He is the brother of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the son of the former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, with his second wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned.

Sheikh Mohammed holds a bachelor's degree in international politics from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar in 2009 and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government ('13).

[1][2] Sheikh Mohammed is a former captain of the Qatar equestrian team,[3] and as such, had the honor to light the cauldron of the Doha 2006 Asian Games on horseback.

[4][2] In 2010 Sheikh Mohammed led Qatar's winning bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, bringing the tournament to the Middle East for the first time.

[8] Sheikh Mohammed is the vice chairman of the Qatar Investment Authority board of directors.