▲ Lee Kang-in (left) and Hwang In-beom singing the national anthem.
South Korean national football team players Lee Kang-in (Atlético Madrid) and Hwang In-beom (Porto) have been nominated for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Men's International Player of the Year for 2026.
The AFC unveiled the shortlisted nominees across 19 categories for the AFC Annual Awards 2026 today.
Lee and Hwang were named nominees for the Men's International Player of the Year alongside Japan's Ayase Ueda (Lille).
The International Player of the Year award is presented to the AFC member association player playing outside of Asia who has delivered the most outstanding performances over the year.
Among South Korean players, Son Heung-min (LAFC) has won the award four times (2015, 2017, 2019, and 2023), while Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich, 2022) and Lee Kang-in (2025) have each won it once.
Lee is now aiming for his second consecutive victory.
During the 2025–2026 season while playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Lee contributed to winning the UEFA Champions League and the French regular league (Ligue 1).
Ahead of the 2026–2027 season, he transferred to Atlético Madrid and is continuing his strong form.
Hwang transferred from Feyenoord (Netherlands) to Porto (Portugal) ahead of this season, and he led South Korea to a 2–1 victory by recording one goal and one assist in the first group stage match against the Czech Republic at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.
Veteran national team defender Kim Hye-ri (Suwon FC Women) has been selected as a nominee for the AFC Women's Player of the Year.
Kim, who led Suwon FC Women to the semifinals of the 2025–2026 AFC Women's Champions League, will compete against Australia's Holly McNamara (Everton) and North Korea's Kim Kyong-yong (Naegohyang Women's FC).
Park Yoon-jung, head coach of the under-20 (U-20) women's national football team, has been nominated for the AFC Women's Coach of the Year award.
This year's AFC Annual Awards ceremony will be held on November 19 in Bangkok, Thailand.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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