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Nepal national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Nepal women's national football team.


Quick facts for kids
Nepal
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Gorkhalis
Association All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation SAFF (South Asia)
Head coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese
Captain Kiran Chemjong
Most caps Kiran Chemjong (100)
Top scorer Hari Khadka
Nirajan Rayamajhi
Anjan Bista (13)
Home stadium Dasharath Stadium
FIFA code NEP
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 161 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 124 (December 1993 – February 1994)
Lowest 196 (January 2016)
Elo ranking
Current 201 Increase 1 (3 March 2019)
Highest 168 (23 November 1987)
Lowest 210 (1 May 1999)
First international
 China 6–2 Nepal   
(Beijing, China; 13 October 1972)
Biggest win
   Nepal 7–0 Bhutan 
(Kathmandu, Nepal; 26 September 1999)
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 16–0 Nepal   
(Incheon, South Korea; 29 September 2003)
SAFF Championship
Appearances 13 (first in 1993)
Best result Runners-up (2021)
AFC Solidarity Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2016)
Best result Champions (2016)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances 3 (first in 2006)
Best result Semi-finals (2006)

The Nepal national football team (Nepali: नेपाल राष्ट्रिय फुटबल टिम) represents Nepal in International men's football, and is governed by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). A member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Nepali football team plays their home games at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.

History

Origins (1921–1993)

Football in Nepal had been a national sport as early as 1921 during the Rana dynasty. Several clubs were formed and several domestic tournaments such as the Ram Janaki Cup (1934), and the Tribhuvan Challenge Shield (1948) were organized. In 1951, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) was founded, and this saw the formation of the Nepal national football team.

Emergence (1963–1970)

In 1963, Nepal appeared in their first international away game in the Aga Khan Gold Cup; the predecessor of the President's Gold Cup, Asia Champion Club Tournament, and Asian Club Championship (now rebranded as the AFC Champions League) after various associations (including ANFA) insisted on entering national teams instead of clubs. After Nepal entered an 18-man squad, ANFA flew the players to Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to play their first match. Nepal faced Western Railway, a Pakistani team in the Bangabandhu National Stadium. However, Nepal lost the match 0–7. Two days later, Nepal played the Dhaka Wanderers, a local East Pakistani team. This match was also lost 0–7. After two disastrous games, Nepal was sure to be knocked out of the preliminary round. The final game was against Dhaka Police Club, though, despite the previous heavy losses, Nepal managed to win the game with a single goal, Prakash Bikram Shah becoming the first Nepali to score on foreign soil. The goal was scored in the 19th minute.

Modernization & golden generation (1970–1999)

In 1970, Nepal became a member of FIFA. Two years later, Nepal joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). With this, Nepal played their first international match on 13 October 1972, where they lost 2–6 to the People's Republic of China. The first Nepali footballer to score the first international goal for Nepal in a FIFA-recognized tournament was Y.B Ghale. Ghale scored against Kuwait in the 1982 Asian Games. Despite the popularity of the game, the lack of appropriate footballing infrastructure and the dearth of trainers, technicians, and other facilities have always been obstacles in the way of the Nepali FA's endeavors to raise the standard of football among the players of a nation that has an official per capita income of just 1,196 US dollars. The woes of Nepali football, however, have been immensely relieved by FIFA's determination to promote football in Nepal through youth programs.

In the mid-1980s, FIFA provided financial assistance and sent a number of coaches to help Nepal's federation to launch its first youth program, which was geared towards spotting talent at the grassroots level (such as in schools, for example) and providing young players with the necessary know-how, both on and off the pitch. The initial five-year plan helped half the players groomed under the first youth program to find a place in the national side, and the team that won the 2 gold medals in the first and sixth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games mostly consisted of the players from that youth program. Despite Nepal being considered among the lower-ranked nations, Nepal has been largely successful in the South Asian Games where they won two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals.

Nepal hosted several notable friendlies from teams outside the Asian Confederation during the mid to late 80s, against Denmark in 1986; USSR and East Germany in 1987; and West Germany in 1989. While at the same time, Nepal still entered tournaments against club sides such as FC Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast in the 1989 ANFA Cup.

Nepal continued on with their winning ways through several minor tournaments which saw the nation showered with titles including the 1997 and 1998 Governor's Gold Cup, winning gold at the 1993 South Asian Games, and reaching 3rd place in the 1993 South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup (the first edition of the SAFF Championship).

Decline (2000–2009)

The Nepali football came across a forgettable two years from 2001 to 2003 when the row between two factions (government-backed and FIFA-backed) led Nepali football into deep trouble. Nepal faced a ban and therefore could not participate in any events and the rankings slipped heavily. The dispute was settled, but not before it contributed to pushing Nepali football backward. Nepal celebrated their 100th international football match in January 2003 when they played Bangladesh in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship. Nepal failed to make any real impact at the tournament. During its 22 years of international participation, the Nepali team has only played 26 nations outside of South Asia, but it has defeated all of the country's South Asian neighbors during various regional tournaments. Nepal also faced non-AFC teams in competitive tournaments such as Ghana U23 in the 1999 Bangabandhu Cup, and Kazakhstan in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign (although Kazakhstan was a member of the AFC during this match).

Despite many attempts to raise the standard of football, the players of the resource-strapped nation have not been able to make their mark in international football beyond South Asia. In 2003 during the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, Nepal's A national team suffered a number of heavy defeats in international matches outside of South Asia. In a match during the Asian Cup qualifying round in South Korea, the hosts scored 16 goals to no reply. In their six matches, Nepal conceded 45 goals and failed to hit the back of the net even once. However, the qualifying competition for the 2002 FIFA World Cup witnessed one of Nepal's best performances in international football, with the Gorkhalis securing two wins in four matches and scoring 13 goals in two matches against Macao and Iraq. But with the Nepali national and youth teams failing to achieve any noticeable success at the international level and FIFA introducing new age restriction systems in several international tournaments, Nepal recently decided to compete only in the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers as well as the SAFF Championship until 2006.

Resurgence (2010–present)

After the marquee appointments of Graham Roberts, Nepal had experienced a fair amount of success following the decade of decline. Nepal won Saff U-19 championship in 2015 and 3 major tournaments in 2016, the Bangabandhu Cup and the AFC Solidarity Cup and won a gold medal in 2016 South Asian Games. Nepal lost no match in 2016.

Nepal managed a good performance in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification, even though the team was chosen as a replacement for the Guam national football team as Guam chose not to participate. Nepal had two successful draws against much stronger Philippines and Yemen at home, both ended 0–0. However, as the team lost to Tajikistan twice and away loss to the Philippines and Yemen, the Nepalis failed to qualify to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Nepal participated in the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification where they have to face strong Australia, Kuwait and Jordan, alongside minnows Chinese Taipei. The Nepalis only managed one single win over Chinese Taipei away 2–0, and lost to the other opponents without scoring a goal after five matches.

Nepal participated in the 2021 SAFF Championship Managing to qualify from the group 2nd place behind India. They fought but Nepal couldn't win against the Blue Tigers and lost by 3–0.

In October 2023, Nepal participated in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Laos. The first leg contested in a goalless draw between both team where else on 17 October 2023, Manish Dangi scored the only goal in the match to secured the victory for Nepal seeing them advanced to the second round.

In March 2024, Nepal lost to Bahrain 0-3 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match which eliminated the team from advancing to the next round.

Home stadium

Main page: Dasarath Rangasala Stadium
Dasarath Stadium during 2022 SAFF Women's Championship Final match
Dasarath Rangasala Stadium

The team's home ground is various around the nation one of the ground being Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal. Holding 15,000 spectators all of which are beautifully seated. It is the biggest stadium in Nepal. It is named after Dashrath Chand, one of the martyrs of Nepal.

Most recently, the stadium was used as a primary venue for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2013 SAFF Championship, with the Halchowk Stadium hosting some of the matches as well.

Apart from sporting events, the stadium is also used as a music venue for cultural events with Bryan Adams being the most notable act that performed at the site.

Before the 2013 SAFF Championship in Nepal, the stadium underwent a heavy renovation that saw several improvements such as the expansion of seats from 20,000 to 28,000.

The country also has some recently added stadiums that include Pokhara football stadium located at Pokhara Rangasala which has recently been constructed in 2021.

Team image

Kit evolution

The national team's kit employs a tricolor of red, blue, and white to reflect the colors of the national flag of Nepal. With red being used for home matches, and blue for away. The pattern in some kits reflects the triangular shaping of the flag, namely the 2013 kit. Nepal's kits are mostly template kits, as opposed to a custom team-specific kit. This is because the Nepal national team isn't lucrative enough to afford kit partnership deals with manufacturers.

Very little is known about the history prior to 1998. However, during the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, the Nepali national team hired Bijay Shah to provide technical assistance to the squad, while also acting as the assistant coach. At the time, the team didn't have printed sportswear for the tournament. After printing makeshift kits, Bijay was inspired to start a T-shirt printing company known as , where through the partnership with a US printing company, and colleagues in South Korea, they produced their first batch of kits for the national team prior to the 1999 South Asian Games.

On 4 March 2019, ANFA has revealed two new jerseys for members of the national football team along with new national football anthem. The new jerseys have ANFA logo on the left where used to be national flag in the old jerseys. There is also national flag and picture of Mount Everest above the ANFA logo. This new sign is designed by Sandeep Tiwari. ANFA also made provision of white jerseys for friendly matches.

In 2021, ANFA ended the contract with Kelme, the previous kit sponsor, and signed with KTM CTY.

Nepal Red & Blue

See also: Nepal national football B team

During the ANFA Cup, the All Nepal Football Association occasionally entered two teams for Nepal; Nepal Red & Nepal Blue. This is very much akin to other South Asian teams such as Pakistan (Pakistan Green & Pakistan White, 1993 SAFF Championship; Pakistan Reds, 1976 Quaid-e-Azam exhibition matches), and Bangladesh (Bangladesh Red, 1983 President's Gold Cup). Nepal Red was a selection of Nepali players that played as the full Nepal national football team. Whereas, Nepal Blue was effectively the B-team.

Most of the Nepali top players play in the Nepal Red team, and it is also described as "the Nepal senior team", and is captained by the regular national team captain. While Nepal Blue is described as the "second string team".

Results and fixtures

Main page: Nepal national football team results (2010–present)
See also: Nepal national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2024

Coaching staff

Head coach Italy Vincenzo Alberto Annese
Assistant coach Nepal Prabesh Katuwal
Goalkeeping coach Nepal Binod Dangol
Team manager Nepal Uttam Raj Bhandari
Physiotherapist Nepal Avishkar Pudasaini

Coaching history

Head coach Career P W D L Win % Competitions Comment Ref.
West Germany Rudi Gutendorf 1981–82 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1982 Asian Games
West Germany Jochen Figge 1984–85 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1984 South Asian Games: Gold medalist
West Germany Rudi Gutendorf 1986 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000
Republic of Ireland Joe Kinnear 1987 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1987 South Asian Games: Silver medalist
West Germany Reinhard Fabisch 1989 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000
Nepal Dhan Bahadur Basnet 1989–91 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000
Nepal Maheshwor Mulmi
Germany Holger Obermann		 1991–93 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1991 South Asian Games
1993 SAARC Gold Cup: Third place		 Although both Obermann and Mulmi were heavily involved in the national team during these years, Obermann was hired by the All Nepal Football Association as a 'Technical Director'
Nepal Dhan Bahadur Basnet 1993–94 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1993 South Asian Games: Gold medalist

1994 Asian Games
Nepal Maheshwor Mulmi 1995 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1995 Bristol SAFF Gold Cup
Nepal Yogambar Suwal 1995 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1995 South Asian Games
Nepal Bhim Thapa 1996 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1996 AFC Asian Cup: Failed to qualify
Nepal Yogambar Suwal 1997 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1998 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify
Nepal Dhan Bahadur Basnet 1997 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1997 SAFF Gold Cup
South Korea Yoo Kee-heung 1998 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1998 Asian Games
Germany Torsten Spittler 1999 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1999 SAFF Gold Cup: Fourth place
England Stephen Constantine 1999–01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 1999 South Asian Games: Silver medalist
2000 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament: Finalist
Nepal Maheshwor Mulmi 2001 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2002 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify
South Korea Yoo Kee-heung 2003 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2003 SAFF Gold Cup: Group stage
Japan Toshihiko Shiozawa 2005–06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2005 SAFF Gold Cup: Group stage
India Shyam Thapa 2006–07 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2006 AFC Challenge Cup: Semi-final
2010 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify
Germany Thomas Flath 2008 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2008 SAFF Championship: Group stage
Nepal Birat Krishna Shrestha 2008 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2008 AFC Challenge Cup: Group stage
Nepal Krishna Thapa 2008–09 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2008 Merdeka Tournament: Group stage
Nepal Yogamber Suwal 2009 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2009 Prime Minister's Invitational Tournament: Champions
2010 AFC Challenge Cup: Failed to qualify
Nepal Krishna Thapa 2009–11 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2009 SAFF Championship: Group stage
England Graham Roberts 2011–12 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2011 SAFF Championship: Semi-final
2014 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify
2012 AFC Challenge Cup: Group stage		 Reached Round 2 in the World Cup qualifiers for the first time
Nepal Krishna Thapa 2012 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2012 Nehru Cup
United States Jack Stefanowski 2013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2013 SAFF Championship: Semi-final
2014 AFC Challenge Cup: Failed to qualify
Nepal Raju Kaji Shakya 2014 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000
United States Jack Stefanowski 2014–15 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000 2018 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify
Nepal Dhruba KC 2015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&&0-2.1000000- &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&01000
Belgium Patrick Aussems 2015–16 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 2015 SAFF Championship: Group stage
Nepal Bal Gopal Maharjan 2016 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&060.&&&&&060 2016 Bangabandhu Cup: Champions Earned Nepal's first major title in 23 years
Japan Koji Gyotoku 2016–2018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup: Champions Earned Nepal's first AFC title
Nepal Bal Gopal Maharjan 2018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033 2018 SAFF Championship: Semi-final
2018 Bangabandhu Cup: Group stage		 Interim Coach
Sweden Johan Kalin 2019–2020 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017
Nepal Bal Gopal Maharjan 2020–21 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020
Kuwait Abdullah Al Mutairi 2021–2022 &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 &&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028 2021 SAFF Championship runner up
United States Pradip Humagain 2022 1 1 0 0 100 - Interim Coach
Nepal Prabesh Katuwal 2022 1 1 0 0 100
Italy Vincenzo Alberto Annese 2023 10 3 3 4 33 2023 SAFF Championship: Group stage

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round matches against  Bahrain on 21 and 26 March 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 March 2024 after the game against  Bahrain.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Kiran Chemjong (captain) (1990-03-20) 20 March 1990 (age 34) 100 0 India Punjab
1GK Abishek Baral (2000-04-09) 9 April 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Nepal Kathmandu Rayzrs
1GK Bishal Sunar (2002-02-09) 9 February 2002 (age 22) 1 0 Nepal Friends Club
2DF Abhishek Limbu 2 0 Nepal Chyasal Youth Club
2DF Saubhagya Rai (1997-06-23) 23 June 1997 (age 26) 2 0 Nepal Pokhara Thunders
2DF Sanish Shrestha (2000-11-09) 9 November 2000 (age 23) 15 0 Nepal Lalitpur City
2DF Chhiring Lama (2002-04-07) 7 April 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Nepal Jhapa
2DF Ananta Tamang (1998-01-17) 17 January 1998 (age 26) 62 4 Nepal Lalitpur City
2DF Sumit Shrestha (2004-01-30) 30 January 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Nepal Jhapa
2DF Ajay Chaudhury (2004-03-19) 19 March 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Nepal New Road Team
3MF Laken Limbu (2002-07-24) 24 July 2002 (age 21) 11 0 Nepal Jhapa
3MF Utsav Rai (2003-11-29) 29 November 2003 (age 20) 6 0 Nepal Chitwan
3MF Manish Dangi (2001-09-17) 17 September 2001 (age 22) 31 4 Thailand Rayong
3MF Bharat Khawas (1991-07-22) 22 July 1991 (age 32) 61 10 Nepal Tribhuwan Army Club
3MF Mani Kumar Lama (1996-03-24) 24 March 1996 (age 28) 2 0 Nepal Butwal Lumbini
3MF Rohan Karki (2002-09-21) 21 September 2002 (age 21) 2 0 Nepal Dhangadhi
3MF Bishal Basnet (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 (age 21) 1 0 Nepal Khumaltar
4FW Anjan Bista (1998-05-15) 15 May 1998 (age 25) 65 13 Free Agent
4FW Gillespye Jung Karki (1998-11-19) 19 November 1998 (age 25) 7 0 Nepal Butwal Lumbini
4FW Hisub Thapaliya (1999-01-16) 16 January 1999 (age 25) 8 0 Nepal Kathmandu Rayzrs
4FW Sanjeeb Bista (2002-02-17) 17 February 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Nepal Pokhara Thunders
4FW Dinesh Henjan (2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 23) 6 0 Nepal Lalitpur City
4FW Samir Tamang (2006-01-01) 1 January 2006 (age 18) 2 0 Free agent

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to a Nepal squad in the last 12 months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Deep Karki (1998-01-09) 9 January 1998 (age 26) 5 0 Nepal Birgunj United 2026 WCQ R2
GK Bishal Shrestha (1992-09-02) 2 September 1992 (age 31) 1 0 Nepal Chitwan 2023 SAFF Championship
DF Yogesh Gurung (2002-03-17) 17 March 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Nepal Jhapa 2026 WCQ R2
DF Anjan Rai (1994-12-15) 15 December 1994 (age 29) 1 0 Nepal Kathmandu Rayzrs 2026 WCQ R2
DF Amrit Shrestha (1996-12-29) 29 December 1996 (age 27) 2 0 Nepal Chitwan 2026 WCQ R2
DF Arik Bista (2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24) 25 0 India Shillong Lajong FC 2026 WCQ R2
DF Rohit Chand (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 32) 90 0 Indonesia Persik Kediri 2026 WCQ R2
DF Devendra Tamang (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 30) 19 0 Nepal Dhangadhi 2023 SAFF Championship
DF Nishan Khadka (1997-01-26) 26 January 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Nepal Sankata 2023 SAFF Championship
DF Bimal Panday (1990-01-21) 21 January 1990 (age 34) 3 0 Nepal Tribhuwan Army Club 2023 SAFF Championship
DF Simanta Thapa (1998-02-09) 9 February 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Nepal Birgunj United 2023 SAFF Championship
MF Sesehang Aangdembe (2000-11-03) 3 November 2000 (age 23) 9 0 Nepal Lalitpur City 2026 WCQ R2
MF Nishan Hamal (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Portugal Nepzum 2026 WCQ R2
MF Kritish Ratna Chhunju (2003-04-11) 11 April 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Nepal Dhangadhi 2026 WCQ R2
MF Pujan Uparkoti (1996-05-09) 9 May 1996 (age 27) 23 0 Nepal Free agent 2023 SAFF Championship
MF Nabin Lama (1992-03-25) 25 March 1992 (age 32) 6 0 Nepal Ilam De Mechi 2023 SAFF Championship
MF Awas Lamichhane (2001-02-11) 11 February 2001 (age 23) 9 0 Nepal Nepal A.P.F. Club 2026 WCQ R1
FW Aashish Chaudhary (2001-01-23) 23 January 2001 (age 23) 9 1 Nepal Machhindra 2026 WCQ R2
FW Rajesh Pariyar (2000-01-29) 29 January 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Nepal Chitwan 2026 WCQ R2
FW Ayush Ghalan (2004-02-21) 21 February 2004 (age 20) 24 2 Nepal Pokhara Thunders 2026 WCQ R2
Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury.
  • PRE = Preliminary squad / standby.
  • RET = Retired from the national team.
  • SUS = Serving suspension.
  • WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Player records

Players in bold are still active with Nepal.

Most appearances

Kiran Chemjong by @SubasTheOne
Kiran Chemjong is Nepal's highest capped player with 100 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Kiran Chemjong 100 0 2008–present
2 Raju Kaji Shakya 91 0 1982–1997
3 Rohit Chand 90 0 2009–present
4 Biraj Maharjan 76 1 2008–2021
5 Sagar Thapa 66 1 2003–2015
6 Anjan Bista 65 13 2014–present
7 Ananta Tamang 62 4 2015–present
8 Bharat Khawas 61 10 2008–present
9 Nawayug Shrestha 54 10 2015–present
10 Anil Gurung 53 10 2007–2017
Ju Manu Rai 53 11 2006–2015
Sandip Rai 53 4 2008–2015

Top goalscorers

Portrait of Anjan Bista @SubasTheOne
Anjan Bista is Nepal's joint-top scorer with 13 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Nirajan Rayamajhi 13 21 0.62 2000–2008
Hari Khadka 13 39 0.33 1995–2006
Anjan Bista 13 65 0.2 2014–present
4 Ju Manu Rai 11 53 0.21 2006–2015
5 Nawayug Shrestha 10 54 0.19 2015–present
Anil Gurung 10 53 0.19 2007–2017
Bharat Khawas 10 61 0.16 2008–present
8 Bimal Gharti Magar 9 44 0.2 2012–present
9 Basanta Thapa 8 34 0.24 1998–2006
10 Naresh Joshi 6 15 0.4 1997–2000

Competitive record

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Result Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1930 to 1970 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1974 to 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 3rd (Group 3A) 4 0 1 3 0 11 −11 1
Italy 1990 4th (Group 4) 6 0 0 6 0 28 −28 0
United States 1994 Did not enter Did not enter
France 1998 Did not qualify 4th (Group 4) 6 0 1 5 2 19 −17 1
South Korea Japan 2002 3rd (Group 6) 6 2 0 4 13 25 −12 6
Germany 2006 Withdrew Withdrew
South Africa 2010 Did not qualify Round 1 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Brazil 2014 Round 2 4 2 1 1 8 11 −3 7
Russia 2018 Round 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2 1
Qatar 2022 Round 2 8 2 0 6 4 22 −18 6
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Round 2 6 1 1 4 2 15 –13 4
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/13 – – – – – – – – 8/22 44 7 5 32 29 137 −108 26

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup finals record AFC Asian Cup qualification record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Result Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Hong Kong 1956 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972 Withdrew Withdrew
Iran 1976
Kuwait 1980
Singapore 1984 Did not qualify 5th (Group 2) 4 0 0 4 0 30 −30 0
Qatar 1988 5th (Group 3) 4 0 1 3 0 7 −7 1
Japan 1992 Withdrew Withdrew
United Arab Emirates 1996 Did not qualify 4th (Group 5) 6 0 0 6 2 26 −24 0
Lebanon 2000 4th (Group 5) 4 1 0 3 3 13 −10 3
China 2004 4th (Group E) 8 1 0 7 4 45 -41 3
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Withdrew Withdrew
Qatar 2011 Did not qualify Withdrew and berth unsecured
Australia 2015 2014 AFC Challenge Cup
United Arab Emirates 2019 Round 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2 1
Qatar 2023 Round 3 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 30 2 2 26 10 129 −119 8

AFC Challenge Cup

AFC Challenge Cup record AFC Challenge Cup qualification record
Year Result Pts Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts Result Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Bangladesh 2006 Semi-finals 7 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 7 No qualification tournament
India 2008 Round 1 3 1 0 2 3 4 1 +3 3 1st (Group D) 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2 6
Sri Lanka 2010 Did not qualify 2nd (Group C) 2 0 2 0 1 1 +0 2
Nepal 2012 Round 1 0 3 0 0 3 0 6 −6 0 2nd (Group D) 3 1 1 1 1 1 +0 4
Maldives 2014 Did not qualify 3rd (Group D) 3 1 1 1 6 2 +4 4
Total 3/5 10 7 1 3 7 8 10 −2 10 4/4 10 4 4 2 12 6 +6 16

AFC Solidarity Cup

Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
Malaysia 2016 Champions 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 10
2020 Cancelled
Total 1/1 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 10

SAFF Championship

Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
Pakistan 1993 Third place 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1 2
Sri Lanka 1995 Fourth place 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
Nepal 1997 Round 1 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
India 1999 Fourth place 4 1 0 3 6 9 −3 3
Bangladesh 2003 Round 1 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
Pakistan 2005 Round 1 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
Maldives Sri Lanka 2008 Round 1 3 1 0 2 5 9 −4 3
Bangladesh 2009 Round 1 3 1 1 1 4 2 +2 4
India 2011 Semi-finals 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 5
Nepal 2013 Semi-finals 4 2 1 1 5 3 +2 7
India 2015 Round 1 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
Bangladesh 2018 Semi-finals 4 2 0 2 7 5 +2 6
Maldives 2021 Runners-up 5 2 1 2 5 7 –2 7
India 2023 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 5 -3 3
Total 12/12 46 14 7 25 50 67 -17 49

Olympic Games

See also: Nepal national under-23 football team
Year Result Q Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
Greece 1896 No football tournament held
France 1900 Not an IOC Member
United States 1904
United Kingdom 1908
Sweden 1912
Belgium 1920
France 1924
Netherlands 1928
United States 1932 No football tournament held
Nazi Germany 1936 Not an IOC Member
United Kingdom 1948
Finland 1952
Australia 1956
Italy 1960
Japan 1964 Did not enter
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Spain 1992
United States 1996
Age bar restriction after 1996, U23s only
Australia 2000 Did not enter
Greece 2004
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016 Did not qualify
Japan 2020
Total — 0/27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Asian Games

See also: Nepal national under-23 football team
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
India 1951 Not an IOC Member
Philippines 1954
Japan 1958
Indonesia 1962
Thailand 1966 Withdrew
Thailand 1970
Iran 1974
Thailand 1978
India 1982 Round 1 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
South Korea 1986 Round 1 4 0 0 4 0 17 −17 0
China 1990 Withdrew
Japan 1994 Round 1 3 0 0 3 0 20 −20 0
Thailand 1998 Round 1 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 0
Age bar restriction after 1999, U23s only
Total 4/13 12 0 0 12 1 52 −51 0

South Asian Games

See also: Nepal national under-20 football team and Nepal national under-23 football team
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
Nepal 1984 11 Gold 4 3 0 1 13 7 +6 6
Bangladesh 1985 33 Bronze 3 2 0 1 3 4 –1 4
India 1987 22 Silver 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 4
Pakistan 1989 4th 3 0 2 1 1 2 –1 2
Sri Lanka 1991 4th 3 0 1 2 2 5 –3 1
Bangladesh 1993 11 Gold 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 7
India 1995 4th 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
Nepal 1999 22 Silver 5 3 0 2 12 7 +5 9
Age bar restriction after 1999, U23s only
Total 2 titles 27 12 4 11 43 32 +11 36

Other tournaments

In these tournaments, Nepal was sometimes fielded as 'ANFA XI', 'Nepal XI', or 'Nepal Sports Development Authority' despite being the de facto national football team endorsed by the ANFA.

Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts Team Name
India 1975 DCM Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
Bangladesh 1979 President's Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
Bangladesh 1979 Agatha Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
Bangladesh 1979 Aga Khan Gold Cup Round 1 4 0 1 3 2 14 1
Bangladesh 1981 President's Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
Pakistan 1981 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
Thailand 1981 King's Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
India 1982 Darjeeling Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
Pakistan 1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Cup 6th 6 1 2 3 3 9 −6 4
Thailand 1982 King's Cup Round 1 4 1 0 3 2 9 −7 2
Nepal 1982 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament Runners-up 4 2 0 2 5 5 0 4
Malaysia 1983 Merdeka Tournament Round 1 5 0 0 5 0 14 –14 0
Thailand 1983 President's Gold Cup Round 1 2 0 0 2 2 7 −5 0
Nepal 1984 ANFA Cup Runners-up - - - - - - - -
Pakistan 1985 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup Round 1 0 0 0 2 0 9 −9 1
Nepal 1986 Panchayat Silver Jubilee Cup 4th 5 1 1 3 2 6 −4 3
Pakistan 1986 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup 5th 3 1 1 3 4 17 −13 5
Nepal 1986 ANFA Cup Runners-up 4 2 1 1 unknown 3
Pakistan 1987 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup Round 1 unknown unclear whether National team
Nepal 1987 ANFA Cup Champions unknown
Bangladesh 1989 Aga Khan Gold Cup - - - - - - - - -
Nepal 1989 ANFA Cup Runners-up 4 2 0 2 3 6 –2 4
India 1995 Airlines Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
India 1997 Governor's Gold Cup Champions - - - - - - – -
India 1998 Governor's Gold Cup Champions 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9 ANFA XI
India 1998 Durand Cup Round 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3 Nepal XI
Bangladesh 1999 Bangabandhu Cup Round 1 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0
Nepal 2000 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament Runners-up 2 2 1 1 4 2 +2 7 Nepal Red
Malaysia 2008 Merdeka Tournament Round 1 3 0 1 2 3 9 −6 1
Nepal 2009 Prime Minister's Invitational Tournament Champions 4 3 1 0 4 1 +3 10 Nepal Red
India 2012 Nehru Cup Round 1 4 0 1 3 1 9 −8 1
Bangladesh 2016 Bangabandhu Cup Champions 5 3 2 0 8 1 +7 11
Bangladesh 2018 Bangabandhu Cup Group Stage 2 0 0 2 0 3 -3 11
Nepal 2021 Three Nations Cup Champions 3 1 2 0 1 1 +1 11
Total 6 titles 69 23 14 38 55 128 2 66
**Former rules, win = 2pts.

Head-to-head record

Updated 21 November 2023 after match against  Yemen

      Positive Record       Neutral Record       Negative Record

Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Afghanistan 6 3 1 2 10 4 +6
 Australia 2 0 0 2 0 8 −8
 Bangladesh 28 9 5 14 23 34 −11
 Bhutan 15 13 2 0 45 7 +38
 Brunei 2 1 0 1 4 2 +2
 Cambodia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 China 4 0 0 4 2 31 −29
 Chinese Taipei 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4
 Hong Kong 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 India 23 2 4 17 9 41 −32
 Indonesia 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9
 Iran 5 0 0 5 0 25 −25
 Iraq 4 0 0 4 5 22 −17
 Japan 5 0 0 5 0 28 −28
 Jordan 4 0 1 4 1 18 -17
 Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 0 10 −10
 Kuwait 9 0 1 8 2 33 −31
 Kyrgyzstan 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2
 Laos 6 4 2 0 9 6 +3
 Malaysia 7 0 1 6 0 23 −23
 Macau 6 4 1 1 16 7 +9
 Maldives 17 5 4 8 20 23 −3
 Mauritius 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2
 Myanmar 5 0 1 4 0 10 −10
 North Korea 4 0 0 4 1 11 −10
 Northern Mariana Islands 1 1 0 0 6 0 +6
 Oman 12 0 0 12 3 50 −47
 Pakistan 22 9 5 8 23 25 −2
 [[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]] 4 0 2 2 0 3 −3
 Philippines 7 1 1 5 2 15 −13
 Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1 0 7 −7
 Sri Lanka 17 4 7 6 20 25 −5
 Singapore 3 0 0 3 0 12 −12
 South Korea 8 0 0 8 1 55 −54
 Syria 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5
 Tajikistan 3 0 0 3 1 7 −6
 Thailand 8 0 0 8 3 21 -18
 Tibet 3 3 0 0 9 3 +6
 Timor-Leste 4 2 2 0 9 3 +6
 Turkmenistan 2 0 0 2 0 8 −8
 United Arab Emirates 2 0 0 2 0 15 −15
 Vietnam 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7
 Yemen 5 0 1 4 1 9 −8
Total 271 67 43 161 235 625 −390

Honours

Continental

  • AFC Solidarity Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2016

Regional

  • South Asian Games
    • Med 1.png Champions (2): 1984, 1993, 2016, 2019
    • Med 2.png Runners-up (2): 1987, 1999
    • Med 3.png Third place (1): 1985
  • SAFF Championship
    • Med 2.png Runners-up (1): 2021
    • Med 3.png Third place (1): 1993

Invitational

  • ANFA Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 1987
  • Bangabandhu Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2016
  • Three Nations Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2021
  • Prime Minister's Three Nations Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2023

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Nepal para niños

  • All Nepal Football Association
  • Nepal national football team (2010–present)
  • Nepal national under-23 football team
  • Nepal national under-20 football team
  • Nepal national under-17 football team
  • Nepal women's national football team
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