Ali Ahmed (soccer)
Canadian soccer player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ali Ahmed (born October 10, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a wide midfielder or winger for EFL Championship club Norwich City and the Canada national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 10, 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Norwich City | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| North Toronto Nitros | |||
| 2020–2022 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | Whitecaps FC 2 | 15 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Vancouver Whitecaps FC (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2023–2026 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 66 | (4) |
| 2026– | Norwich City | 19 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Canada | 24 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 2, 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of March 31, 2026 | |||
Early life
Ahmed was born in Toronto to parents from Ethiopia.[1] He began playing youth soccer at age six with the North Toronto Nitros.[2] In 2018, he went on trial with the Toronto FC Academy, who were ready to sign him to join the academy, but he opted to head to Portugal to trial with the U19 side of C.F. Os Belenenses, but was unable to sign as he was under 18.[1] He then went to Spain, before returning to Toronto, before returning to Europe to trial in Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.[1] In November 2019, he trialed with the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy and then trialed again the following year,[1] and in August 2020, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy.[3] In 2021, he played with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23.[3] He attended pre-season camp with the first team in 2021 and 2022.[3]
Club career
Whitecaps FC 2
In March 2022, he signed a professional contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in MLS Next Pro.[4] He made his professional debut on March 26 against Houston Dynamo 2.[5] He led the team in assists with five in 2022.[6] He was named the 2022 WFC2 Player of the Year.[7]
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
On April 22, 2022, he joined the first team on a short-term four-day loan ahead of their MLS league match against Austin FC.[8] In the match the next day, he made his official first-team debut.[9] On August 4, he signed another short-term loan with Vancouver.[10] In November 2022, he signed a permanent contract with the first team for the 2023 season, becoming the first Whitecaps FC 2 player to sign a first-team contract.[11] On May 24, he suffered what appeared to be a serious injury in a match, where he lost consciousness and was treated on-field for seventeen minutes,[12][13] but was released from hospital the next day with only a concussion.[14][15] On June 7, 2023, he won the 2023 Canadian Championship with the Whitecaps, defeating CF Montreal and won the tournament's Best Young Canadian Player Award.[16]
Norwich City
On January 4, 2026, Ahmed moved to England, signing for EFL Championship side Norwich City on a three-and-a-half-year deal with an option for a further year.[17]
He made his debut for the club on 17 January 2026, starting the match and providing an assist within the opening 10 minutes against Wrexham.[18][19] He scored his first goal for Norwich three days later in a 5–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion.[20] On 26 January 2026, he recorded a goal and an assist in a 2–1 victory against league leaders Coventry City.[21]
International career
In May 2023, Ahmed was listed on the Canada preliminary roster for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.[22][23] In June 2023, he was named to the final 23-man squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[24] Ahmed made his debut for Canada on June 27 in their tournament opener against Guadeloupe.[25][26]
In June 2024, Ahmed was named to Canada's squad for the 2024 Copa América.[27]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played May 2, 2026[30]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Whitecaps FC 2 | 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||||
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 2022 | MLS | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 30 | 3 | ||
| 2024 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2025 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | ||
| Total | 68 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 102 | 8 | ||
| Norwich City | 2025–26 | Championship | 19 | 4 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 102 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 138 | 11 | ||
- Includes U.S. Open Cup, FA Cup
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
International
- As of match played March 31, 2026[31]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2023 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 1 | |
Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 5, 2025 | Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania | 18 |  Romania | 2–0 | 3–0 | International Friendly |
Honours
Vancouver Whitecaps
Individual
