Al-Braikan and Al-Dosari compete with Beiranvand for the best player in Asia

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On Friday, the Asian Football Confederation announced a distinguished list of nominees for the annual AFC Awards, at the ceremony that will be held in the Thai capital, Bangkok, on November 19.

The 30th edition of this star-studded concert will be held in Thailand for the second time, since its capital, Bangkok, also hosted the event for the first time in 2017, as the Aksara Theater in the King Power Complex will host the concert again.

The continent's elite stars will be honored in 19 award categories during the grand ceremony, most notably the Best Player and Best Female Player in Asia awards, as revealed by the official website of the Asian Football Confederation.

Iranian Ali Reza Beiranvand is competing with Saudi duo Firas Al-Braikan and Salem Al-Dosari for the Best Player in Asia award, while Australian Holly McNamara, North Korean Kim Kyung-young and South Korean Kim Hye-ri are looking forward to winning the Best Player in Asia award.

Meanwhile, South Korean Lee Kang-in is looking forward to retaining the award for the best Asian professional player outside the continent, facing competition from his compatriot Hwang In-beom and Japan's Ayase Ueda, while Japanese Yui Hasegawa gets her third consecutive nomination in the women's category, which also includes Australian Alana Kennedy and her compatriot Caitlin Ford.

Joseph Montemurro, coach of the Australian women's national team, Joe Kuroda, coach of Japan's Machida Zelvia team, and Sadayoshi Shirai, coach of Japan's under-17 women's national team, will compete for the first time for the Best Coach in Asia award.

On the other hand, Marzia Jafari, coach of the Iranian Bam Khatoon team, and Park Yeon-jung, coach of the South Korean U-20 women’s national team, are seeking to win the award for the second time in the women’s category, which also includes Ma Xiaoshu, coach of the Chinese U-17 women’s national team.

Japanese rising star Ryunosuke Sato is competing for the Best Young Player in Asia Award (men), along with his compatriots Maki Kitahara and Rion Ichihara, while the women’s category includes two players from North Korea, Kim Won-sim and Yu Jong-hyang, along with Japan’s Noa Fukushima.

It also includes the list of nominees for the Asian Football Confederation Awards (Bangkok 2026)

Best Futsal Player in Asia Award: Iranian Hossein Taibi, his compatriot Saeed Ahmed Abbasi, and Thai Muhammad Othman Musa.

Best National Federation Award (Platinum Category): Japan Football Association, Jordanian Football Association, Saudi Football Federation

Best National Association Award (Diamond Category): Chinese Football Association, Thai Football Association, Vietnam Football Association

Best National Association Award (Gold Category): Hong Kong Football Association, Indian Football Association, Malaysia Football Association.

Best National Association Award (Ruby Category): Bangladesh Football Association, Guam Football Association, Laos Football Federation

Best Regional Association Award: ASEAN Football Confederation, Central Asian Football Confederation, South Asian Football Confederation

AFC President's Appreciation Award for Promising Players (Gold Category): Football Federation Australia, Football Federation of Iran, Japan Football Association

AFC President's Appreciation Award for Promising Players (Silver Category): Bangladesh Football Association, Guam Football Association, Indian Football Association

AFC President's Appreciation Award for Promising Players (Bronze Category): Cambodia Football Association, Indonesia Football Association, Myanmar Football Association.

Appreciation Award for Hosting the Women's Asian Cup: Football Federation Australia

Asia Diamond Award: The winner will be announced during the ceremony