Saudi football league postpones 3 matches after Houthi attacks

The Saudi Pro League (SPL) on Tuesday postponed three Matchweek 9 fixtures, including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr match against Al Ahli, amid a sharp escalation in the conflict involving Yemen's Houthis.

The league said in a statement that the fixtures were rescheduled for "logistical considerations, taking into account the mandatory minimum rest period between matches."

The match between league leaders Al Hilal and Al Riyadh, along with Al Ittihad's against Al Shabab, will be played Dec. 19.

Al Ahli's match against Ronaldo's Al Nassr has been rescheduled for March 6, 2027.

The SPL said the remaining Matchweek 9 fixtures would be played as previously scheduled.

Al Nassr's AFC Champions League match against Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana in Riyadh was delayed by an hour Monday after a Saudi coalition announcement that it intercepted a missile launched by the Houthis toward the Saudi capital.

The postponement follows renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, including cross-border missile and drone attacks and intensified coalition airstrikes in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the national capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government from the capital. The Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in support of the government in 2015.