Al Sadd's Akram Afif with the Best Player Award.
Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd forward Akram Afif continued his dominance at the QFA Awards, bagging a third straight Best Player accolade during a glittering ceremony in Doha yesterday.
The Qatari playmaker claimed the honour for a sixth time overall, overcoming stiff competition from Al Rayyan’s Roger Guedes and Al Shamal striker Baghdad Bounedjah.
Afif inspired Al Sadd to a third consecutive Qatar Stars League title, remaining central to the Wolves’ attacking setup and finishing the campaign with 14 goals and 12 assists in another standout season.
“I want to thank my family, Al Sadd management, the QFA and my fellow players for their support,” said Afif after receiving the award, which he first won in 2019.
“It was a tough start to the season, but we managed to bounce back in the second half, win the QSL and finish runners-up in the Amir Cup.
“Now our full focus is on preparing for the World Cup in the best possible way. We did not perform at the required level and the results were not acceptable to me. We will try our best to prove that we deserve to be at the World Cup with a strong performance,” he added.
QFA Award winners pose for a photo.
Guedes received the Mansour Muftah Award (Top Scorer) for the second successive season after netting 21 goals in the QSL.
Meanwhile, Al Shamal’s David Prats clinched the Best Coach award after edging out Al Sadd’s Roberto Mancini and Al Rayyan coach Vicente Moreno. He guided Al Shamal to a runners-up finish in the QSL.
“To be honest, I am very happy to receive the award. My players played a key role in this success and I am truly grateful to them for their efforts. We will try our best to continue performing in the same way next season,” said Prats.
Abunada named Best Goalkeeper, Ayoub wins U-23 award
Al Rayyan’s Mahmoud Abunada won the Best Goalkeeper award after seeing off competition from Al Sadd’s Meshaal Barsham and Al Arabi’s Jassim Al Hail. Abunada featured in 19 QSL matches, making 57 saves and keeping four clean sheets as Al Rayyan finished third in the league.
“This award is not a personal achievement, it is the result of the collective effort of the entire club,” said Abunada.
“Al Rayyan had a good season, winning the Gulf Club Champions League and QSL Cup titles in addition to a strong finish in the QSL. We are looking forward to achieving more next season,” he added.
The Best Under-23 Player award went to Al Gharafa’s Ayoub Al Oui, with Al Duhail’s Mubarak Shanan and Al Shamal’s Mohamed Manai also among the final contenders.
“It was a good season and Al Gharafa finished it by winning the Amir Cup. I am very happy. This is great motivation for me and next season we will again compete for titles,” said Ayoub.
QFA AWARDS 2026
BEST PLAYER: Akram Afif (Al Sadd)
MANSOUR MUFTAH (TOP SCORER): Roger Guedes (Al Rayyan)
BEST COACH: David Prats (Al Shamal)
BEST GOALKEEPER: Mahmoud Abunada (Al Rayyan)
BEST UNDER-23 PLAYER: Ayoub Al Oui (Al Gharafa)
FOOTBALL FOR ALL: ‘Match for Hope’ initiative.
BEST FANS: Al Sadd
BEST REFEREES: Mohammed Al Mazeed (Best Referee); Saoud Ahmed (Best Assistant Referee); Yousef Aref (Best Assistant Referee); Meshari
Al Shammari (Best Video Assistant Referee – VAR)
