Akram Afif in action during yesterday's match against Al Duhail.
Doha: Qatar striker Akram Afif has been shortlisted for the AFC Player of the Year award, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced yesterday.
Afif, already a two-time winner of the prestigious award, will compete with Malaysia’s Arif Aiman Hanapi and Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al Dawsari for the continent’s top individual honour at the 2025 AFC Awards which will take place on October 16 in Riyadh.
The 28-year-old Al Sadd star enjoyed another successful campaign with his club and the national team, making him a front-runner for the accolade.
Afif spearheaded Al Sadd’s charge to a record 18th Qatar Stars League title and also guided the Wolves to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite last season.
On the international stage, Afif played a major role in Qatar’s success, powering Al Annabi through the AFC Asian Qualifiers, ensuring early qualification for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 and strengthening their campaign towards the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Afif won the prestigious award in 2019 and 2023, becoming third Qatari player to be named Asia’s best player after Khalfan Ibrahim (2006) and Abdelkarim Hassan (2018).
It also made him only the third player in the history to receive the award more than once.
Meanwhile, Aiman is the first ever Malaysian to be nominated for the Award. Arif enjoyed a brilliant 2024/25 campaign with Johor Darul Ta’zim. One of the highlights from his season is netting five goals on the way to the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Elite.
The 23-year-old forward also completed a domestic treble with his club.
Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al Dawsari will aim to secure his second award, following his win in 2022.
The Al Hilal SFC star who led his side to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite, scored 10 goals at last season’s continental tournament. Al Dawsari, 34, also impressed as Al Hilal reached the last eight of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
