The Emirates News Agency reported that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued the decree appointing Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to the position. Sheikh Ahmed serves as Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and holds the role of President of the UAE National Olympic Committee through 2024, an executive profile from Executive Moves indicated. The announcement aligns with the reference to Mohammed bin Rashid naming Ahmed bin Mohammed as Chairman of Al Wasl Sports Club.
Al Wasl Sports Club traces its origins to 1960 when it was formed from a small house in Zabeel with the late Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as a founding member, The National reported following his death on September 21, 2026. Under the late Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid’s long tenure as president, the club’s football team captured eight UAE Pro League titles and earned designation as the UAE’s Club of the Century for the 1999-2000 season by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. The National noted that the club paid homage to the late chairman on its social media channels after his passing.
The club’s football squad ended a 17-year wait for the Adnoc Pro League title in the 2023-24 season, defeating Shabab Al Ahli to secure the championship with two rounds remaining, according to a May 2024 report in The National. That campaign also produced a domestic double with victory in the UAE President’s Cup, emulating the 2006-07 team’s achievement. Brazilian forward Fabio De Lima, the club’s all-time leading league scorer with 164 goals, dedicated the success to supporters while calling for sustained dominance, The National quoted him as saying.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum previously presided over the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation and has led the UAE Falcons Federation board since 2021, the Executive Moves profile detailed. In January 2024, he honoured recipients of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, including figures from clubs, federations and international bodies, Emirates 24|7 reported at the time. His involvement spans falconry, where the UAE team secured consecutive titles in the International Federation for Falconry Sports and Racing Cup under his oversight.
The late Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid also shaped broader Emirati sports by establishing Jebel Ali Racecourse in 1990 and the Dubai International Marine Club in 1988, The National outlined in its September 2026 coverage. Al Wasl’s football heritage includes strong showings in Asian competitions, such as a third-place finish in the 1992-93 Asian Club Championship and a quarter-final appearance two years later, Gulf News records show. The club maintains multi-sport operations that have grown alongside Dubai’s emergence as a regional sporting hub.
WAM distributed the decree without specifying the exact term length for the new chairman or immediate priorities for the board. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed’s appointment follows the recent transition at the club after the passing of its long-time leader, whose contributions to football, horse racing and marine sports spanned more than four decades. Public tributes highlighted the continuity of the ruling family’s engagement with Al Wasl since its founding.
