Ali Ahmed has his eye on a TELUS Canadian Championship three-peat – and the 2026 FIFA World Cup 🇨🇦
The Vancouver Whitecaps kick off their journey towards a third straight Canadian Championship next week, as they visit Cavalry FC in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday, May 7th.
After winning back-to-back Canadian Championships for the first time in club history in 2022 and 2023, the goal for the Whitecaps now is to build on that history, as they look to join Toronto FC as the only club to have done a threepeat since the tournament launched in 2008.
Given the growth of the tournament in recent years, as it has become a competition featuring 14 teams after once being just a three-team circuit, achieving that feat would stand out, too, showing what it would mean for the Whitecaps to win it once again.
If they’re to do that, however, they’ll rely on a talented group of players to help them carry them over the line once again, with many of those players having played central roles in one or both of those victories. One of those players? Ali Ahmed, who is looking to win his second Canadian Championship, having been on the team last year, where he was named the tournament’s top young Canadian player for his efforts in the win.
Having suffered an injury in the semi-final, however, Ahmed missed out on the final, something he’d love to change in 2024.
One of the team’s most important players, sitting as head coach Vanni Sartini’s Swiss army knife who has played nearly every position for the Whitecaps over the last 12 months, it’s expected he will play a big role in any success they have in this competition, especially given his status as one of the team’s Canadian players (all teams need to start with at least three Canadians in their starting lineups).
With a taste of that 2023 Canadian Championship in the back of his mind, and a big fan of this tournament and what it represents, Ahmed is eager to shine in this competition once again.
“That was a special moment for the club and for myself as a player, you always want to lift trophies, and to win the (2023) Canadian Championship, it showed that we’re a top team in Canada, and that’s special for us,” Ahmed told OneSoccer this week. “We want to do that again this year, it’s lovely to compete with all the teams in Canada, I enjoyed watching the game between Pacific FC and the TSS Rovers (in the preliminary round this week), it was a tough one for the Rovers, but that feeling of a semi-pro team going against a pro team and battling until PKs, it’s special.”
“It's a historical tournament in Canada, I love to see all of the Canadian talent from all over the country competing for one cup, and we’re looking forward to bringing that trophy home again this year, starting on Tuesday.”
Yet, while winning the Canadian Championship is a big goal of Ahmed’s, it’s just one of many he is chasing this year.
At the club level, winning an MLS Cup is a huge aspiration, for example, especially after seeing how the Whitecaps have come out of the gates flying in MLS play, sitting as one of the top teams in the league through 10 games.
Ali Ahmed, have yourself a day🔥
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 10, 2024
Still working his way up to full fitness after injury, the 23 y/o 🇨🇦 just showed why 2024 could be a breakout year for him, flicking a ball over Tommy Thompson and then roofing his shot#CanMNT call loading, surely?pic.twitter.com/EVozsVsaDm
Then, at the international level, Ahmed is looking to leverage strong performances at the club level into some regular call-ups for the CanMNT, where he’s been a part of two squads, one in last year’s Gold Cup and another in Nations League play later that fall, a number he’d love to see grow.
With four caps under his belt now, all coming at that Gold Cup, he’s gotten a taste of that level and is hungry for more.
Before then, however, he reflects fondly on those experiences he’s had, starting with his debut last June at BMO Field, which is not far from where he grew up in Toronto, in a moment he’ll never forget, admitting it’s the highlight of his career to date.
“Entering BMO Field and seeing Ahmed on the back of a National Team jersey for Canada, the country where your parents came and raised you, that was very special,” Ahmed enthused. “To play in Toronto, too, at home, in front of a lot of family, almost 150 people, that was crazy.”
“And then just being in the presence of that brotherhood in the squad, seeing that team go to the World Cup, seeing how hard they worked, and then to get there and being a part of that team, it’s probably the highlight of my career, honestly, it’s crazy to think about, I can’t even put into words how special that was to me for like for, but I’m super blessed to have had that moment.”
GOAL! Some excellent play from Ali Ahmed sets up Richie Laryea who forces the OG for #CANMNT! 🇨🇦#WeCAN pic.twitter.com/DaP2qWOBNg
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) June 28, 2023
Because of that, he’s now eager to make more memories for the National Team. The November window was a good chance to further prove his status on the team, as Canada brought more of a first-team group to that window after sending a rotated squad to the Gold Cup, but he then missed out on the next camp in March with an injury.
Now, however, a big summer awaits for Canada. Thanks to their performance in March, where they beat Trinidad & Tobago in a Copa América qualifier, they booked their spot at the Copa América for the first time ever, drawn in with defending champions and 2022 World Cup winners, Argentina, Chile and Peru in Group A.
Then, as tune-up games for that tournament, they’ll head to Europe to play the Netherlands and France in a pair of friendlies, giving Canada arguably their toughest run of games in their history.
Naturally, Ahmed would love nothing more than to be a part of the team that tackles that stretch of games, getting on the field whenever possible, knowing how important it is for the growth of this team long-term.
Because of that, he’s doing what he can to help the Whitecaps win games, ensuring he remains in the best form to earn a call this summer. Especially as this Canadian team searches for a new manager, Ahmed wants to make sure that whoever ends up hired has no reason to leave him behind, allowing him to be a key part of that roster.
“To be a part of that team is a goal of mine, it’s something that I want to be a part of,” he said of this summer. “To compete with the guys and be in the group, I think that would be another big step for me.”
“Playing against the top of the top, France and Argentina, that’s huge for our nation to get games like this, it's needed for us to continue growing and take the next step to have those friendlies against France or the Netherlands, and then being in the Copa América, and playing Argentina, Chile and Peru, that’s huge for us.”
“We have a big tournament coming up with the 2026 World Cup at home, and matches like this can prepare us for that. Hopefully, I can keep playing matches here and grow every game, and then I can be ready to compete (if I get that call).”
Speaking of 2026, that’s the next big goal for Ahmed - he’d love nothing more than to be included in that team when it’s announced in just over two years, having watched on with pride from home as the team competed at the 2022 World Cup, their first appearance at that tournament in 36 years. That’s why he knows being a part of the team this summer is so crucial, as it’ll serve as vital preparation for that 2026 tournament, especially for the players who get a chance to feature in that June window.
Because of that, he remains locked in for the Whitecaps right now, as he chases that dream. From winning more trophies with the club to continuing his rise into a central figure on the team, and then potentially making the step up to a club in Europe off the back of that one day - his focus is on doing what he needs to do on the day-to-day to make those goals a reality, knowing it’ll help him in the pursuit of that 2026 call.
“That’s a goal of mine, for sure,” Ahmed said of the 2026 World Cup. “Time flies, so 2026 is around the corner, but I’ve also got to be locked into the day-to-day, as being locked into the day-to-day will help me get set for that 2026 tournament, so I'm locked in day-to-day, week-to-week, just trying to develop and grow my game and take it to another level, so that hopefully when the time comes in 2026, I can accomplish my goal and be on the roster.”
And for now, the next big thing in Ahmed’s week-to-week schedule is the start of the Canadian Championship, where the Whitecaps have big goals to chase, with Sartini recently noting that his side is the ‘Kings of Canada’ right now.
A statement that Ahmed echoed when asked about it, it shows how dialled he and his team are ahead of the start of their journey for a threepeat, which for Ahmed, he’ll hope is the start of so much more, including his road to playing at a World Cup for his country.
“I think we're the best team in Canada,” Ahmed said of the Whitecaps. “We've been proving that, and with us winning the Canadian Championship two years in a row, I don’t think he’s wrong for saying we’re the best Canadian team.”
