Firas Al-Buraikan faces a demanding schedule after the date of Al Ahli’s postponed Roshn Saudi League meeting with Al Nassr left him with less than 24 hours between a major Asian football event and the domestic classic.
The Al Ahli striker is one of the leading candidates for the 2026 AFC Player of the Year award, with the ceremony due to take place in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 19 November. He is competing for the individual honour alongside Al Hilal captain and Saudi Arabia international Salem Al-Dawsari, as well as Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
However, Al-Buraikan is expected to return to Saudi Arabia almost immediately after the ceremony, because Al Ahli are scheduled to play Al Nassr on Friday, 20 November. The fixture is the rearranged match from the ninth round of the Roshn Saudi League and comes less than a day after the awards event.
The timing has prompted questions over whether the schedule gives the player enough time to travel back, recover and prepare for one of the season’s most significant domestic fixtures.
The situation carries added interest because Al-Dawsari is also among the nominees for the Asian award. The contest between the two Saudi players gives the ceremony particular significance, while Al-Buraikan must manage two consecutive commitments: representing himself in Kuala Lumpur and then featuring for Al Ahli against Al Nassr.
The uncertainty is not limited to whether the striker will be able to attend the awards ceremony. Attention also centres on when he will leave Malaysia, how long the journey will take and how much rest he will have before the match.
International travel and the short interval between the two events could affect Al-Buraikan’s readiness for the Al Nassr fixture. At the same time, Al Ahli will require the services of one of their most prominent players for a high-profile meeting.
The scheduling has therefore raised a wider issue about how players’ continental commitments are accommodated alongside club obligations. That concern is particularly pronounced when the domestic fixture involved is a classic of the scale of Al Ahli against Al Nassr.
For Al-Buraikan, the immediate challenge is to balance his chance of winning the most prestigious individual award in Asian football with Al Ahli’s need for him in a match taking place the following day.
