FIFA has announced the nominees for the Golden Ball and other awards for the tournament ahead of the finals match between Japan and USA on Sunday.

The Adidas Golden Ball nominees list is composed of eight players. It is the highest award given to the best player at the Women's World Cup and is equivalent to the Most Valuable Player in a basketball tournament.

The United States found three of its players included in the list. Midfielders Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd along with defender Julie Johnston have been nominated for the prestigious award.

It is not a surprise that the defender was shortlisted given that she has not allowed any single goal from the defensive line of the back four in all of their matches since the competition began, noted Goal. The only slide was a penalty in their semifinal game against Germany but that did not include a defender in the play.

Another defender on the list is from England, Lucy Bronze. The 23-year-old was both very creative and useful in the defensive line as well as the attacking area. She score a goal against her team's match against Norway in the knockout stages and also netted another one in the quarterfinals versus Canada to help her team book a spot in the semifinals, reported BBC.

Of course, the tournament's top scorer Celia Sasic from Germany is also included in the list. She scored six goals in the entire competition.

Defending champions Japan found two of its players in the Golden Ball shortlist - midfielder Aya Miyama and defender Saori Ariyoshi. French player Amandine Henry rounds up the list of nominees.

An Adidas Silver and Bronze Ball awards will also be given to the second and third-best players, respectively.

Meanwhile, 2011 Golden Glove awardee Hope Solo finds herself among the 2015 Golden Glove list of nominees once again, reported FIFA.

Goalkeepers Ayumi Kaihori from Japan and Germany's Nadine Angerer are also nominated for the award given to the tournament's best goalkeeper.

Another award will be given to the competition's youngest player. The Hyundai Young Player award will be handed to the best football player that was born on July 1, 1995 or after.

Three players complete the youngest player award. Kadeisha Buchanan, the 19-year-old player from Canada, 19-year-old Ada Hegerberg from Norway and 20-year-old Jiali Tang from China are all nominated.

FIFA will also award a FIFA Fair Play Trophy to the team that embodied good sporting behavior throughout the tournament.

All the awards will be given after the finals match on July 5.