Question marks surround Cristiano Ronaldo‘s not too distant future. His contract with Al Nassr expires in a few weeks (June 30 to be precise), and there are no clues about the player staying with the Riyadh based club. Meanwhile, there are a series of teams participating in the Club World Cup who are knocking at his door.
Having the Portuguese star at the first ever 32-team expanded Club World Cup in the United States would deliver a massive boost for FIFA in terms of marketing and publicity. And on a sporting front, despite being 40 years old, Cristiano is top scorer in the Saudi Pro League and remains a starter for Roberto Martínez’s Portugal side, who are aiming to win the upcoming Nations League in early June.
FIFA announced on Wednesday that the 32 Club World Cup teams will be able to make signings during the extraordinary registration period from June 1 to 10. Their communique stated:
‘In line with the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and the relevant amendments to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, all 20 Member Associations whose clubs will participate in FIFA’s groundbreaking competition have confirmed the opening of an exceptional registration window from 1 to 10 June for all their affiliated clubs to allow new players signed to compete in the tournament. The deadline for the final player list has been set as 10 June 2025, allowing each participating club to bring any new players signed in this special window to the United States.
The Member Associations concerned are located in: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea Republic, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States’.
CR7 for USA?
So, what does this hold for Ronaldo? The Portuguese could play in the Club World Cup with a participating team and then sign a new contract with another club for the 2025-26 season, or even renew with Al Nassr and remain in Riyadh.
The only exception would be that an agreement, including a financial one, would have to be reached with Al Nassr to allow Cristiano to play before June 30th. Or that Al Nassr would have to release him in order to participate in the Club World Cup.
Should the Saudi club dig their heels in, then the other exceptional period FIFA has enabled from June 27 to July 3 for two new registrations is another option open to interested clubs. They can face the knockout stages of the round of 16 and reach the final with the potential star reinforcement of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Given this possibility, speculation is now starting to grow in relation to possible offers from CWC bound teams in signing up Cristiano for a short term window.
Al Hilal are heavily linked as are a series of Brazilian sides such as Botafogo, Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Fluminense.
Many options, many doubts, but one reality: Cristiano Ronaldo has a chance of playing in the Club World Cup. These next two weeks or so will be crucial in determining his immediate future.