Ali Ahmed was ready for a big move.
He got it when he signed for Norwich City in the English Championship on January 4. The Canadian international and former Whitecap was looking to further elevate his status ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
So far, it has been very good for the 25 year old. In his first three games for Norwich City, Ahmed has scored two goals and tallied two assists. It seems he is already helping lead Norwich out of the basement out of the Championship.
Ahmed is making a big impact early
Ahmed made his debut against Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham on January 17. He started the game and only played the first half, but he made his presence known, in just nine minutes.
The Toronto native used his pace to assist Anis Ben Slimane to give Wrexham a 1-0 lead.
Norwich won the game 2-1 and Ahmed also managed a shot on target and had a 87% accurate passing rate.
In their next game which took place last Tuesday, the Canaries demolished West Bromwich Albion with a 5-0 away win. Of course, Ahmed scored his first goal for Norwich City. Early, in the second half, Ahmed got the second goal with a tidy finish from a pass from Ben Slimane.
In addition to the goal, Ahmed was not dispossesed once in the 63 minutes he played.
On Monday, Norwich had a big test at home. They were facing Championship leaders Coventry City, who are lead by Brandon Thomas-Asante, Milan Van Ewjik and manager Frank Lampard.
Ahmed played a huge part in a massive win for Norwich City. He helped the Canaries win 2-1 with an assist on Romain Esse’s opening goal and scored the winner in the 67th minute. Not bad for a home debut. In their last five matches, Norwich have scored 14 goals.
As it stands, Philippe Clement’s Canaries sit 18th in the Championship and are four points above the relegation zone and won four out of their last five games. Ahmed’s dribbling, pace, tenacity and vision has been on full display with Norwich City. It looks like he hasn’t missed a step since leaving Vancouver.
From Toronto, trials in Europe, Vancouver and now Norwich
It is remarkable how far Ali Ahmed has come. Six years ago, he was doing trials in Portugal, Spain, the UK and the Netherlands and eventually joined the Whitecaps youth set up.
In 2022, Ahmed was the Whitecaps FC 2’s player of the year and made his MLS debut that year. Over the next few years, he learned and grew as a starter and was a key part to the Whitecaps incredible 2025 campaign.
Given his form with the Whitecaps and the Canadian men’s national team, Ahmed earned his move to Norwich City. And so far, it has been really good. Of course there are more games to be played, but right now, Ahmed’s starting spot at the 2026 World Cup is his to lose.
