Ali was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1998 to Somali parents. His family settled in Sweden as refugees following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War. Raised in the suburbs of Stockholm, he began playing football at the age of eight in the youth academy of Spånga IS.

In 2017, Ali played in Sweden’s fourth tier before spending two seasons with IFK Stocksund. In 2020, he joined Sollentuna FK, where he enjoyed the best campaign of his career up to that point, recording 10 goals and 10 assists in 29 appearances in the Swedish third tier.

In February 2021, Ali signed a three-year contract with Örebro SK and made his Allsvenskan debut on 24 May against Malmö FF. After limited playing time, he was loaned to Västerås SK, where he impressed with two goals and eight assists in 15 matches, helping the club secure its place in the Superettan. His performances earned him the VLT Award as Västerås’ Athlete of the Year for 2021, making him the first Västerås SK footballer to receive the honour.

In February 2022, Ali joined Helsingborgs IF on a four-year contract. One year later, he signed for Malmö FF, where he celebrated the first league title of his career at the end of the 2023 season.

Ali made his senior debut for the Sweden national team on 12 January 2024 in a friendly against Estonia, providing the assist for the winning goal in Sweden’s 2–1 victory.

In May 2026, he was named in Sweden’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He made his competitive international debut on 20 June against the Netherlands and later made a second tournament appearance in Sweden’s Round of 32 match against France.

Alongside his football career, Ali also played futsal. Between 2018 and 2019, he represented the Sweden national futsal team, earning six caps and scoring one goal.