Akram Afif shines again during Qatar Football Association Awards night

The Raffles Doha hotel hosted the Qatar Football Association Awards ceremony for the 2025-26 season on Monday. The event was attended by VIPs, guests, invitees, club presidents and representatives, technical and administrative staff, players, and media representatives.

The most outstanding achievements of the season were recognized during the awards ceremony.

BEST PLAYER

Al Sadd star Akram Afif won the Best Player Award for the third time in a row. Afif, who continued his strong performance and outstanding contributions, is winning the award for the sixth time overall. He received the highest percentage of votes in the voting process, after competing with Al Shamal’s Baghdad Bounedjah and Al Rayyan’s Roger Guedes.

BEST COACH

Al Shamal’s David Prats, who helped his team finish as runners-up in the Qatar Stars League, received the highest percentage of votes. He beat out Al Sadd’s Roberto Mancini and Al Rayyan’s Vicente Moreno to the top title.

BEST GOALKEEPER AWARD

Al Rayyan’s Mahmoud Abunada fended off competition from Al Arabi’s Jassim Al Hail and Al Sadd’s Meshaal Barsham to be elected as the safest pair of hands in Qatar in the last season.

BEST UNDER-23 PLAYER

Al Gharafa’s Ayoub Al Oui emerged as the most promising young player, beating Al Shamal’s Mohamed Manai and Al Duhail’s Mubarak Shanan to the title.

MANSOUR MUFTAH AWARD (TOP SCORER)

Al Rayyan’s Brazilian forward Roger Guedes scored 21 goals in the 2025-26 Doha Bank Stars League to emerge as the season’s top scorer.

BEST REFEREES

Mohammed Al Mazeed was chosen as the season’s Best Referee, while Saoud Ahmed (Best Assistant Referee), Yousef Aref (Best Assistant Referee), and Meshari Al Shammari (Best Video Assistant Referee – VAR) won the other awards.

BEST FANS

Al Sadd club fans won the award this year, based on average fan attendance during the league and other established criteria for the award.

FOOTBALL FOR ALL AWARD

The award, given by the QFA Awards Board of Trustees to organisations or individuals making a significant contribution to promote the culture of football in society, was won by the ‘Match for Hope’ initiative.

---

Stay updated with the latest news, events, sports updates, business insights, real estate and lifestyle stories on Qatar Living - the leading online platform for residents, expats, and visitors in Qatar.

Follow Qatar Living for daily updates:

Instagram - @qatarliving

X - @qatarliving

Facebook - Qatar Living

YouTube - qatarlivingofficial