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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 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 Nepalese football team play their home games at Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Tripureswhor, Kathmandu.

Nepal National Football Team
All Nepal Football Association.jpg
Nickname(s)The Gorkhalis
AssociationAll Nepal Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationSAFF (South Asia)
Head coachJohan Kalin
CaptainKiran Chemjong
Most capsBiraj Maharjan (73)
Top scorerHari Khadka
Nirajan Rayamajhi (13)
Home stadiumDasarath Rangasala Stadium
FIFA codeNEP
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 161 Increase 5 (19 September 2019)[1]
Highest121 (December 1993 – February 1994)
Lowest196 (January 2016)
Elo ranking
Current 198 Increase 4 (10 October 2019)[2]
Highest171 (23 November 1987)
Lowest210 (1 May 1999)
First international
 China 6–2 Nepal Nepal
(Beijing, China; 13 October 1972)[3]
Biggest win
   Nepal 7–0 Bhutan 
(Kathmandu, Nepal; 26 September 1999)[4]
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 16–0 Nepal
(Incheon, South Korea; 29 September 2003)[3]
SAFF Championship
Appearances12 (first in 1993)
Best resultThird place (1993)
AFC Solidarity Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2016)
Best resultChampions (2016)
Bangabandhu Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1999)
Best resultChampions (2016)

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 Nepalese 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 Nepalese 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 2001–2003 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 Nepalese 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 Nepalese national and youth teams failing to achieve any noticeable success at 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.

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 Nepalese 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

See also: Nepal national football team kit history

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 Nepalese 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

Results accurate up to 15 October 2019.[20]

Date Opponent Result Score* Venue Competition Refs.
4 June 2020   Jordan   TBA 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
31 March 2020   Australia   TBA 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 March 2020   Chinese Taipei   TBA 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
19 November 2019   Kuwait   TBA 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 October 2019   Jordan L 0–3   Amman International Stadium, Amman[note 1] 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 October 2019   Australia L 0–5   Canberra Stadium, Canberra 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 September 2019   Chinese Taipei W 2–0   Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei[note 1] 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 September 2019   Kuwait L 0–7   Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City[note 1] 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 June 2019   Chinese Taipei D 1–1   National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Exhibition match (International friendly) [22]
2 June 2019   Malaysia L 0–2   Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Exhibition match (International friendly) [23]
25 March 2019   Kuwait L 0–1   Al-Ahmadi Stadium, Al Ahmadi, Kuwait Exhibition match (International friendly) [24]
21 March 2019   Kuwait D 0–0   Al-Ahmadi Stadium, Al Ahmadi, Kuwait Exhibition match (International friendly) [25]
6 October 2018   Palestine L 0–1   Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet, Bangladesh 2018 Bangabandhu Cup
2 October 2018   Tajikistan L 0–2   Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet, Bangladesh 2018 Bangabandhu Cup
12 September 2018   Maldives L 0–3   Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2018 SAFF Championship
8 September 2018   Bangladesh W 2–0   Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2018 SAFF Championship
6 September 2018   Bhutan W 4–0   Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2018 SAFF Championship
4 September 2018   Pakistan L 1–2   Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2018 SAFF Championship

* Nepal score always listed first

  Win   Draw   Loss

Coaching staffEdit

Head Coach   Johan Kalin
Assistant Coach(es)   Kiran Shrestha
Goalkeeping Coach   Nabin Maharjan
Technical Director   Gary Phillips
Physio   Aviskar Pudhasaini
Media Officer   Ayush Khadka

PlayersEdit

Current squadEdit

The following 23 players have been called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait and Chinese Taipei.[26]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Kiran Chemjong (captain) (1990-03-20) 20 March 1990 (age 29) 62 0   Minerva Punjab FC
1GK Bikesh Kuthu (1993-06-24) 24 June 1993 (age 26) 8 0   Nepal Army Club
1GK Bishal Shrestha (1992-08-09) 9 August 1992 (age 27) 0 0   Manang Marshyangdi Club
2DF Rohit Chand (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 27) 60 0   Persija Jakarta
2DF Ananta Tamang (1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 21) 25 2   Three Star Club
2DF Devendra Tamang (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 25) 11 0   Chyasal Youth Club
2DF Dinesh Rajbanshi (1998-04-04) 4 April 1998 (age 21) 8 0   Nepal Police Club
2DF Suman Aryal (1996-03-09) 9 March 1996 (age 23) 9 0   Nepal Army Club
2DF Ranjit Dhimal (1991-04-04) 4 April 1991 (age 28) 7 0   Three Star Club
2DF Ajit Bhandari (1994-02-07) 7 February 1994 (age 25) 4 0   Nepal Police Club
2DF Saroj Dahal 1 0   Sankata BSC
3MF Sujal Shrestha (1993-02-04) 4 February 1993 (age 26) 31 2   Manang Marshyangdi Club
3MF Bikram Lama (1989-02-23) 23 February 1989 (age 30) 29 0   Three Star Club
3MF Bishal Rai (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 25) 21 3   Manang Marshyangdi Club
3MF Heman Gurung (1996-02-27) 27 February 1996 (age 23) 13 0   Manang Marshyangdi Club
3MF Sunil Bal (1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 21) 10 1   Three Star Club
3MF Santosh Tamang 5 0   Nepal Army Club
3MF Tej Tamang (1998-02-14) 14 February 1998 (age 21) 3 0   Nepal Police Club
4FW Bimal Gharti Magar (1998-01-26) 26 January 1998 (age 21) 34 8   TC Sports Club
4FW Anjan Bista (1998-05-15) 15 May 1998 (age 21) 30 2   Manang Marshyangdi Club
4FW Nawayug Shrestha (1990-06-08) 8 June 1990 (age 29) 26 6   Nepal Army Club
4FW Ravi Paswan 6 0   Nepal Police Club
4FW Abhishek Rijal (2000-01-29) 29 January 2000 (age 19) 3 1   Nepal Police Club

Recent call-upsEdit

The following players have been called up within the past 12 months and are still eligible for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Alan Neupane (1996-06-24)24 June 1996 (aged 22) 0 0   Three Star Club v.   Chinese Taipei, 6 June 2019
DF Aditya ChaudharyINJ (1996-04-19) 19 April 1996 (age 23) 23 0   APF Club 2018 Bangabandhu Cup
DF Suraj BK 1 0   Manang Marshyangdi Club v.   Kuwait, 21 March 2019
DF Ravi Silwal 1 0   Sankata BSC v.   Chinese Taipei, 6 June 2019
DF Biraj Maharjan (1990-09-18) 18 September 1990 (age 29) 74 1   Manang Marshyangdi Club v.   Chinese Taipei, 6 June 2019
MF Nirajan Khadka (1988-10-06) 6 October 1988 (age 31) 35 1   Three Star Club 2018 Bangabandhu Cup
MF Hemant Thapa Magar (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 21) 1 0   Chyasal Youth Club 2018 Bangabandhu Cup
MF Tanka Basnet (1990-12-12) 12 December 1990 (age 28) 3 0   Nepal Army Club v.   Kuwait, 21 March 2019
MF Ashish Lama 1 0   APF Club v.   Kuwait, 21 March 2019
FW Bharat Khawas (1991-07-22) 22 July 1991 (age 28) 54 10   Nepal Army Club v.   Kuwait, 21 March 2019
FW Suman Lama (1996-03-09) 9 March 1996 (age 23) 8 0   Nepal Police Club v.   Kuwait, 21 March 2019
FW Ranjan Bista (1998-05-15) 15 May 1998 (age 21) 2 0   Three Star Club v.   Kuwait, 21 March 2019
FW Bimal Rana 4 0   Manang Marshyangdi Club v.   Chinese Taipei, 6 June 2019

Coaching historyEdit

Manager Career P W D L Win % Competitions Comment Ref.
  Rudi Gutendorf 1981–82 — − − − — 1982 Asian Games [27]
  Jochen Figge 1984–85 — − − − — 1984 South Asian Games: Gold medalist [28]
  Rudi Gutendorf 1986 — − − − — [27]
  Joe Kinnear 1987 — − − − — 1987 South Asian Games: Silver medalist [29]
  Reinhard Fabisch 1989 — − − − — [30][31]
  Dhan Bahadur Basnet 1989–91 — − − − — [32]
  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'[33] [34]
  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 [35]
  Stephen Constantine 1999–01 — − − − — 1999 South Asian Games: Silver medalist
2000 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament: Finalist 		[36]
  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 		[37]
  Thomas Flath 2008 — − − − — 2008 SAFF Championship: Group stage [38]
  Birat Krishna Shrestha 2008 — − − − — 2008 AFC Challenge Cup: Group stage [39]
  Krishna Thapa 2008–09 — − − − — 2008 Merdeka Tournament: Group stage [40]
  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 [41]
  Krishna Thapa 2012 — − − − — 2012 Nehru Cup [42]
  Jack Stefanowski 2013 — − − − — 2013 SAFF Championship: Semi-final
2014 AFC Challenge Cup: Failed to qualify
  Raju Kaji Shakya 2014 — − − − — [43]
  Jack Stefanowski 2014–15 — − − − — 2018 FIFA World Cup: Failed to qualify [44]
  Dhruba KC 2015 — − − − — [45]
  Patrick Aussems 2015–16 3 0 0 3 000 2015 SAFF Championship: Group stage [46]
  Bal Gopal Maharjan 2016 5 3 2 0 060 2016 Bangabandhu Cup: Champions Earned Nepal's first major title in 23 years [47]
  Koji Gyotoku 2016–2018 13 4 5 4 031 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup: Champions Earned Nepal's first AFC title [48]
  Bal Gopal Maharjan 2018 6 2 0 4 033 2018 SAFF Championship: Semi-final
2018 Bangabandhu Cup: Group stage 		Interim Coach[49] [50]
  Johan Kalin 2019–present 6 1 2 3 017 [51]

Competitive recordEdit

International match recordsEdit

Updated 10 October 2019 after match against   Australia[52]

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
  Afghanistan 6 3 1 2 10 4 +6
  Australia 1 0 0 1 0 5 −5
  Bangladesh 24 8 3 13 20 30 −10
  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 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2
  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 3 0 0 3 3 16 −13
  Japan 5 0 0 5 0 28 −28
  Jordan 2 0 1 1 1 10 −9
  Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 0 10 −10
  Kuwait 7 0 1 6 1 29 −28
  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 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6
  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 234 55 37 142 208 560 −352

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 Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Result Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
  1930 Non-FIFA Member Non-FIFA Member
  1934
  1938
  1950
  1954
  1958
  1962
  1966
  1970 Withdrew Withdrew
  1974
  1978
  1982
  1986 Did not qualify 3rd (Group 3A) 1 4 0 1 3 0 11 −11
  1990 4th (Group 4) 0 6 0 0 6 0 28 −28
  1994 Withdrew Withdrew
  1998 Did not qualify 4th (Group 4) 1 6 0 1 5 2 19 −17
    2002 3rd (Group 6) 6 6 2 0 4 13 25 −12
  2006 Withdrew Withdrew
  2010 Did not qualify Round 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4
  2014 Round 2 7 4 2 1 1 7 11 −4
  2018 Round 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2
  2022 To be determined TBD – – – – – – – –
      2026 TBD – – – – – – – –
Total 0/21 - - - - - - - - 7/21 16 30 4 4 22 22 100 −78

AFC Asian CupEdit

AFC Asian Cup finals record AFC Asian Cup qualification
Host/Year Result Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Result Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
  1956 Non-AFC Member Non-AFC Member
  1960
  1964
  1968
  1972 Withdrew Withdrew
  1976
  1980
  1984 Did Not Qualify 5th (Group 2) 0 4 0 0 4 0 30 −30
  1988 5th (Group 3) 1 4 0 1 3 0 7 −7
  1992 Withdrew Withdrew
  1996 Did Not Qualify 4th (Group 5) 0 6 0 0 6 2 26 −24
  2000 4th (Group 5) 3 4 1 0 3 3 13 −10
  2004 4th (Group E) 3 2 1 0 1 4 2 +2
     2007 Withdrew Withdrew
  2011 Did Not Qualify Withdrew & Berth Unsecured*
  2015 3rd (Group D)** 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  2019 Group F*** 3 8 0 3 5 3 13 −10
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6/17 10 28 2 4 22 12 91 −79

*Withdrew from qualification and failed to qualify for 2010 AFC Challenge Cup.
**Failed to qualify for 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.
***Some games also part of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

AFC Challenge CupEdit

AFC Challenge Cup finals record AFC Challenge Cup qualification record
Host/Year Result Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Result Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
  2006 Semi Final 7 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 No qualification tournament
  2008 Round 1 3 1 0 2 3 4 1 +3 1st (Group D) 6 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2
  2010 Did Not Qualify 2nd (Group C) 2 2 0 2 0 1 1 +0
  2012 Round 1 0 3 0 0 3 0 6 −6 2nd (Group D) 4 3 1 1 1 1 1 +0
  2014 Did Not Qualify 3rd (Group D) 4 3 1 1 1 6 2 +4
Tournament replaced by AFC Solidarity Cup
Total 3/5 10 7 1 3 7 8 10 −2 4/4 16 10 4 4 2 12 6 +6

AFC Solidarity CupEdit

Host/Year Result Pts Pld W D* L GF GA GD
  2016 Champions 8 4 2 2 0 6 2 +4
Total 1/1 8 4 2 2 0 6 2 +4

SAFF ChampionshipEdit

Main article: Nepal at the SAFF Championship
Host/Year Result Pts Pld W D* L GF GA GD
  1993 3rd 2 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1
  1995 Semi-Final 2 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1
  1997 Round 1 0 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4
  1999 4th 3 4 1 0 3 6 9 −3
  2003 Round 1 3 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1
  2005 Round 1 3 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1
    2008 Round 1 3 3 1 0 2 5 9 −4
  2009 Round 1 4 3 1 1 1 4 2 +2
  2011 Semi-Final 5 4 1 2 1 3 3 0
  2013 Semi-Final 7 4 2 1 1 5 3 +2
  2015 Round 1 0 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4
  2018 Semi-Final 6 4 2 0 2 7 5 +2
Total 12/12 41 36 8 9 18 42 55 −13

Olympic GamesEdit

See also: Nepal national under-23 football team

Asian GamesEdit

See also: Nepal national under-23 football team
Host/Year Result Pts Pld W D* L GF GA GD
  1951 Non-IOC Member
  1954
  1958
  1962
  1966 Withdrew
  1970
  1974
  1978
  1982 Round 1 0 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8
  1986 Round 1 0 4 0 0 4 0 17 −17
  1990 Withdrew
  1994 Round 1 0 3 0 0 3 0 20 −20
  1998 Round 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6
2002 to Present see Nepal national under-23 team
Total 12 0 0 12 1 52 −51

South Asian GamesEdit

See also: Nepal national under-20 football team and Nepal national under-23 football team
Host/Year Result Pts Pld W D* L GF GA GD
  1984   Gold - - - - - - - -
  1985   Bronze - - - - - - - -
  1987   Silver - - - - - - - -
  1989 No medal - - - - - - - -
  1991 No medal - - - - - - - -
  1993   Gold - - - - - - - -
  1995 No medal - - - - - - - -
  1999   Silver 9 5 3 0 2 12 7 +5
Age bar restriction after 1999, U23s only.
  2004 No medal 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 -1
  2006   Bronze 8 5 2 2 1 10 5 +5
  2010 No medal 3 3 1 0 2 2 4 -2
  2016   Gold 9 4 3 0 1 12 7 +5
  2019 TBD - - - - - - - -
Total 12/12 30 19 9 3 7 36 24 +12

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]

Host/Year/Tournament Name Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Pts**
  1975 DCM Cup Unknown[citation needed] - - - - - - - -
  1979 President's Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1979 Agatha Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1979 Aga Khan Gold Cup Round 1 4 0 1 3 2 14 −12 1
  1981 President's Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1981 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1981 King's Cup Unknown[citation needed] - - - - - - - -
  1982 Darjeeling Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Cup 6th 6 1 2 3 3 9 −6 4
  1982 King's Cup Round 1 4 1 0 3 2 9 −7 2
  1982 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament Runner up - - - - - - - -
  1983 Merdeka Tournament Round 1 5 0 0 1 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 ANFA Cup Semi-final 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
  1985 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup[53] Round 1 2 0 0 2 2 9 −9 0
  1986 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup 5th 5 1 1 3 4 17 −13 4
  1986 Panchayat Silver Jubilee Cup Semi-final 4 1 1 2 1 4 -3 4
  1986 ANFA Cup Runner up - - - - - - - -
  1987 Quaid-E-Azam International Cup Round 1 - - - - - - - -
  1987 ANFA Cup Champions - - - - - - - -
  1989 Aga Khan Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1989 ANFA Cup Runner up - - - - - - - -
  1995 Airlines Gold Cup Unknown - - - - - - - -
  1997 Governor's Gold Cup Champion - - - - - - - –
  1998 Governor's Gold Cup Champion - - - - - - - –
  1998 Durand Cup Round 1[54] 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
  1999 Bangabandhu Cup Round 1 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0
  2000 ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Tournament Runner up 4 2 0 2 4 2 +2 6
  2004 Governor's Gold Cup Runner up - - - - - - - –
  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
  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
  2016 AFC Solidarity Cup Champions 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 10
  2018 Bangabandhu Cup Round 1 2 0 0 2 0 3 -3 0
Total 5 Titles - - - - - - - -
**Former rules, win = 2pts.

HonoursEdit

StatisticsEdit

Most capped playersEdit

Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

As of 16 October 2019

Qualification: 50 caps

# Player Period Caps Goals
1 Biraj Maharjan 2008–present 72 2
2 Kiran Chemjong 2008–present 65 0
3 Sagar Thapa 2003-2015 62 1
4 Rohit Chand 2009–present 60 0
5 Bharat Khawas 2008–present 54 10
6 Anil Gurung 2007–2017 50 10

Top goalscorersEdit

Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

As of 16 October 2019

Qualification: 5 goals

# Player Period Goals Caps
1 Hari Khadka 1996–2005 13 41
(=1) Nirajan Rayamajhi 2002–2010 13 19
2 Jumanu Rai 2006–present 11 32
3 Anil Gurung 2007–2017 10 50
(=3) Bharat Khawas 2008–present 10 54
4 Bimal Gharti Magar 2012–present 8 33
5 Nawayug Shrestha 2014–present 6 26

See alsoEdit

External linksEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b "FIFA Fixtures & Results". FIFA.com. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  4. ^ "8th SAF-Games 1999". Indian Football. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  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
  16. ^ http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/28/c_137071511.htm
  17. ^ "ANFA Invitational Tournament (Nepal)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Team unveiled for Prime Minister Cup". gorkhapatra.org.np. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  19. ^ "Attsh – HISTORY – How did it started?". Attsh.com. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Fixtures and results". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Kuwait FA agrees to host Nepal". The Himalayan Times. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Nepal to play friendly against Chinese Taipei". República. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Malaysia FA Confirms Nepal Friendly On June 2". Goal Nepal. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  24. ^ "Nepal lose to Kuwait". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Kuwait soccer team hold Nepal to goalless draw in home friendly". menafn.com. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  26. ^ "ANFA | News Detail". the-anfa.com. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  27. ^ a b "Rudi Gutendorf: The colourful life of a 'footballing missionary'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  28. ^ "Trainer-Globetrotter Jochen Figge über Fußball in Afrika: »Sie bewarfen uns mit brennenden Geckos«". 11FREUNDE.de. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  29. ^ "Nepal: Nepal Remembers Joe Kinnear". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  30. ^ "Machos und Magier" (in German). Der Spiegel. 13 March 1989. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  31. ^ "German coach spurs young footballers". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  32. ^ "Reminiscing Nepal's Football Success At The 1993 SAF Games". www.goalnepal.com. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  33. ^ "Obermann helps build football ground". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  34. ^ "German coach to train Nepali football team". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  35. ^ "Interview Torsten Spittler". Bayerischer fußballverband (in German). Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  36. ^ "Stephen Constantine has dealt with deadly mosquitoes in Malawi, a presidential coup in Sudan, and armed guards in Nepal... the English coach is football's No 1 globetrotter". Daily Mail. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  37. ^ "Shyam Thapa – Indian football legend". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  38. ^ "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 2016-01-25.
  39. ^ "AFC Challenge Cup '08 Team Profile: Nepal - Goal.com". Goal.com. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  40. ^ "Nepal: ANFA Selects Squad For Merdeka Cup - Goal.com". Goal.com. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  41. ^ "Tottenham great seeks Nepal high". hindustantimes.com. Hindustan Times. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  42. ^ "Nepal Coach Krishna Thapa: I Am Still Not Satisfied With Team Formation; I Will Announce Squad On Saturday". www.goalnepal.com. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  43. ^ "New Nepal National Team Head Coach Raju Kaji Shakya: I Will Try My Best To Lead The Team Well". GoalNepal.com. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  44. ^ "ANFA Re-appoints Jack Stefanowski As A Coach Of Nepal". GoalNepal.com. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  45. ^ "Dhruba KC appointed national coach". myrepublica.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  46. ^ "Former Belgian International appointed Nepal coach". the-ANFA.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  47. ^ "Final squad for Bangabandhu Gold Cup Announced". ANFA. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  48. ^ "New national team coach arrives". ANFA. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  49. ^ "Bal Gopal Maharjan Appointed Interim Head Coach Of Nepal National Team". Goal Nepal. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  50. ^ "Maharjan takes over from Koji". The Kathmandu Post. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  51. ^ "ANFA names Swedish Kalin as Nepal coach". The Kathmandu Post. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  52. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Nepal". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  53. ^ "1985". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  54. ^ "110th "Kelvinator" Durand Cup 1998". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 October 2018.

FootnotesEdit

  1. ^ a b c The home matches of Nepal against Chinese Taipei, Jordan and Kuwait were swapped with the away matches after the All Nepal Football Association requested for the same, due to the unavailability of the stadium.[21]
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