Nepal national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Nepal women's national football team.

The Nepal national football team (Nepali: नेपाल राष्ट्रिय फुटबल टीम) 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 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu.

Nepal
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Gorkhalis
AssociationAll Nepal Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationSAFF (South Asia)
Head coachAbdullah Al Mutairi
CaptainKiran Chemjong
Most capsBiraj Maharjan (75)
Top scorerHari Khadka
Nirajan Rayamajhi (13)
Home stadiumDasarath Rangasala Stadium
FIFA codeNEP
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 171 Steady (27 May 2021)[1]
Highest121 (December 1993 – February 1994)
Lowest196 (January 2016)
First international
 China 6–2 Nepal Nepal
(Beijing, China; 13 October 1972)[2]
Biggest win
   Nepal 7–0 Bhutan 
(Kathmandu, Nepal; 26 September 1999)[3]
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 16–0 Nepal
(Incheon, South Korea; 29 September 2003)[2]
SAFF Championship
Appearances12 (first in 1993)
Best resultThird place (1993)
AFC Solidarity Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2016)
Best resultChampions (2016)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances3 (first in 2006)
Best resultSemi-finals (2006)

HistoryEdit

Origins (1921–1963)Edit

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)Edit

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.[5] 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, the match was lost 0–7. Two days later, Nepal played the Dhaka Wonders, a local East Pakistani team. Though 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. The goal scorer, Prakash Bikram Shah, became the first Nepali to score on foreign soil.[6] The goal took place at the 19th minute.

Modernisation & golden generation (1970–1999)Edit

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 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 programme. 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.[7] 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)Edit

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 Asian Cup qualifiers as well as the SAFF Championship until 2006.

Resurgence (2010–)Edit

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.[8][9]

Nepal managed a well performance in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification, although the team was luckily chosen as replacement for Guam as Guam chose not to participate.[10] Nepal had two successful draws against much stronger Philippines and Yemen at home, both ended 0–0.[11][12] However, as the team lost to Tajikistan twice[13][14] and away loss to the Philippines[15] and Yemen,[16] the Nepalis failed to qualify to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Nepal participated in 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 was totally thrashed by the other opponents without scoring a goal after five matches.

Home stadiumEdit

Main article: Dasarath Rangasala Stadium
 
Dasrath Rangashala

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 18,000 spectators all of which are beautifully seated. It is the biggest stadium in Nepal. It is named after Dasrath 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.

Team imageEdit

Nepal Red & BlueEdit

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.[17][18]

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".

Kit evolutionEdit

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 Attsh, 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.[19]

Recent results and fixturesEdit

Main article: Nepal national football team results

  Win   Draw   Loss

2020Edit

13 November FIFA International Friendly Bangladesh   2–0     Nepal Dhaka, Bangladesh
16:45 UTC+5:45
Report Stadium: Bangabandhu National Stadium
Attendance: 8'000
Referee: Bituraj Barua (Bangladesh)
17 November FIFA International Friendly Bangladesh   0–0     Nepal Dhaka, Bangladesh
16:45 UTC+5:45 Report Stadium: Bangabandhu National Stadium
Referee: Md Mizanur Rahman (Bangladesh)

2021Edit

25 March Three Nations Cup Round Robin Nepal     0–0   Kyrgyzstan U-23 Kathmandu, Nepal
17:30 UTC+5:45 Report Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Referee: Tejas Nagvenkar (India)
27 March Three Nations Cup Round Robin Nepal     0–0   Bangladesh Kathmandu, Nepal
17:30 UTC+5:45 Report Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Referee: Tejas Nagvenkar (India)
29 March Three Nations Cup Final Nepal     2–1   Bangladesh Kathmandu, Nepal
17:30 UTC+5:45
Report
Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Referee: Tejas Nagvenkar (India)
28 May FIFA International Friendly Iraq   6–2     Nepal Basra, Iraq
Stadium: Al-Fayhaa Stadium
3 June 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Nepal     2–0   Chinese Taipei Kuwait City, Kuwait
 Report Stadium: Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium
7 June 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Nepal     0–3   Jordan Kuwait City, Kuwait
21:45 UTC+5:45 Report
Stadium: Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium
Referee: Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)
11 June 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Nepal     0–3   Australia Kuwait City, Kuwait
21:45 UTC+5:45
Report
Stadium: Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium
Referee: Al Kaf Ahmed (Oman)

Coaching staffEdit

Head Coach   Abdullah Al Mutairi
Assistant Coach(es)   Kiran Shrestha
Goalkeeping Coach   Maj Bikash Malla
Technical Director   Gary Phillips
Physio   Aviskar Pudhasaini
Media Officer   Ayush Khadka

PlayersEdit

Current squadEdit

The following players were selected for the friendly match against Iraq on 29 May 2021 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifiers.[20]

Caps and goals correct as of 11 June 2021

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Bishal Sunar (2002-02-09) 9 February 2002 (age 19) 0 0   F.C. Chitwan
16 1GK Kiran Chemjong (captain) (1990-03-20) 20 March 1990 (age 31) 70 0   Dhangadhi F.C.
22 1GK Deep Karki (1998-01-09) 9 January 1998 (age 23) 0 0   Pokhara Thunders
2 2DF Dinesh Rajbanshi (1998-04-04) 4 April 1998 (age 23) 13 0   Dhangadhi F.C.
3 2DF Bikash Khawas (2001-07-29) 29 July 2001 (age 20) 4 0   F.C. Chitwan
4 2DF Ananta Tamang (1998-01-17) 17 January 1998 (age 23) 35 2   Three Star Club
5 2DF Gautam Shrestha (2000-02-21) 21 February 2000 (age 21) 3 0   Pokhara Thunders
6 2DF Suman Aryal (1996-03-09) 9 March 1996 (age 25) 16 0   Tribhuwan Army F.C.
23 2DF Rohit Chand (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 29) 66 0   Persija Jakarta
8 3MF Bishal Rai (1993-06-06) 6 June 1993 (age 28) 26 3   Dhangadhi F.C.
9 3MF Sunil Bal (1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 23) 15 1   Biratnagar City
11 3MF Pujan Uparkoti (1996-05-09) 9 May 1996 (age 25) 5 0   Dhangadhi F.C.
12 3MF Arik Bista (2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 21) 6 0   Lalitpur City F.C.
17 3MF Santosh Tamang (1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 26) 11 0   Biratnagar City
19 3MF Ayush Ghalan (2004-02-21) 21 February 2004 (age 17) 1 0   Pokhara Thunders
20 3MF Suraj Jeu Thakuri (2000-12-19) 19 December 2000 (age 20) 1 0   Biratnagar City
21 3MF Kamal Thapa (1998-09-20) 20 September 1998 (age 22) 1 0   Pokhara Thunders
7 4FW Abhishek Rijal (2000-01-29) 29 January 2000 (age 21) 10 1   Butwal Lumbini F.C.
10 4FW Aashish Lama (1996-12-01) 1 December 1996 (age 24) 2 0   Butwal Lumbini F.C.
13 4FW Suman Lama (1996-03-09) 9 March 1996 (age 25) 12 0   Butwal Lumbini F.C.
14 4FW Anjan Bista (1998-05-15) 15 May 1998 (age 23) 39 4   Lalitpur City F.C.
15 4FW Manish Dangi (2001-09-17) 17 September 2001 (age 19) 4 1   Biratnagar City
18 4FW Nawayug Shrestha (1990-06-08) 8 June 1990 (age 31) 32 7   Pokhara Thunders

Recent call-upsEdit

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 Bikesh Kuthu (1993-06-24) 24 June 1993 (age 28) 9 0   Kathmandu Rayzrs 2021 Three Nations Cup
GK Bishal Shrestha (1992-08-09) 9 August 1992 (age 28) 0 0   Butwal Lumbini F.C. v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020
DF Biraj MaharjanRET (1990-11-18) 18 November 1990 (age 30) 73 1   Machhindra 2021 Three Nations Cup
DF Rajin Dhimal (1991-04-04) 4 April 1991 (age 30) 10 0   Biratnagar City 2021 Three Nations Cup
DF Ajit Bhandari (1994-02-07) 7 February 1994 (age 27) 6 0   Pokhara Thunders 2021 Three Nations Cup
DF Tshiring Gurung (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 23) 1 0   Chyasal Youth Club 2021 Three Nations Cup
DF Nishan Khadka (1997-01-26) 26 January 1997 (age 24) 0 0   Dhangadhi F.C. 2021 Three Nations Cup
DF Saroj Dahal (1990-03-08) 8 March 1990 (age 31) 1 0   Biratnagar City v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020
DF Dilen Loktan (1986-09-19) 19 September 1986 (age 34) 0 0   Jawalakhel YC v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020
MF Sujal Shrestha (1993-02-05) 5 February 1993 (age 28) 37 2   Pokhara Thunders 2021 Three Nations Cup
MF Ravi Paswan (1993-06-18) 18 June 1993 (age 28) 12 0   Pokhara Thunders 2021 Three Nations Cup
MF Tej Tamang (1998-02-14) 14 February 1998 (age 23) 9 0   Kathmandu Rayzrs 2021 Three Nations Cup
MF Sanjok Rai (1998-12-01) 1 December 1998 (age 22) 0 0   Kathmandu Rayzrs 2021 Three Nations Cup
MF Tridev Gurung (1996-07-20) 20 July 1996 (age 25) 0 0   Kathmandu Rayzrs 2021 Three Nations Cup
MF Bikram Lama (1989-02-23) 23 February 1989 (age 32) 31 0   Three Star Club v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020
MF Sesehang Aangdangbe (2000-11-03) 3 November 2000 (age 20) 1 0   Butwal Lumbini F.C. v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020
MF Subash Gurung (1991-09-07) 7 September 1991 (age 29) 1 0   Sankata BSC v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020
FW Bharat Khawas (1992-04-16) 16 April 1992 (age 29) 56 10   F.C. Chitwan 2021 Three Nations Cup
FW Darshan Gurung (2002-08-20) 20 August 2002 (age 18) 2 0   Dhangadhi F.C. 2021 Three Nations Cup
FW Bimal Rana (1992-11-05) 5 November 1992 (age 28) 5 0   Lalitpur City v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020
FW George Prince Karki (1995-05-15) 15 May 1995 (age 26) 3 0   F.C. Chitwan v.   Bangladesh on 17 November 2020

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.

(Players are listed within position group by order of latest call-up, caps, and then alphabetically)

Player recordsEdit

Most capped playersEdit

As of 11 June 2021.[21]
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Biraj Maharjan 73 1 2008–2021
2 Kiran Chemjong 70 0 2008–present
3 Raju Kaji Shakya 68 — 1981–1997
4 Rohit Chand 66 0 2009–present
5 Sagar Thapa 62 1 2003-2015
6 Bharat Khawas 56 7 2008–present
7 Jumanu Rai 51 11 2006–2015
Anil Gurung 51 10 2007–2017
9 Sandip Rai 50 3 2008–2015
10 Mani Shah 48 6 1985–1998

Top goalscorersEdit

As of 11 June 2021.[22]
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Nirajan Rayamajhi 13 20 0.650 2000–2008
Hari Khadka 13 35 0.371 1995–2006
3 Jumanu Rai 11 52 0.212 2006–2015
4 Anil Gurung 10 51 0.196 2007–2017
5 Bimal Gharti Magar 8 36 0.222 2012–present
6 Basanta Thapa 7 27 0.259 1998–2006
Nawayug Shrestha 7 33 0.212 2015–present
Bharat Khawas 7 56 0.125 2008–present
9 Naresh Joshi 6 9 0.667 1997–2000
Mani Shah 6 48 0.125 1985–1998

Coaching historyEdit

Manager Career P W D L Win % Competitions Comment Ref.
  Rudi Gutendorf 1981–82 — − − − — 1982 Asian Games [23]
  Jochen Figge 1984–85 — − − − — 1984 South Asian Games: Gold medalist [24]
  Rudi Gutendorf 1986 — − − − — [23]
  Joe Kinnear 1987 — − − − — 1987 South Asian Games: Silver medalist [25]
  Reinhard Fabisch 1989 — − − − — [26][27]
  Dhan Bahadur Basnet 1989–91 — − − − — [28]
  Maheshwor Mulmi
  Holger Obermann 		1991–93 — − − − — 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'[29] [30]
  Dhan Bahadur Basnet 1993–94 — − − − — 1993 South Asian Games: Gold medalist

1994 Asian Games

  Maheshwor Mulmi 1995 — − − − — 1995 Bristol SAFF Gold Cup
  Yogambar Suwal 1995 — − − − — 1995 South Asian Games
  Bhim Thapa 1996 — − − − — 1996 AFC Asian Cup: Failed to qualify
  Yogambar Suwal 1997 — − − − — 1998 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify
  Dhan Bahadur Basnet 1997 — − − − — 1997 SAFF Gold Cup
  Yoo Kee-Heung 1998 — − − − — 1998 Asian Games
  Torsten Spittler 1999 — − − − — 1999 SAFF Gold Cup: Fourth place [31]
  Stephen Constantine 1999–01 — − − − — 1999 South Asian Games: Silver medalist
2000 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament: Finalist 		[32]
  Maheshwor Mulmi 2001 — − − − — 2002 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify
  Yoo Kee-Heung 2003 — − − − — 2003 SAFF Gold Cup: Group stage
  Toshihiko Shiozawa 2005–06 — − − − — 2005 SAFF Gold Cup: Group stage
  Shyam Thapa 2006–07 — − − − — 2006 AFC Challenge Cup: Semi-final
2010 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify 		[33]
  Thomas Flath 2008 — − − − — 2008 SAFF Championship: Group stage [34]
  Birat Krishna Shrestha 2008 — − − − — 2008 AFC Challenge Cup: Group stage [35]
  Krishna Thapa 2008–09 — − − − — 2008 Merdeka Tournament: Group stage [36]
  Yogamber Suwal 2009 — − − − — 2009 Prime Minister's Invitational Tournament: Champions

2010 AFC Challenge Cup: Failed to qualify

  Krishna Thapa 2009–11 — − − − — 2009 SAFF Championship: Group stage
  Graham Roberts 2011–12 — − − − — 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 [37]
  Krishna Thapa 2012 — − − − — 2012 Nehru Cup [38]
    Jack Stefanowski 2013 — − − − — 2013 SAFF Championship: Semi-final
2014 AFC Challenge Cup: Failed to qualify
  Raju Kaji Shakya 2014 — − − − — [39]
    Jack Stefanowski 2014–15 — − − − — 2018 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify [40]
  Dhruba KC 2015 — − − − — [41]
  Patrick Aussems 2015–16 3 0 0 3 000 2015 SAFF Championship: Group stage [42]
  Bal Gopal Maharjan 2016 5 3 2 0 060 2016 Bangabandhu Cup: Champions Earned Nepal's first major title in 23 years [43]
  Koji Gyotoku 2016–2018 13 4 5 4 031 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup: Champions Earned Nepal's first AFC title [44]
  Bal Gopal Maharjan 2018 6 2 0 4 033 2018 SAFF Championship: Semi-final
2018 Bangabandhu Cup: Group stage 		Interim Coach[45] [46]
  Johan Kalin 2019–2020[47] 6 1 2 3 017 [48]
  Bal Gopal Maharjan 2020–21[47] 5 1 3 1 020
  Abdullah Al Mutairi 2021– 4 1 0 3 025 0 0 0 !— [49]

Competitive recordEdit

International match recordsEdit

Updated 11 June 2021 after match against   Australia[50]

  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 25 8 5 14 20 33 −13
  Bhutan 14 14 0 0 45 6 +39
  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 18 1 4 13 7 33 −26
  Indonesia 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
  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 3 0 1 3 1 16 −15
  Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 0 10 −10
  Kuwait 8 0 1 7 1 30 −29
  Kyrgyzstan 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2
  Laos 2 0 2 0 3 3 0
  Malaysia 7 0 1 6 0 23 −23
  Macau 6 4 1 1 16 7 +9
  Maldives 16 4 4 8 19 23 −4
  Myanmar 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9
  North Korea 4 0 0 4 1 11 −10
  Northern Mariana Islands 1 1 0 0 6 0 +6
  Oman 11 0 0 11 1 43 −42
  Pakistan 19 6 5 8 20 25 −5
  Palestine 4 0 2 2 0 3 −3
  Philippines 6 1 1 4 2 14 −12
  Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1 0 7 −7
  Sri Lanka 17 4 6 7 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 7 1 0 6 3 19 −16
  Tibet 3 3 0 0 9 3 +6
  Timor-Leste 3 2 1 0 7 1 +6
  Turkmenistan 2 0 0 2 0 8 −8
  United Arab Emirates 1 0 0 1 0 11 −11
  Vietnam 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7
  Yemen 4 0 1 3 1 7 −6
Total 242 56 39 149 212 582 −370

Competition historyEdit

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

FIFA World CupEdit

FIFA World Cup finals record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Result Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
  1934
  1938
  1950
  1954
  1958
  1962
  1966
  1970 Withdrew Withdrew
  1974
  1978
  1982
  1986 Did not qualify 3rd (Group 3A) 4 0 1 3 0 11 −11 1
  1990 4th (Group 4) 6 0 0 6 0 28 −28 0
  1994 Withdrew Withdrew
  1998 Did not qualify 4th (Group 4) 6 0 1 5 2 19 −17 1
   2002 3rd (Group 6) 6 2 0 4 13 25 −12 6
  2006 Withdrew Withdrew
  2010 Did not qualify Round 1 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
  2014 Round 2 4 2 1 1 7 11 −4 7
  2018 Round 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2 1
  2022 Round 2 8 2 0 6 4 22 −18 6
      2026 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/22 - - - - - - - - 8/22 38 6 4 28 26 122 −96 22

AFC Asian CupEdit

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
  1956 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
  1960
  1964
  1968
  1972 Withdrew Withdrew
  1976
  1980
  1984 Did not qualify 5th (Group 2) 4 0 0 4 0 30 −30 0
  1988 5th (Group 3) 4 0 1 3 0 7 −7 1
  1992 Withdrew Withdrew
  1996 Did not qualify 4th (Group 5) 6 0 0 6 2 26 −24 0
  2000 4th (Group 5) 4 1 0 3 3 13 −10 3
  2004 4th (Group E) 8 1 0 7 4 45 -41 3
     2007 Withdrew Withdrew
  2011 Did not qualify Withdrew and berth unsecured[a]
  2015 2014 AFC Challenge Cup
  2019 Round 1[b] 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2 1
  2023 To be determined To be determined
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 28 2 2 24 9 123 −114 8

AFC Challenge CupEdit

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
  2006 Semi-finals 7 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 7 No qualification tournament
  2008 Round 1 3 1 0 2 3 4 1 +3 3 1st (Group D) 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2 6
  2010 Did not qualify 2nd (Group C) 2 0 2 0 1 1 +0 2
  2012 Round 1 0 3 0 0 3 0 6 −6 0 2nd (Group D) 3 1 1 1 1 1 +0 4
  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 CupEdit

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

SAFF ChampionshipEdit

Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
  1993 Third place 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1 2
  1995 Fourth place 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
  1997 Round 1 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
  1999 Fourth place 4 1 0 3 6 9 −3 3
  2003 Round 1 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
  2005 Round 1 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
    2008 Round 1 3 1 0 2 5 9 −4 3
  2009 Round 1 3 1 1 1 4 2 +2 4
  2011 Semi-finals 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 5
  2013 Semi-finals 4 2 1 1 5 3 +2 7
  2015 Round 1 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
  2018 Semi-finals 4 2 0 2 7 5 +2 6
  2021 To be determined
Total 10/10 38 11 6 21 43 55 6 39

Olympic GamesEdit

See also: Nepal national under-23 football team
Year Result Q Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
  1896 No football tournament held
  1900 Not an IOC Member
  1904
  1908
  1912
  1920
  1924
  1928
  1932 No football tournament held
  1936 Not an IOC Member
  1948
  1952
  1956
  1960
  1964 Did not enter
  1968
  1972
  1976
  1980
  1984
  1988
  1992
  1996
Age bar restriction after 1996, U23s only.
  2000 Did not enter
  2004
  2008
  2012
  2016 Did not qualify
  2020
Total - 0/27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Asian GamesEdit

See also: Nepal national under-23 football team
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts
  1951 Not an IOC Member
  1954
  1958
  1962
  1966 Withdrew
  1970
  1974
  1978
  1982 Round 1 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
  1986 Round 1 4 0 0 4 0 17 −17 0
  1990 Withdrew
  1994 Round 1 3 0 0 3 0 20 −20 0
  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 GamesEdit

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
  1984   Gold 4 3 0 1 13 7 6 6[c]
  1985   Bronze 3 2 0 1 3 4 -1 4[c]
  1987   Silver 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 4[c]
  1989 4th 3 0 2 1 1 2 -1 2
  1991 4th 3 0 1 2 2 5 -3 1
  1993   Gold 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 7
  1995 4th 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
  1999   Silver 5 3 0 2 12 7 +5 9
Age bar restriction after 1999, U23s only.
Total 27 12 4 11 43 32 11 36

Other tournamentsEdit

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.[citation needed]

Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts Team Name[d]
  1975 DCM Cup[clarification needed] Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1979 President's Gold Cup[clarification needed] Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1979 Agatha Gold Cup[clarification needed] Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1979 Aga Khan Gold Cup Round 1 4 0 1 3 2 14 −12 1
  1981 President's Gold Cup[clarification needed] Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1981 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup[clarification needed] Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1981 King's Cup[clarification needed] Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1982 Darjeeling Gold Cup[clarification needed] Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Cup 6th 6 1 2 3 3 9 −6 4[c]
  1982 King's Cup Round 1 4 1 0 3 2 9 −7 2[c]
  1982 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament Runner up 4 2 0 2 5 5 0 4[c]
  1983 Merdeka Tournament[51] Round 1 5 0 0 5 0 14 -14 0
  1983 President's Gold Cup Round 1 2 0 0 2 2 7 −5 0
  1984 ANFA Cup Runner up - - - - - - - -
  1985 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup Round 1 0 0 0 2 0 9 −9 1
  1986 Panchayat Silver Jubilee Cup 4th 5 1 1 3 2 6 −4 3
  1986 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup 5th 3 1 1 3 4 17 −13 5
  1986 ANFA Cup Runner up 4 2 1 1 unknown[52] 3
  1987 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup Round 1 unknown[53] unclear whether National team[54]
  1987 ANFA Cup Champions unknown[55]
  1989 Aga Khan Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1989 ANFA Cup Runner up 4 2 0 2 3 6 -2 4[c]
  1995 Airlines Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1997 Governor's Gold Cup[clarification needed] Champion - - - - - - – -
  1998 Governor's Gold Cup[56] Champion 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9 ANFA XI
  1998 Durand Cup[57] Round 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3 Nepal XI
  1999 Bangabandhu Cup Round 1 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0
  2000 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament Runner up 2 2 1 1 4 2 +2 7 Nepal Red
  2008 Merdeka Tournament Round 1 3 0 1 2 3 9 −6 1
  2009 Prime Minister's Invitational Tournament Champions 4 3 1 0 4 1 +3 10 Nepal Red
  2012 Nehru Cup Round 1 4 0 1 3 1 9 −8 1
  2016 Bangabandhu Cup Champions 5 3 2 0 8 1 +7 11
  2018 Bangabandhu Cup Group Stage 2 0 0 2 0 3 -3 11
  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.

HonoursEdit

  Third place (1): 1993
  Champions (1): 2016
  Champions (1): 2016
  Champions (1): 2021

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

  1. ^ Withdrew from qualification and failed to qualify for 2010 AFC Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Also part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
  3. ^ a b c d e f g prior to the Three points for a win rule
  4. ^ unless otherwise noted, the team played as the Nepal National Football Team

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "FIFA Fixtures & Results". FIFA.com. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  3. ^ "8th SAF-Games 1999". Indian Football. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  4. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Aga Khan Gold Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Late Prakash Bikram Shah – First Nepali National football player to score first-ever goal in International football". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Nepal – elo ratings". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Nepal beat Bahrain 3-0 in Bangabandhu, win first international title after 23 years than AFC Solidarity by beating Macau 1-0 in final ..Nepal won South Asian Games 2016 football Gold medal by defeating host country India on final 2-1". The Himalayan Times. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  9. ^ "NEPAL CROWNED AFC SOLIDARITY CUP 2016 CHAMPIONS". AFC(Asian Football Confederation). 16 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Teams for final round of AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 qualifiers confirmed". Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  11. ^ https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-held-goalless-draw-yemen/
  12. ^ https://africa.espn.com/football/afc-asian-cup-qualifiers/story/3269247/philippines-draw-with-nepal-blow-chance-to-make-asian-cup
  13. ^ https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-slump-to-2-1-defeat-vs-tajikistan-in-asian-cup-qualifier/
  14. ^ http://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-asian-cup/latest/news/afc-asian-cup-2019-qualifiers---group-f-tajikistan-3-0-nepal-39286
  15. ^ https://ghanasoccernet.com/afc-asian-cup-2019-qualifiers-philippines-4-1-nepal
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  22. ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Statistics". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Rudi Gutendorf: The colourful life of a 'footballing missionary'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  24. ^ "Trainer-Globetrotter Jochen Figge über Fußball in Afrika: "Sie bewarfen uns mit brennenden Geckos"". 11FREUNDE.de. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  25. ^ "Nepal: Nepal Remembers Joe Kinnear". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  26. ^ "Machos und Magier" (in German). Der Spiegel. 13 March 1989. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  27. ^ "German coach spurs young footballers". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Reminiscing Nepal's Football Success At The 1993 SAF Games". www.goalnepal.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Obermann helps build football ground". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  30. ^ "German coach to train Nepali football team". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Interview Torsten Spittler". Bayerischer fußballverband (in German). Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  32. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/world_football/2653003.stm
  33. ^ "Shyam Thapa – Indian football legend". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  34. ^ "Nepal for Asia SAFF Championship 2008 Maldives/Sri Lanka Soccer Statistics with Past Results, Match Fixtures, League Table and Players Profiles - SoccerPunter.com". www.soccerpunter.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
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  44. ^ "New national team coach arrives". ANFA. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
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  56. ^ "20th Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup 1998". Indian Football.
  57. ^ "111th "Allwyn" Durand Cup 1998". Indian Football.

External linksEdit

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