The Asian Football Confederation announced on Friday the final list of candidates for its annual awards, with Salem Al-Dawsari and Firas Al-Buraykan, the duo of the Saudi national team, competing for the best player award in the continent.
The ceremony to announce the winners of the awards is scheduled to be held this year in Bangkok, the Thai capital hosting the event for the second time, on November 19. The ceremony will honor a select group of continental stars across 19 award categories, including the best male and female players in Asia.
Saudi and Iranian competition
Al-Dawsari, captain of Al-Hilal and the Saudi national team, will compete for the best player in Asia award alongside his teammate Firas Al-Buraykan, striker of Al-Ahli, along with Iranian goalkeeper Ali Reza Beiranvand of Tractor SC. Al-Buraykan鈥檚 nomination for the award comes for the first time after a memorable season, during which he scored the winning goal in the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite final, which saw Al-Ahli claim the title for the second consecutive time.
The Asian Football Confederation noted that Salem Al-Dawsari, nominated for the third time in four editions of the awards, has the chance to achieve an unprecedented feat by winning the award for the third time, having previously won it in 2022 and 2025. The Saudi football legend increased his World Cup appearances to nine matches during the 2026 edition, sharing second place on the list of most Saudi players to participate in the tournament's history.
Global nominations
Beiranvand鈥檚 nomination came after his outstanding performance at the 2026 World Cup, which confirmed his "global capabilities," despite Iran's failure to qualify for the Round of 32 on goal difference. Meanwhile, the best female player in Asia award will be contested by Australian Holly McNamara, North Korean Kim Kyong Yong, and South Korean Kim Hae Ri.
At the same time, Li Kang, striker for Spanish club Atletico Madrid, hopes to retain the award for the best Asian professional player outside the continent, facing competition from Japanese striker Ayase Ueda of French club Lille and Dutch club Feyenoord player Hwang In-beom. The ceremony will also announce winners in other categories: best young female player in Asia, best young male player in Asia, best Asian female professional player outside the continent, best coach in Asia, and best female coach in Asia.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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