An esteemed name in the Asian coaching landscape, Jafari was honored for successfully leading Iran through the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers, sealing a second consecutive appearance at the Continental showpiece after their debut in 2022.
Requiring nothing less than victory in their final Group Stage showdown against Jordan, Jafari masterminded a vital 2-1 win to seal qualification—a feat made more remarkable by the fact that she had only taken charge around three months prior.
The 43-year-old, only the third nominee from Iran after Shahrzad Mozafar (2010) and Katayoun Khosroyar (2019), is now the 15th winner of this accolade, which also recognized her achievements at club level with Bam Khatoon Women’s FC.
Before helming Iran’s women’s national team, Jafari had led Bam Khatoon from the Preliminary Stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2024-25 all the way to the Quarter-finals.