DUBAI: Al-Hilal and Saudi captain Salem Al-Dawsari is in line to win the AFC Men’s Player of the Year award for a third time after being nominated alongside international colleague and Al-Ahli forward Firas Al-Buraikan and Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand for the 2026 edition of the trophy.
The Asian Football Confederation’s list of nominees for its 2026 annual awards includes 19 categories, with the 30th edition of the ceremony taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 19.
Al-Dawsari is hoping to complete a hat-trick of awards, having previously won in 2022 and 2025. No player has managed the achievement before.
Al-Buraikan, meanwhile, is making his first appearance on the list of nominees for the award following his outstanding performance with Al-Ahli and the Saudi national team over the past year.
In April, the forward scored Al-Ahli’s winning goal in the 2026 AFC Champions League final victory over FC Machida Zelvia of Japan, and represented Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup during the summer. He recently finished as joint top scorer — with three goals — in Saudi Arabia’s victorious Arabian Gulf Cup campaign in Jeddah.
The women’s award will be contested by Australia’s Holly McNamara, North Korea’s Kim Kyong-yong and South Korea’s Kim Hye-ri.
On the administrative level, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is competing with its Japanese and Jordanian counterparts for the award of best national federation in Asia within the platinum category.