Cristiano Ronaldo; Al Wasl is based in Dubai and coached by Rui Vitoria, according to Goal.

Why was the match postponed?

Gulf News reported that flight disruptions prevented the Dubai club from travelling, and that Al Wasl decided against the trip because of the lack of available flights. The National reported that Al Wasl's delegation did not travel, although the match officials reportedly did.

The Saudi federation pushed back on any suggestion that Riyadh was not ready. In a statement on October 25, the SAFF said it had worked with Al Nassr, the UAE Football Association and the relevant authorities and that "the necessary arrangements to welcome the UAE team in Al Riyadh have been completed," including flight permits. It added that the match observer and referees had reached Riyadh and that it "reaffirmed its full support for Al Nassr."

Neither Al Nassr nor Al Wasl had issued a detailed public statement on the postponement as of 17:45 UTC on October 26, according to the reports reviewed by Bullquill.

What we know and what we don't know yet

What remains unclear is whether the case will be treated as force majeure. The National notes that under tournament rules away teams must arrive at least two days before a match, that clubs which fail to travel risk expulsion, and that force majeure cases are decided by the AFC Competitions Committee. No such ruling has been reported.

Background: the standings and the last meeting

Before round 3, Al Nassr were eighth in the West Region league stage with 3 points from two games, and Al Wasl were 14th with no points, according to Goal's match preview. Al Nassr's campaign includes a 4-0 defeat away to Al Ain, while Al Wasl lost 3-1 to Al Ahli and 2-1 to Al Qadsiah.

The clubs last met on April 19, 2026, in the AFC Champions League Two quarter-final in Dubai, when Al Nassr won 4-0. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 11th minute, according to ESPN's match report.

The postponement sits within wider disruption in the region. Bullquill has covered the Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and the reopening of Riyadh's airport. The National reports that Al Nassr's Saudi Pro League game against Al Ahli was postponed earlier, alongside the Six Kings Slam tennis event, Riyadh Fashion Week and the Future Investment Initiative conference, and that the 2027 Dakar Rally has been moved out of Saudi Arabia. Other ACL Elite games, including Al Qadsiah vs Al Sadd in Dammam, were scheduled to go ahead on Monday.

What it means

For fans, there is no Al Nassr vs Al Wasl result tonight; the next step is the AFC's announcement of a new date. For both clubs, the delay leaves them a game behind West Region rivals whose round 3 matches go ahead until the match is replayed, and adds another fixture to a crowded calendar.

The bigger question is security and travel. The SAFF's statement signals that Saudi Arabia wants to show it can host, while The National reports that organisers of the Asian Cup, due to start in Saudi Arabia in January 2027, have said postponement is an option if required. How the AFC handles this fixture may set the template for other games affected by the conflict. Follow updates on our Saudi Arabia and Houthis pages.