AFC Awards 2026: Indonesia Nominated for the Asian Grassroots Football Award

The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) has been nominated for the Bronze category of the AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football at the AFC Awards 2026. Indonesia will compete against the Football Federation of Cambodia and the Myanmar Football Federation for this grassroots Football Development accolade.

PSSI's inclusion on the nomination list places Indonesia among member associations of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that have earned formal attention for their base-level football development programs.

This grassroots football development category nomination forms part of the 30th edition of the AFC Awards. This annual event recognises and honours players, coaches, industry figures, and football associations across the Asian region.

PSSI Competing in the Bronze Category

The AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football is presented to reward outstanding grassroots football development work across Asia. This award is structured across three tiers: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

Within the Bronze category, PSSI will contest the award against the national football federations of Cambodia and Myanmar. This nomination presents Indonesia with an opportunity to secure official recognition for its ongoing grassroots football development efforts.

For the Gold category, the three nominated associations are Football Australia, the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Japan Football Association.

Nominations for the Silver category include the Bangladesh Football Federation, Guam Football Association, and All India Football Federation.

AFC Awards 2026 to Be Hosted in Bangkok

The 2026 AFC Awards are scheduled to take place at the Aksra Theatre King Power in Bangkok, Thailand, on 19 November 2026 local time. This 30th edition will present honours across 19 categories, with the AFC Player of the Year title established as one of the flagship awards.

For the Men's AFC Player of the Year award, the final candidates are Alireza Beiranvand, Feras Al Brikan, and Salem Al Dawsari. Meanwhile Holly McNamara, Kim Kyong Yong, and Kim Hye-ri are in contention for the Women's AFC Player of the Year honour.

In the Men's AFC International Player of the Year category, Lee Kang-in, Ayase Ueda, and Hwang In-beom are the nominated finalists. For the women's equivalent award, Yui Hasegawa earns her third consecutive nomination, competing alongside Alanna Kennedy and Caitlin Foord.

For coaching honours, Joseph Montemurro, Go Kuroda, and Sadayoshi Shirai all receive their first ever nomination for Men's AFC Coach of the Year. In the Women's Coach of the Year category, Marziyeh Jafari, Park Youn-jeong, and Ma Xiaoxu are the competing finalists.

Competition is also close in the youth player categories. Ryunosuke Sato will face fellow Japanese athletes Maki Kitahara and Rion Ichihara for the AFC Young Player of the Year men's title. For the women's category, two North Korean players Kim Won Sim and Yu Jong Hyang will contest the award against Japanese competitor Noa Fukushima.

Full 2026 AFC Awards Nomination List:

AFC Player of the Year (Men)
Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor FC / Iran)
Feras Al Brikan (Al Ahli Saudi FC / Saudi Arabia)
Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal SFC / Saudi Arabia)

AFC Player of the Year (Women)
Holly McNamara (Melbourne City FC / Everton, Australia)
Kim Kyong Yong (Naegohyang Women's FC, North Korea)
Kim Hye-ri (Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC / Suwon FC Women, South Korea)

AFC International Player of the Year (Men)
Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord Rotterdam (Netherlands) / LOSC Lille (France), Japan)
Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord Rotterdam (Netherlands) / FC Porto (Portugal), South Korea)
Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain FC (France) / Atlético de Madrid (Spain), South Korea)

AFC International Player of the Year (Women)
Alanna Kennedy (London City Lionesses (England), Australia)
Caitlin Foord (Arsenal Women FC (England), Australia)
Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City Women FC (England), Japan)

AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Hossein Tayebi (Gohar Zamin, Iran)
Saeid Ahmad Abbasi (Giti Pasand, Iran)
Muhammad Osamanmusa (Jimbee Cartagena (Spain), Thailand)

AFC Coach of the Year (Men)
Joseph Montemurro (Australia Women's National Team, Australia)
Go Kuroda (FC Machida Zelvia, Japan)
Sadayoshi Shirai (Japan U17 Women's National Team, Japan)

AFC Coach of the Year (Women)
Ma Xiaoxu (China PR U17 Women's National Team, China)
Marziyeh Jafari (Bam Khatoon Women's FC, Iran)
Park Youn-jeong (Korea Republic U20 Women's National Team, South Korea)

AFC Young Player of the Year (Men)
Maki Kitahara (FC Tokyo, Japan)
Rion Ichihara (AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Japan)
Ryunosuke Sato (FC Tokyo (Japan) / Valencia CF (Spain), Japan)

AFC Young Player of the Year (Women)
Kim Won Sim (Pyongyang International Football School / 4.25 SC, North Korea)
Yu Jong Hyang (4.25 SC, North Korea)
Noa Fukushima (JFA Academy Fukushima, Japan)

AFC Member Association of the Year (Platinum)
Japan Football Association, Japan
Jordan Football Association, Jordan
Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Saudi Arabia

AFC Member Association of the Year (Diamond)
Chinese Football Association, China
The Football Association of Thailand, Thailand
Vietnam Football Federation, Vietnam

AFC Member Association of the Year (Gold)
The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited, Hong Kong
All India Football Federation, India
Football Association of Malaysia, Malaysia

AFC Member Association of the Year (Ruby)
Bangladesh Football Federation, Bangladesh
Guam Football Association, Guam
Lao Football Federation, Laos

AFC Regional Association of the Year
ASEAN Football Federation (AFF)
Central Asian Football Association (CAFA)
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)

AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football (Gold)
Football Australia, Australia
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran
Japan Football Association, Japan

AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football (Silver)
Bangladesh Football Federation, Bangladesh
Guam Football Association, Guam
All India Football Federation, India

AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football (Bronze)
Football Federation of Cambodia, Cambodia
Football Association of Indonesia, Indonesia
Myanmar Football Federation, Myanmar

AFC Women's Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award
Football Australia, Australia

AFC Diamond of Asia Award
The recipient will be announced live during the awards ceremony.