Riyadh: The Saudi capital, Riyadh, will host the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Annual Awards 2024-25 ceremony on Thursday at the King Fahd Cultural Center, bringing together a distinguished lineup of the continent's leading football figures and stars.
According to Qatar News Agency, the ceremony, now in its 29th edition, will be held for the first time in Saudi Arabia and will honor Asia's outstanding male and female players across 20 award categories, in recognition of their achievements during the 2024-25 season. This edition reflects the AFC's transition to a seasonal competition calendar instead of a calendar-year format, aligning with international football schedules.
All eyes will be on the prestigious AFC Player of the Year award, where Qatar national team and Al Sadd star Akram Afif is among the finalists. Afif seeks to achieve an unprecedented milestone by winning the title for the third time in his career, after previously being crowned in 2019 and 2023, which would make him the first player ever to claim this honor three times.
During the ceremony, several awards will be presented, including the AFC Player of the Year for men and women, the Best International Player, the Best Young Player for both genders, the Referee and National Association Awards, and the "Diamond of Asia," the Confederation's highest accolade.
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA First Vice-President, congratulated all the nominees for their exceptional achievements that continue to inspire future generations. He commended the commitment of national and regional associations to promoting excellence and innovation, and said the awards' new identity reflects the AFC ongoing strategic reforms and vision for the development of Asian football.
Shaikh Salman noted that the awards ceremony had evolved in line with the AFC's comprehensive reforms and that all trophies and honors, including the Diamond of Asia, had been redesigned to symbolize the continent's growing stature and passion for progress.
The final shortlist for the AFC Player of the Year (Men) includes Akram Afif of Qatar's Al Sadd, Salem Al Dawsari of Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal, and Arif Aiman of Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim. Afif enters the ceremony following another remarkable season in which he led Al Sadd to the 2024-25 Qatar Stars League title -- the club's 18th in history -- and won the Domestic Best Player award for the fifth time, after receiving it in the 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22, and 2023-24 seasons. He scored 18 goals and provided 15 assists in the last campaign, contributing directly to 33 of his team's 62 goals.
At the continental level, Afif helped Al Sadd reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League as the club continues its pursuit of a third Asian crown, following titles in 1989 and 2011. The Qatari forward has been one of Asia's standout talents since leading his country to victory in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and retaining the title in 2023, when he finished as the tournament's top scorer and best player.
Afif faces strong competition from Saudi Arabia's Salem Al Dawsari, who won the award in 2022 after an outstanding season with Al Hilal. Al Dawsari scored 10 goals to top the scorers' chart in the AFC Champions League, guiding his team to the semi-finals, and also impressed during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, where Al Hilal reached the quarter-finals.
Malaysian winger Arif Aiman also features on the shortlist after a stellar campaign with Johor Darul Ta'zim, scoring five goals and leading the club to the round of 16 in the AFC Champions League, in addition to achieving a domestic treble and maintaining his strong form with the national team.
The Best International Player award will be contested by South Korea's Lee Kang-in, the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, Iran's Mehdi Taremi, who represents Inter Milan and Olympiacos, and Japan's Takefusa Kubo, who plays for Real Sociedad.
The Best Women's Player in Asia award will feature Australia's Holly McNamara of Melbourne City, China's Wang Shuang of Wuhan Jiangda, and Japan's Hana Takahashi of Urawa Red Diamonds.
Meanwhile, the nominees for the Best Asian Female Professional Player Outside Asia award are Australia's Stephanie Catley of Arsenal, Japan's Maika Hamano of Chelsea, and her compatriot Yui Hasegawa of Manchester City.