AFC Awards 2025: Akram Afif vies for third Player of the Year honour

Doha, Qatar: Qatar national football team player and Al Sadd Club striker Akram Afif is in contention to become the first player to win the AFC Player...

Doha, Qatar: Qatar national football team player and Al Sadd Club striker Akram Afif is in contention to become the first player to win the AFC Player of the Year award thrice as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the highly anticipated list of nominees for the AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 today. 

Presented by NEOM, the award ceremony will take place on October 16, 2025 and has a glittering cast contending for the prestigious Player of the Year accolades including Malaysian Arif Aiman Hanapi and Saudi Arabian maestro Salem Al Dawsari. Meanwhile Holly McNamara, Wang Shuang and Hana Takahashi will vie for the AFC Women’s Player of the Year. 

After another stellar season, Akram Afif, who claimed the prize in the previous edition to add to his 2019 accolade, helped Al Sadd SC lift a record 18th league crown and reach the last eight of the AFC Champions League Elite in 2024/25. The 28-year-old also shone in the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26, securing Qatar’s place at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 while staying in the hunt for FIFA World Cup qualification.

The first ever Malaysian to be nominated, Arif Aiman enjoyed a stunning 2024/25 campaign. He rose to the occasion on the Continent’s brightest stage for Johor Darul Ta’zim, bagging five goals as they reached the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Elite, while also winning the domestic treble. The 23-year-old forward is a key figure for his country as well, as they look to reach the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

Saudi Arabian maestro Salem Al Dawsari will hope to add to his 2022 win after a sparkling 2024/25 for Al Hilal SFC, whom he led to the Semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite with a tournament-best 10 goals. The attacker, 34, also impressed as Al Hilal reached the last eight of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, while he continues to be irresistible at the international level as Saudi Arabia chase FIFA World Cup qualification.