According to reports, Al-Nasr Dubai announced that Ali Mabkhout, the 34-year-old star of the team, has joined military service, which means the end of the 2024-2025 season for him.

Given the new circumstances, Mabkhout’s return to the UAE national team also seems unlikely. The team is scheduled to face Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers on June 5 and 10.

Mabkhout, the all-time top scorer in the UAE Pro League and Al-Jazira Club, joined Al-Nasr in July 2024 as a major signing after years of success with Al-Jazira.

During his time at Al-Jazira, he won eight different titles, including three league championships (2010–2011, 2016–2017, and 2020–2021), three UAE President’s Cup titles, and one UAE Super Cup in 2021.

However, Mabkhout failed to win any trophies with Al-Nasr, and the team also struggled in all competitions this season, currently sitting in eighth place in the UAE Pro League with 27 points.

An interesting fact about Ali Mabkhout is that he has scored 85 international goals and is the only Asian player with a chance to break Ali Daei’s record, though he is currently away from the national team.