In the 18th edition of the continental showpiece, Qatar will be defending their maiden title and also have the added weight of expectation as the hosts. There’s also a new man in charge, Marquez Lopez, who replaced Carlos Queiroz this month and is their third head coach in under a year.

But several members of the 2019 squad still remain as the mainstays of the team, including captain Hassan Al Haydos, Boualem Khoukhi, Almoez Ali, Bassam Al Rawi and, of course, Afif who registered a tournament record 10 assists during Qatar’s continental conquest four years ago.
Son of former player and coach Hassan Afif, the youngster began his footballing journey at Al Markhiya followed by stints at Al Sadd and Aspire Academy. The Qatari sensation also spent his early years in Spain and played for the youth teams of Sevilla and Villarreal.

Afif’s breakthrough at the international stage came in Myanmar in 2014 when he guided his nation to their maiden AFC U-19 Championship title, scoring the only goal of the final against DPR Korea for Felix Sanchez’s side – the heroics earning him a move to Europe soon after.
Joining his compatriots Ahmed Al Saadi, Ahmed Moin and Fahad Abdulrahman at KAS Eupen, Afif spent two seasons in the Belgian second division before moving to Villarreal in Spain. Loaned out to Sporting Gijon, Afif created history by becoming the first Qatari-born player in La Liga.

More loan spells followed – first a season back at Eupen and then Al Sadd in his home country where he quickly became a standout performer and came under the tutelage of Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi.
“He is an unbelievable talent and a big player. There are no limits for him. I have told him many times that he’s an amazing player and he has many capacities to play football. He can play everywhere. It depends on him: his mentality, his ambition, because he has everything needed to play football,” Xavi spoke about Afif in 2019.

That year proved to be a particularly eventful one for Afif as he won his first Qatar Stars League title with Al Sadd who also reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League™.

But the biggest honour came in Abu Dhabi when Sanchez’s Qatar defeated heavyweights Japan 3-1 to win their first-ever AFC Asian Cup.
He was a force of nature during the tournament – be it bagging four assists against DPR Korea in the group stage, adding three more in the semi-final win against hosts United Arab Emirates or capping off a brilliant display in the historic final with the country’s third and final goal.

“Winning the Asian title with Qatar could have been enough for my teammates and I for years, but this isn’t the end for us, just the beginning,” Afif said after lifting the prestigious silverware.

The hunger evident in Afif’s words will still be simmering as the holders prepare to host the continent’s showpiece event. And there’s little doubt the winger will be one to keep an eye on in the tournament, having been in blistering form for his club this season.