Canadian national soccer player Ali Ahmed one of many athletes thriving during Ramadan fast

Shireen Ahmed · CBC Sports

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 7:34 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

On Sunday night, astatine the Nations Cup successful Los Angeles, Jonathan David scored a extremity successful the 2nd fractional to boost Canada up 2-1 implicit the USA.

That walk helium received to acceptable up the onslaught was from the 24-year aged midfielder Ali Ahmed. Ahmed recovered David successful the container and the goal pushed the squad up to give Canada a third-place decorativeness successful the tourney up of the Americans.

Ahmed is not caller to passing, scoring oregon helping the Canadian men's squad to execute good astatine the highest echelons of aggravated competition. 

What's much compelling is what is missing from Ahmed and his teammate, Ismaël Koné: nutrient and water. Ahmed and Koné are Muslim and are presently observing the period of Ramadan which began February 28 and is expected to extremity March 30. 

Muslims aftermath up earlier the prima rises to devour a repast and connection prayers. They refrain from nutrient and portion (no, not adjacent water) until sunset. But the period is not lone astir not eating oregon drinking. It's a period that emphasizes spiritual rejuvenation, aggravated inflection, patience, giving charity, assemblage transportation and astir of all, worship. 

I spoke with Ahmed via Zoom aft Canada mislaid to Mexico 2-0 successful the semifinal and he explained wherefore helium chooses to accelerated —even during important matches. 

WATCH | Jonathan David scores victor against U.S.:

"Ramadan, obviously, it's a pillar of Islam, but Islam is a big, large instauration of my life," helium told me. "I'm utilized to it too. I've been playing portion fasting, and comic enough, in Ramadan, I really thin to person my champion performances. Whether it's successful grooming oregon successful games. So it's honestly ne'er a thought (to) not fast."

Ahmed said his archetypal quality for his MLS nine team, the Vancouver Whitecaps, came successful April 2022 portion helium was fasting. He scored and helium assisted during that lucifer and continued to commencement for the squad during Ramadan. His play was truthful crisp that his teammates began to telephone him "Ramadan Ali". When the period was implicit they suggested helium support fasting due to the fact that his show had been truthful good. 

Ahmed recalls determination were initially questions and immoderate doubts. "Yo, you definite you tin grip this?," helium said his teammates asked him. "Like, this is insane. Like, this is nuts! No food? No fluid? No drink? And you're kicking disconnected conscionable erstwhile you're allowed to eat? Like, we don't know." But helium told them to spot him. And they did. 

The world is that going without nutrient and h2o astatine high-level diversion show is not easy. It isn't expected to beryllium easy. That's the point. You're expected to consciousness what it's similar for others to spell without food. 

Yes, nonrecreational athletes person resources, similar dietary scientists and unit to assistance them navigate. There is truthful overmuch probe and accusation disposable now. And these players are not fasting for the archetypal time. They cognize their bodies, they cognize the intelligence and carnal demands of fasting and playing. Ahmed, similar galore athletes, skips the squad meals and indispensable nap connected lucifer days. Getting other slumber helps the assemblage retrieve and beryllium arsenic rested arsenic imaginable for precocious performance. 

For galore Muslim athletes, not fasting is not a consideration. Leagues are starting to get connected committee arsenic well. In England, matches successful the FA Cup volition person a abbreviated intermission for players. They've implemented this abbreviated interruption truthful that the players tin instrumentality a fewer minutes, person a day (traditional nutrient with which to interruption fast) oregon vigor drinks, h2o and immoderate fruits. Ahmed besides likes to devour a tiny vigor barroom to prolong him. If determination is capable clip aft warm-up earlier the lucifer begins, Ahmed will pray successful a country successful the stadium. These arrangements are each made by the squad staff.

"Even yesterday astatine the stadium, we kicked disconnected astatine 7:30 p.m. and the sunset was astatine 7:04 - 7:05 and the unit were trying to hole a country for maine and Koné to pray," helium said. "And the nutrient that we've been getting astatine suhoor (pre-dawn meal) has been amazing. And it's beautiful to see, it's beauteous to spot the enactment we have. Them making it casual for america and allowing america to beryllium who we are and practise our religion portion being professionals is amazing."

Another bonus for Ahmed is having a teammate that is fasting with him. On the nationalist team, helium and Koné accelerated together, and astatine the Whitecaps, helium and centreback Belal Halbouni link implicit this important time.

"It's decidedly a taxable we speech astir a lot," helium said. "You know, what we person for suhoor oregon we speech with the nutritionist here. They assistance america a lot, whether it's successful Vancouver, oregon here, they assistance us. And talking to Koné and Belal astir the difficulties sometimes, it's decidedly bully for maine to person idiosyncratic here, and idiosyncratic successful my nine squad doing it with me. And it helps. I don't person to reply each the questions, too."

My lad plays volleyball astatine assemblage and 2 of his teammates are Muslim and they unrecorded together. They instrumentality meals together, spell to the mosques unneurotic and assistance each different with repast prep oregon waking up aboriginal successful the morning. They person different teammate who is not Muslim but who is supportive and encouraging.

University of Connecticut's women's hoops star Paige Bueckers reportedly wakes up to hole a repast for her teammate Jana El Alfy during Ramadan. This kindness and generosity goes a agelong mode successful camaraderie and successful the tone of sport.

To stock a unsocial acquisition of high-performance portion observing Ramadan is special. Ahmed loves Ramadan and was grinning arsenic helium spoke to maine astir it. He enjoys this period tremendously and it is magnified due to the fact that helium gets to stock his acquisition with others. Ramadan whitethorn beryllium astir idiosyncratic subject and absorption but Islam is simply a religion that draws heavy connected assemblage spot and connection. Being unsocial during Ramadan tin beryllium precise isolating, peculiarly erstwhile astir of the radical astir you are not acquainted with your customs oregon traditions. Ahmed is appreciative of the enactment from the squad and seizes the accidental helium has to practise his religion the mode helium wants and doesn't caput the questions.

"It's each year, and it's each time, it's the 'No water?' part," helium said with a laugh. "Every twelvemonth it's just, like, 'You sure? You can't portion water? You can't portion water? Oh, wow.' 

No water, conscionable wins. That's what Ahmed's Ramadan is about.