October 16 – Saudi Arabia’s talismanic striker Salem Al Dawsari was named the AFC Player of the Year 2025 at the AFC Awards in Riyadh last night. Japan star Hana Takahashi took the AFC Women’s Player of the Year.
The AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 capped a week of AFC meetings and the final match of the AFC’s 2026 qualification tournament with Saudi securing their spot for next summer in the World Cup co-hosted in the US, Mexico and Canada. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup.
Al Dawsari’s win is the second time the 34-year-old has scooped the award, having also won in 2022. He is the first Saudi Arabian to repeat the feat, and only the fourth player ever ever do so after Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata, Qatar’s Akram Afif and Uzbekistan’s Server Djeparov.
Afif was in the final three nominations and was also in game winning action for Qatar as the qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals on Wednesday night.
Al Dawsari’s 2024/25 season saw him finish as top scorer in the AFC Champions League Elite as Al Hilal SFC reached the last four. He also starred in their run to the quarter finals of the Club World Cup. At domestic level, he became the all-time assist leader in the Saudi Pro League and scored 15 times.
“I want to thank everyone who has supported me in achieving this award. This achievement is not the end of the road, but rather the beginning of greater ambitions. I will continue to work to raise my national flag high on the international stage,” said Al Dawsari.
Takahashi, 25, was rewarded for a series of sparkling performances for her country and Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies club who won Japan’s domestic cup alongside a third-placed league finish. In the AFC Women’s Champions League they reached the Quarter-finals.
Primarily a defender she was also used up front, scoring 12 times across all competitions.
She was a key member of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup-winning squad, and is the sixth different Japanese winner of this award.
The 29th edition of the awards gala crowned winners across 18 other categories at the iconic King Fahad Cultural Center.
For masterminding DPR Korea’s stunning title wins at both the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2024 and AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2024, Ri Song Ho was named the AFC Coach of the Year (Men).
Marziyeh Jafari of Iran became the first-ever AFC Coach of the Year (Women) winner from her country for her achievements with Bam Khatoon Women’s FC and the Iran women’s national team, who have qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia.
Salar Aghapour became the seventh Iran recipient of the AFC Futsal Player of the Year trophy, starring at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 where he netted six goals.
Korea Republic sensation Lee Kang-in picked up his first AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Men) award following a season where he won the UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and also helped the Taegeuk Warriors qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women) trophy went to Japan’s Maika Hamano, who won a domestic treble with Chelsea FC and played her part in the Nadeshiko’s SheBelieves Cup success.
The first-ever Australian nominee for the AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men), Alex Badolato, added the accolade to his AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025 winners’ medal, where he took Most Valuable Player honours. Off the back of winning both the FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cup titles, Choe Il Son of DPR Korea was recognised as the AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women).
Asian football’s highest individual accolade, the AFC Diamond of Asia, was bestowed upon The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited’s Honorary President Timothy Fok, who is the 18th recipient of the award.
The AFC’s Member Associations and Regional Associations were also recognised with DPR Korea’s remarkable feats of sweeping both the Asian and world titles at U17 and U20 women’s levels seeing the FA receive the AFC President’s Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Full list of Award winners:
AFC Diamond of Asia
Timothy Fok Tsun Ting
AFC President’s Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement
DPR Korea Football Association
AFC Member Association of the Year
Platinum: Saudi Arabian Football Federation
Diamond: The Football Association of Thailand
Gold: The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited
Ruby: Lao Football Federation
AFC Regional Association of the Year
ASEAN Football Federation
AFC President’s Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football
Gold: United Arab Emirates Football Association
Silver: Football Association of Malaysia
Bronze: Bangladesh Football Federation
AFC Coach of the Year (Women)
Marziyeh Jafari (Bam Khatoon Women’s FC and IRN)
AFC Coach of the Year (Men)
Ri Song Ho (DPR Korea U20 Women and PRK)
AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Salar Aghapour (Gohar Zamin and IRN)
AFC Women’s Player of the Year
Hana Takahashi (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies and JPN)
AFC Player of the Year
Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal SFC and KSA)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women)
Maika Hamano (Chelsea FC and JPN)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Men)
Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain and KOR)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women)
Choe Il Son (4.25 SC and PRK)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men)
Alex Badolato (Melbourne Victory and AUS)
AFC Referees Special Award
Alireza Faghani (AUS)
Anton Shchetinin (AUS)
Ashley Beecham (AUS)
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1760701706labto1760701706ofdlr1760701706owedi1760701706sni@n1760701706osloh1760701706cin.l1760701706uap1760701706
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