Riyad Mahrez set to join Qatar club Al-Shamal after Al-Ahli exit

Riyad Mahrez is expected to join Qatari side Al-Shamal in the coming hours, three months after leaving Al-Ahli and becoming a free agent.

The 35-year-old Algeria winger has been without a club since the beginning of the summer, but is preparing to resume his career in the Gulf after being linked with clubs across several countries.

According to information from DZfoot, Mahrez is set to sign for Al-Shamal, a move which would probably see him remain in the region for the final stage of his playing career.

Mahrez retired from international football after the 2026 World Cup but made clear he intended to continue playing at club level. The former Manchester City captain had attracted interest from a number of possible destinations since departing Al-Ahli.

Italian club Como, Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, Turkey and Brazilian side Botafogo were among the teams linked with the former Africa Cup of Nations winner. However, his next destination now appears likely to be Qatar.

Mahrez has been in Dubai, in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, for several days. He has been following an individual training programme there to maintain his fitness while waiting to secure a new club.

A move to Al-Shamal would also reunite Mahrez with former Algeria team-mate Baghdad Bounedjah, who already plays for the Qatari club. He would also join fellow Algerians Omar Rafik and Nassim Benaissa.

The transfer would allow Mahrez to continue his career in surroundings he knows well, following three seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli.

Al-Shamal finished as runners-up in Qatar and will also compete in the Asian continental competition this season. That prospect will be familiar to Mahrez, who has won the continental competition twice with Al-Ahli in his past two campaigns.

The prospect of joining Al-Shamal is likely to represent one of the final major contracts of Mahrez’s career, and possibly the last. After spending much of his career competing at the highest level in Europe before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023, he now appears set to remain in the Gulf as he enters the closing phase of his professional career.

Because Mahrez is out of contract, Al-Shamal would not have to pay a transfer fee for his arrival. The move remains subject to the registration regulations currently in force in Qatar.

Unless there is a late change, Mahrez will have finally found his next club three months after leaving Al-Ahli.