Born to a Tanzanian-Somali father and Yemeni mother in Doha, Akram Afif is arguably the best player for Qatar. Having played in Belgium and Spain, Afif has played in plenty of highly competitive games at just 26 years old. He is one of many players in the Qatari squad to have played for Xavi at Al-Sadd. Winning the 2019 Asian Footballer of the Year award, Afif clearly has the ability to match up with the world's best.
Capable of operating from the left or through the middle, Afif is extremely quick and dangerous when isolating defenders. He often drops deep to receive the ball from the center backs during the build-up, but always manages to be around the 18-yard box when his team is attacking. He will likely play in support of his strike partner Almoez Ali up top, and the two have combined for an exceptional international record. Afif in particular has already accumulated 89 caps, scoring 26 goals along the way.
Afif has proven that he has the mentality to perform in big games, scoring for Qatar in the Asian Cup final against Japan in 2019. He had two goals during the 2021 Gold Cup, when he was named to the team of the tournament. Qatar will be hoping that he can replicate those performances at the World Cup, where he is likely to carry a heavy burden if they are to get past the group stages.
