The Nepal national football team is the national team of Nepal 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.
Contents
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History 1
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Origins (1921-1963) 1.1
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Emergence (1963-1970) 1.2
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Modernisation & golden generation (1970-1990) 1.3
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Recent years (1990-2015) 1.4
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Home stadium 2
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Team image 3
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Nepal Red & Blue 3.1
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Rivalries 3.2
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Kit evolution 3.3
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1st Kit 3.3.1
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2nd Kit 3.3.2
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Recent results and fixtures 4
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Coaching staff 5
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Players 6
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Current squad 6.1
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Recent Call-ups 6.2
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Records 6.3
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Squads 6.4
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Coaching history 7
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Competitive record 8
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All time team record 8.1
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Competition history 8.2
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FIFA World Cup 8.3
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AFC Asian Cup 8.4
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AFC Challenge Cup 8.5
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SAFF Championship 8.6
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Olympic Games 8.7
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Asian Games 8.8
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South Asian Games 8.9
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Other tournaments 8.10
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Honours 9
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Notable players 10
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See also 11
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References 12
History
Origins (1921-1963)
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.[6] 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. 2 days later, Nepal played the Dhaka Wonders, a local West Pakistani team. Though this match was also lost 0–7. After a disastrous 2 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.[7] The goal took place at the 19th minute.
Modernisation & golden generation (1970-1990)
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 October 13, 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 endeavours 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 programmes.
In the mid-1980s, FIFA provided financial assistance and sent a number of coaches to help Nepal launch its first youth programme, 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 programme 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 have 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.[8] While at the same time, Nepal still entered tournaments against club sides such as FC Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast in the 1989 ANFA Cup.
Recent years (1990-2015)
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 neighbours 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 Korea Republic, 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.
Home stadium
The stadium at daytime
The team's home ground is the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium in Tripureswor, Kathmandu, Nepal. Holding 25,000 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 Dasarath Rangasala underwent heavy renovation that saw several improvements such as the expansion of seats from 20,000 to 25,000.
Team image
Nepal Red & Blue
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 were a selection of Nepalese players that played as the full Nepal national football team. Whereas, Nepal Blue was effectively the B-team.[9][10]
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".
Rivalries
Kit evolution
The national team's kit employs a tricolour of red, blue, and white to reflect the colours of the national flag of Nepal. With red being used for home matches, and blue for away. The pattern in some kits reflect the triangular shaping of 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.[11] Today, Attsh acts as the main kit distributor for the national team, with adidas being the primary manufacturer of choice.
1st Kit
2nd Kit
Recent results and fixtures
Results accurate up to 31 October 2014.[12]
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Date
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Opponent
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Result
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Score*
|
Venue
|
Competition
|
|
27 December 2015
|
 India
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
Trivandrum International Stadium, Trivandrum, India
|
2015 SAFF Championship
|
|
25 December 2015
|
 Pakistan
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
Trivandrum International Stadium, Trivandrum, India
|
2015 SAFF Championship
|
|
23 December 2015
|
 Sri Lanka
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TBD
|
TBD
|
Trivandrum International Stadium, Trivandrum, India
|
2015 SAFF Championship
|
|
November 2015
|
TBA
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
TBA, Thailand
|
Exhibition match (International friendly)
|
|
November 2015
|
TBA
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
TBA, Japan
|
Exhibition match (International friendly)
|
|
November 2015
|
TBA
|
TBD
|
TBD
|
TBA, South Korea
|
Exhibition match (International friendly)
|
|
31 August 2015
|
India
|
D
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0–0
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Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune, India
|
Exhibition match (International friendly)
|
|
23 August 2015
|
Manang Marshyangdi Club
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D
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1–1
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ANFA Complex, Satdobato, Lalitpur, Nepal
|
Exhibition match (International friendly)
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|
14 August 2015
|
 Nepal (U19)
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D
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0–0
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ANFA Complex, Satdobato, Lalitpur, Nepal
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Exhibition match (International friendly)
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|
17 March 2015
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India
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D
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0–0
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Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
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12 March 2015
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India
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L
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0–2
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Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, India
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
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|
31 October 2014
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 Philippines
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L
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0–3
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Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar
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Exhibition match (International friendly)
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25 June 2014
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 Indonesia
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L
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0–2
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Gajayana Stadium, Malang, Indonesia
|
Exhibition match (International friendly)
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20 June 2014
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Nepal (U16)
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W
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1–0
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ANFA Complex, Satdobato, Lalitpur, Nepal
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Exhibition match (Friendly)
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11 April 2014
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Philippines
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L
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0–3
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Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar
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Exhibition match (International friendly)
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25 March 2014
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 Yemen
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L
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0–2
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Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar
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Exhibition match (International friendly)
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* Nepal score always listed first
Win Draw Loss
Coaching staff
Players
Current squad
The following 30-man squad was announced for the friendly against India 31 August 2015.[13]
Recent Call-ups
Records
Squads
Coaching history
*Interim
**ANFA Suspended for 2 years by FIFA[23]
Competitive record
All time team record
International record (ignoring friendlies) against all nations, correct as of 9 March 2011.
[24]
Competition history
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*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
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**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
FIFA World Cup
AFC Asian Cup
*Withdrew from qualification, & failed to qualify for 2010 AFC Challenge Cup.
**Failed to qualify for 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.
***Also part of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.
AFC Challenge Cup
SAFF Championship
|
Host/Year
|
Result
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Pts
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GP
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W
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D*
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L
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GF
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GA
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GD
|
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1993
|
3rd
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2
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3
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0
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2
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1
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1
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2
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-1
|
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1995
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Semi-Final
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2
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3
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0
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2
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1
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1
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2
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-1
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1997
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Round 1
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0
|
2
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0
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0
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2
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1
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5
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-4
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1999
|
4th
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3
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4
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1
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0
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3
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6
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9
|
-3
|
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2003
|
Round 1
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
5
|
-1
|
|
2005
|
Round 1
|
3
|
3
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1
|
0
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2
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4
|
5
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-1
|
|
2008
|
Round 1
|
3
|
3
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1
|
0
|
2
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5
|
9
|
-4
|
|
2009
|
Round 1
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
1
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4
|
2
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+2
|
|
2011
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Semi-Final
|
5
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4
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1
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2
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1
|
3
|
3
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0
|
|
2013
|
Semi-Final
|
7
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
3
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+2
|
|
2015
|
TBD
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
2017
|
TBD
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Total
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10/10
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32
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32
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8
|
8
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16
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34
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45
|
-11
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Olympic Games
Asian Games
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Host/Year
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Result
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Pts
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GP
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W
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D*
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L
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GF
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GA
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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
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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
|
|
Total
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0
|
0
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12
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
1
|
52
|
−51
|
South Asian Games
|
Host/Year
|
Result
|
Pts
|
GP
|
W
|
D*
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
|
1984
|
01 ! Gold
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1985
|
03 ! Bronze
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1987
|
02 ! Silver
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1989
|
No medal
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1991
|
No medal
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1993
|
01 ! Gold
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1995
|
No medal
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
1999
|
02 ! Silver
|
9
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
12
|
7
|
+5
|
|
Total
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Other tournaments
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**Former rules, win = 2pts.
Honours
Notable players
See also
References
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^ http://the-anfa.com/newspage-394-former+belgian+international+appointed+nepal+coach
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Nepal national football team
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General
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Other ANFA teams
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Venues
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Statistics
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Players
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Culture
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Tournaments
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National teams
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League system
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Domestic Cups
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Defunct
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Clubs
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A-Division
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B Division
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C Division
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Others
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International Competitions
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National Teams
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Domestic Leagues
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Southeast Asia (AFF)
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Central Asia (CAFA)
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East Asia (EAFF)
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South Asia (SAFF)
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Defunct
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1 Provisional Associate Member - Not a member of FIFA
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Asia
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Africa
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North America,
Central America
and the Caribbean
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South America
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Oceania
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Europe
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Non-FIFA
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Games
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Nepal national football team – managers
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