A video appearing to show Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League draw has been widely shared on social media, but the footage is not from this year’s ceremony.
The Portuguese forward, who captains Al Nassr and is Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer, became the subject of online speculation after images and a video circulated on X appearing to show him arriving at the venue for the draw in Monaco.
The 2026-27 Champions League draw is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 27 August 2026, in the principality. The league phase of the competition is due to begin on 8 September.
Several users posted photographs of Ronaldo dressed formally and signing shirts and pieces of paper for supporters. Some newspapers and websites subsequently reported his apparent presence at the ceremony as though it were a current event.
However, the footage being shared does not relate to the 2026-27 draw. It was originally published by the official UEFA Champions League account on X in 2024, when Ronaldo did attend the draw ceremony.
The post was captioned:
“When Ronaldo arrives 😮💨📽️ 2024#UCLdrawpic.twitter.com/ydcOOE40wz”
The resurfaced video therefore created a misleading impression that Ronaldo had travelled to Monaco for this year’s event. The images show a genuine previous appearance by the player, but they do not provide evidence that he attended the 2026-27 ceremony.
Ronaldo is instead preparing to feature for Al Nassr against Al Taawoun on Friday. That match is part of the fourth round of the Roshn Saudi League.
The 41-year-old remains the leading goalscorer in UEFA Champions League history, with 140 goals in the competition. He has also won the trophy five times: once with Manchester United and four times with Real Madrid.
His most recent Champions League title came with Real Madrid, while his first was secured during his time at Manchester United. Those achievements, together with his record goals tally, have made Ronaldo one of the most prominent figures associated with the competition and help explain why any apparent involvement in the draw quickly attracted attention online.
The video has also prompted renewed discussion among supporters on social media and football forums, where the claim of Ronaldo’s appearance was initially treated as genuine before the original 2024 publication date was identified.
