Ali al-Thawadi is a Qatari minister, diplomat and former chief of staff to Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani. He was deputy chief executive for Qatar's successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup, and has been part of Qatar's role as mediator between Hamas and Israel during the Gaza war. He currently sits on the Gaza Executive Board.
Al-Thawadi was the deputy chief executive for Qatar's bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As part of this bid he oversaw a campaign seeking to sabotage rivals for the world cup, including hiring influential people to attack their own countries' bids and to influence the US congress by composing a resolution on the harmful effects of hosting the World Cup. [1] [2] [3]
He was involved in the corruption scandal of US Senator Bob Menendez, where he is mentioned in court documents as an investment advisor to Qatar [4] and a principle at Heritage Advisors [5] and provided Formula One tickets for the Senator. [3] [6] [7]
Following the Israeli attack on Doha, al-Thawadi was present at a White House meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu where he was central in coordinating his apology for the bombings. [8] [9] He was involved in the negotiations between Hamas and Israel leading to a ceasefire during the Gaza war, leading to the release of a number of hostages [4] and played a role in Qatar's contribution to Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan. [10]
According to Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib he was also involved in a scheme to smuggle "suitcases of cash" into Gaza. [11]
In 2025 he gave €30 million to FC Barcelona to buy VIP boxes at the newly renovated Camp Nou stadium. [4] [12]
In January 2026, al-Thawadi was appointed as the Qatari representative [13] to the Gaza Executive Board. [14] [15]
He previously served as Chief of staff to Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, brother of the Emir of Qatar, [11] and is currently serving as Minister at the Prime Minister's Office for strategy affairs. [15]