[11][12] Akram started off in the youth teams of Al-Markhiya and then Al Sadd before joining the Aspire Academy as a full-time student in 2009.

During his time at Aspire, Afif traveled to Spain on an exchange student program and played for the youth teams of Sevilla and Villarreal.

[13][14] He represented Sevilla in the 2013 Al Kass International Cup, netting a brace and earning an assist in the team's first match, which ended as a 3–0 victory against Aspire Academy.

[20] On 4 August, he was loaned to fellow top tier club Sporting de Gijón in a season-long deal.

[21] Afif made his debut in the main category of Spanish football on 21 August 2016, coming on as a substitute for Burgui in a 2–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao.

[29] During the main tournament, he scored the lone goal in the final against DPR Korea to give Qatar the victory.

[32] During Qatar's successful 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign, Afif played a paramount role in helping his team lift the trophy, registering 10 assists overall, a new record in the tournament.

[38] In the semi-final match against Iran, he scored a goal and provided an assist in a 3–2 victory, which qualified his country to the final for the second time in a row.

[39] Afif went on to score a hat-trick of penalties in the final which Qatar won 3–1 against Jordan; in addition, he managed to finish the tournament as top scorer with eight goals.

His father, Hassan Afif, is of Yemeni descent however, he played for the national team of and spent a portion of his life in Somalia and was born in Moshi in Tanzania.