About Aarij S. Wasti

Major sporting events sit at the centre of Aarij S. Wasti's work: helping clients bid for and plan them, negotiate sponsorships and navigate associative marketing campaigns. Aarij is a Toronto partner at Gowling WLG, part of its Sports & Entertainment Group as well as its corporate, funds and private M&A team, and also handles cross-border business deals with a special focus on Middle East markets. Clients can work with Aarij in English or Urdu.

That event experience was built in Qatar. Aarij spent more than 14 years on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and for the final four served as Director of Legal & Compliance on the tournament's management team while also acting as Company Secretary of FIFA Ticketing Qatar. Aarij also served as counsel on Doha's bid for the 2020 Olympics. Aarij then joined Gowling WLG as a partner in January 2024.

A decade spent as in-house counsel on large, high-profile projects also lets Aarij step in for companies whose general counsel is on leave. Admissions span Ontario and Alberta, England & Wales and Pakistan, so clients looking to open doors in new markets get an adviser who's qualified on three continents.

These days Aarij speaks often at sports and entertainment law gatherings, with recent stops in Toronto, Las Vegas and New York, where Aarij gave a keynote to the International Advertising Association in 2025. Aarij also comments regularly on issues around the FIFA World Cup 2026 and co-produces Sideline Conversations, a monthly online series about that tournament made with lawyers from Florida and Mexico City.

Practice areas

Business & Corporate Law

Sports and major events

Bid committees, host nations and cities, event organizers, suppliers and sponsors all turn to Aarij for help across an event's whole life, from bidding and planning through operations to the final wind-up. The work takes in commercial agreements, governance, intellectual property, regulatory compliance and brand protection.

Cross-border deals and private M&A

On the business side, Aarij handles corporate and commercial transactions and private M&A that cross borders, especially into the Middle East. That includes strategic intellectual property, corporate governance and Islamic finance, an area where Aarij holds a formal qualification.

Interim in-house support

When a company's general counsel goes on leave, Aarij can provide in-house legal support in the meantime, drawing on ten years spent in in-house roles.

Education & credentials

  • Juris Doctor (JD), Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University (2003)
  • Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com), Desautels School of Business, McGill University (1999)
  • Called to the bar of Alberta (2004)
  • Advocate High Court (Islamabad), Pakistan (2006)
  • Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England & Wales (2008)
  • Islamic Finance Qualification, Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (2009)
  • Called to the bar of Ontario (2021)

Awards & recognition

  • GC Powerlist, The Legal 500 Middle East (2019)
  • GC Powerlist, The Legal 500 Middle East (2022)
  • GC Powerlist, The Legal 500 Middle East (2023)

Publications & speaking

  • The Hudood Laws of Pakistan: A Social and Legal Misfit in Today's Society, Dalhousie Journal of Legal Studies, vol. 12 (2003)
  • Sideline Conversations: Road to '26 (co-producer), Monthly online series with Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman (2025)
  • Keynote address, International Advertising Association, New York City (2025)
  • Speaker, Sports Lawyers Association Fall Symposium, London (2025)
  • Speaker, ABA Forum on Entertainment & Sports Industries, Las Vegas (2025)
  • Speaker, PrimeTime Sports & Entertainment Conference, Toronto (2025)
  • Gowling WLG in the Gulf: Mega events in the Middle East (podcast guest), Listen Up, a legal podcast from Gowling WLG

Memberships & affiliations

In the community

  • In 2021 Aarij was elected to the board of the American School of Doha.
  • Also in 2021, Pakistan's ambassador to Qatar appointed Aarij to the board of the Pakistan Business Council in Qatar.
  • Aarij is an elected member of the school council at Oakville Trafalgar High School in Oakville.

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This listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on their firm’s website. Confirm Aarij S. Wasti’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗

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