Akram Afif, a standout player in Qatar’s Asian Cup defense and a crucial contributor to Al Sadd’s successful league season, is in the running for his second AFC Player of the Year award. Previously honored in 2019, Afif showcased his skills during the AFC Asian Cup 2023, netting eight goals and providing three assists, earning the titles of Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer.
At 27, Afif has been pivotal for Al Sadd in the 2023/24 Qatar Stars League, scoring 26 goals and assisting 11 times in just 22 games, and clinching the league’s best player award. He will compete against Jordan’s Yazan Al-Naimat and South Korea’s Seol Young-woo for this prestigious accolade.
Al-Naimat is a strong contender thanks to his exceptional performance that led Jordan to their first Asian Cup final, where Afif played a crucial role by scoring a hat-trick of penalties that dashed Jordan’s hopes. Afif’s previous achievement in 2019 made him the third Qatari to win this award, joining the ranks of Khalfan Ibrahim and Abdelkarim Hassan, who are also his teammates.
In the women’s category, Australia’s Cortnee Vine, Japan’s Kiko Seike, and South Korea’s Kim Hye-ri will contend for the AFC Player of the Year award. Additionally, Australian defender Ellie Carpenter and Japanese midfielder Yui Hasegawa will vie for the Asian International Player of the Year title.
The 28th edition of the AFC Annual Awards will take place in Seoul, South Korea, on October 29.
Full List of Nominees
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AFC Player of the Year
Yazan Al Naimat (Al Ahli SC/Al Arabi SC and JOR)
Seol Young-woo (Ulsan HD/Crvena Zvezda and KOR)
Akram Afif (Al Sadd SC and QAT) -
AFC Women’s Player of the Year
Cortnee Vine (Sydney FC/North Carolina Courage and AUS)
Kiko Seike (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies/Brighton Hove & Albion and JPN)
Kim Hye-ri (Hyundai Steel Red Angels and KOR) -
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Men)
Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto/Internazionale and IRN)
Mousa Al Tamari (Montpellier HSC and JOR)
Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur and KOR) -
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women)
Ellie Carpenter (Olympique Lyonnais and AUS)
Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City and JPN) -
AFC Coach of the Year (Men)
Graham Arnold (Australia and AUS)
Go Oiwa (Japan U23 and JPN)
Hwang Sun-hong (Korea Republic U23 and KOR) - AFC Coach of the Year (Women)
Leah Blayney (Australia Women U20 and AUS)
Tomomi Miyamoto (Japan Women and JPN)
Park Youn-jeong (Korea Republic Women U20 and KOR)
