Asian Player of the Year: Qatar’s Akram Afif nominated for record third award
Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Malaysia’s Arif Aiman also on the shortlist, while China’s Wang Shuang among the women candidates
Reigning Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif has been included on the three-man shortlist for the Asian Football Confederation’s 2025 award, alongside Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Arif Aiman of Malaysia.
Afif, who also won in 2019, would become the first three-time winner of the title should he lift the trophy at a gala ceremony in Riyadh on October 16.
Australian Holly McNamara, Wang Shuang from China and Japanese defender Hana Takahashi have been nominated for the women’s award.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Uefa Champions League winner Lee Kang-in from South Korea has been listed for the AFC’s International Player of the Year Award alongside Iran’s Mehdi Taremi and Takefusa Kubo from Japan.
Qatari forward Afif helped Al-Sadd 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 helped Qatar secure their place at the 2027 Asian Cup while they stay in the hunt for a 2026 Fifa World Cup spot.
Saudi Arabian maestro Al-Dawsari, who won the award in 2022, enjoyed a sparkling 2024/25 for Al-Hilal, whom he led to the semi-finals of the Champions League Elite with a tournament-best 10 goals.