# Almoez Ali
**Almoez Ali** (full name Almoez Ali Zainalabdeen Mohamed Abdulla, born 1996) is a Qatari professional footballer who plays as a forward for [Al-Duhail SC](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-duhail-sc) and the Qatar national team, which he has captained and for which he is the all-time leading scorer.[1](https://assets.the-afc.com/2025-26_ACL_Elite/Squad_Lists/ACL-Elite-League-Stage-2025-26-Preliminary-Squad-Lists---As-of-9-Dec-2025.pdf) • [2](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/644017/almoez-ali) • [3](https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/almoez-ali-qatar) He is best known for the 2019 [AFC Asian Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-asian-cup), where his nine goals set the tournament record for a single edition, won the Top Goalscorer and Most Valuable Player awards, and carried Qatar to its first continental title.[4](https://www.qfa.qa/en/news/almoez-ali-first-player-to-score-in-three-different-continental-championships) • [5](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/record-breaker_almoez_ali_named_mvp.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996; right-footed forward[2](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/644017/almoez-ali) |
| Club | Al-Duhail SC (Qatar Stars League)[4](https://www.qfa.qa/en/news/almoez-ali-first-player-to-score-in-three-different-continental-championships) |
| 2019 Asian Cup | 7 appearances, 9 goals, Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player; Qatar won its first title[5](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/record-breaker_almoez_ali_named_mvp.html) • [6](https://theanalyst.com/players/11893/almoez-ali/national/career) |
| Single-edition record | Nine goals surpassed Ali Daei's eight from the 1996 Asian Cup[4](https://www.qfa.qa/en/news/almoez-ali-first-player-to-score-in-three-different-continental-championships) |
| Single-match record | Four goals against Korea DPR (6-0), equalling the Asian Cup record for one match[7](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-nets-four-trio-advance) |
| Continental first | First player to score at three different continental championships: Asian Cup, Copa America, and Gold Cup[4](https://www.qfa.qa/en/news/almoez-ali-first-player-to-score-in-three-different-continental-championships) |
| Qatar record | Nation's all-time leading scorer; 41 goals in 67 international appearances per Opta[3](https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/almoez-ali-qatar) • [6](https://theanalyst.com/players/11893/almoez-ali/national/career) |
## Youth and early international career
Ali came up through Qatar's youth national teams under the Spanish coach Felix Sanchez, who later managed the senior side. The pair won the AFC U-19 Championship 2014, which earned Qatar a place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015, where Ali played three matches without scoring.[8](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-goal-machine) • [6](https://theanalyst.com/players/11893/almoez-ali/national/career) He then topped the scoring charts at the AFC U-23 Championship 2018 with six goals, a haul that preceded his senior breakthrough.[8](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-goal-machine) • [9](https://www.qfa.qa/almoez-ali-equals-tournament-record-goal-tally/)
## The 2019 Asian Cup
At the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, Ali scored seven goals in the group stage alone: one in a 2-0 win over Lebanon, four in a 6-0 defeat of Korea DPR, and both goals in a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia that sealed first place in Group E.[8](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-goal-machine) The four-goal performance against Korea DPR equalled the record for the most goals by one player in a single Asian Cup match, and made him the first player of that tournament to score a hat-trick.[7](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-nets-four-trio-advance) • [8](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-goal-machine)
**Breaking Daei's record.** In the semi-final against the [United Arab Emirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-arab-emirates), a 37th-minute strike in a 4-0 win lifted Ali to eight goals, tying the single-edition record of eight set by Iran's Ali Daei at the 1996 Finals, also held in the UAE.[9](https://www.qfa.qa/almoez-ali-equals-tournament-record-goal-tally/) In the final against Japan at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, Ali opened the scoring in the 12th minute with an overhead bicycle kick past goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda; Qatar won 3-1, and the goal gave Ali nine for the tournament, breaking Daei's record.[5](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/record-breaker_almoez_ali_named_mvp.html) • [10](https://assets.the-afc.com/migration/a/f/AFC%20Quarterly%20Issue%2026.pdf) He finished as Top Goalscorer and was named Most Valuable Player as Qatar clinched the continental title for the first time.[5](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/record-breaker_almoez_ali_named_mvp.html) Across the seven matches he played 619 minutes and added one assist.[6](https://theanalyst.com/players/11893/almoez-ali/national/career)
## First player to score at three continental championships
Ali's scoring extended beyond Asia. At the 2019 Copa America, he scored Qatar's first goal of the tournament, starting a comeback in a 2-2 group draw with Paraguay.[11](https://inside.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-ambitions-growing-by-the-day) At the 2021 [CONCACAF Gold Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/concacaf-gold-cup), where Qatar appeared as an invited guest nation, he scored against Panama in a 3-3 opening draw. That goal made him the first player in football history to score in three different continental championships, the Asian Cup, the Copa America, and the Gold Cup.[4](https://www.qfa.qa/en/news/almoez-ali-first-player-to-score-in-three-different-continental-championships)
## Later international career
Ali played in Qatar's home 2022 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup), appearing three times without scoring.[6](https://theanalyst.com/players/11893/almoez-ali/national/career) By January 2024 he stood four goals behind [Ali Daei](https://www.edgepedia.org/ali-daei)'s overall Asian Cup record of 14 goals.[12](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20240129_1706479164-624.pdf)
**World Cup 2026 qualifying.** In AFC qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Ali scored seven goals in four games, including a four-goal haul against Afghanistan, as Qatar reached the third round; FIFA described him as the nation's all-time leading scorer and a two-time Asian Cup winner.[3](https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/almoez-ali-qatar) He was named in Qatar's squad for the 2026 World Cup finals, where Qatar was drawn in a group with Canada, Bosnia and [Herzegovina](https://www.edgepedia.org/herzegovina), and Switzerland.[13](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/qatar-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/)
## Playing style
FIFA's profile places Ali's natural position at the focal point of the attack for both Qatar and Al-Duhail, noting that his speed and dribbling allow him to play wide when needed, with movement, physicality, and a cold-blooded finishing instinct as his distinguishing traits.[3](https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/almoez-ali-qatar) He stands 1.80 m tall.[8](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-goal-machine)
## References
1. [AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 Preliminary Squad Lists, AFC](https://assets.the-afc.com/2025-26_ACL_Elite/Squad_Lists/ACL-Elite-League-Stage-2025-26-Preliminary-Squad-Lists---As-of-9-Dec-2025.pdf)
2. [Almoez Ali player profile, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/644017/almoez-ali)
3. [Almoez Ali analysis, Qatar, FIFA World Cup 26, FIFA.com](https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/almoez-ali-qatar)
4. [Almoez Ali first player to score in three different continental championships, Qatar Football Association](https://www.qfa.qa/en/news/almoez-ali-first-player-to-score-in-three-different-continental-championships)
5. [Record-breaker Almoez Ali named MVP, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/record-breaker_almoez_ali_named_mvp.html)
6. [Almoez Ali Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/11893/almoez-ali/national/career)
7. [Almoez Ali scores four, trio advance, FIFA.com](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-nets-four-trio-advance)
8. [Almoez Ali, Qatar's goal machine, FIFA.com](https://inside.fifa.com/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-goal-machine)
9. [Almoez Ali equals Asian Cup record goal tally, Qatar Football Association](https://www.qfa.qa/almoez-ali-equals-tournament-record-goal-tally/)
10. [Profile: Almoez Ali, AFC Quarterly Issue 26](https://assets.the-afc.com/migration/a/f/AFC%20Quarterly%20Issue%2026.pdf)
11. [Almoez Ali: Qatar's ambitions growing by the day, FIFA.com](https://inside.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/news/almoez-ali-qatar-s-ambitions-growing-by-the-day)
12. [The Peninsula Qatar, 29 January 2024](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20240129_1706479164-624.pdf)
13. [Qatar en el Mundial 2026: convocatoria, lista, jugadores, grupo y calendario, AS](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/qatar-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania › Middle Eastern and Central Asian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license