Ahmed Khalil has completed a move to Iraqi club Al-Mina’a SC, ending his spell as a free agent and opening a new chapter in the Iraq Stars League. The 31-year-old Tunisian defensive midfielder joins the Basra-based side on a free transfer from “Without Club,” with his contract at Al-Mina’a running from 2026-02-06 to 2027-06-30.
The transfer places Khalil, valued at €500,000, back into top-flight football after several months unattached following his departure from Tunisian giants Club Africain in mid-2025. The deal involves no transfer fee, reflecting his free-agent status, but represents a significant piece of business for Al-Mina’a, who bring in an experienced holding midfielder with a long track record in North African football.
Khalil’s move also confirms his first venture into Iraqi football and marks a notable shift from his long-standing career in Tunisia to the Iraq Stars League. Al-Mina’a compete in Iraq’s top tier, and the signing of a Tunisia international-level player underlines the league’s growing pull for established North African talents. For the player, it is a clear step abroad, away from his home country’s domestic scene, in search of a fresh competitive environment.
Born on 21 Dec 1994 and standing at 1.87 m, Khalil has built his career as a specialist in defensive midfield. He came through JS Kairouanaise before joining Club Africain in 2014, where he spent the bulk of his professional years. Over that period his market value rose steadily, peaking at around €850,000 in 2019 during his prime years in the Tunisian top flight. Although that valuation has since settled at €500,000, he remains a seasoned, physically imposing screen in front of the defence, comfortable playing as a classic holding midfielder.
Khalil has experienced several short spells out of contract, briefly leaving Club Africain in 2021 before returning the same year, and then again becoming a free agent in 2025. His latest stint without a club coincided with a market value assessment of €500,000 while unattached, underlining that interest in his services persisted despite the lack of recent competitive minutes.
At Al-Mina’a, he is expected to add structure and stability in midfield, using his right-footed distribution and positional discipline to protect the back line. His arrival gives the Iraqi side an experienced organiser who has spent more than a decade competing in the Tunisian league, one of North Africa’s most visible competitions.
The move also has a symbolic dimension for Tunisian observers. Khalil, long associated with Club Africain, now shifts from a domestic mainstay to an expatriate professional in Iraq. While specific appearance or goal figures from his recent seasons are not contained in the available data, his sustained presence at a major Tunisian club and his consistent market valuation suggest a player trusted for reliability and defensive acumen rather than attacking statistics.
For Al-Mina’a supporters, the signing signals ambition: acquiring a player with years at the highest level in Tunisia to strengthen a key area of the pitch. For Tunisian fans, it represents both the end of an era at home and an opportunity to follow one of their compatriots in a different regional league.
Khalil’s contract through to 2027-06-30 gives him a clear window to re-establish himself as a central figure in a new competition. If he adapts quickly to the Iraq Stars League and anchors Al-Mina’a’s midfield as expected, this move could redefine the latter stage of his career, enhancing his reputation as a dependable defensive midfielder beyond Tunisia’s borders and potentially extending his relevance on the regional stage.
