ANFA: All Nepal Football Association

2025-11-05

ANFA President League Football 2082 kicks off in Makwanpur

The ANFA President League Football 2082 began on Wednesday in Hetauda, Makwanpur.

ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang inaugurated the event by handing over the match ball to the match officials. ANFA Vice President Deepak Khatiwada, General Secretary Kiran Rai, Ex-Co members Tika Lama and Purushottam Thapa among other office bearers from province and district football association were also present in the inauguration.

A total of ten teams are competing in this year’s league, which runs until Mangsir 2. The participating clubs include Gaighat Football Club, Deurali Youth Club, Nawa Jagriti Club, Chitlang Football Club, Tigers Team Tikalathali, Jana Jagriti Youth Club, Kakrebihar Youth Club, Bijaya Sports Club, Hairans Club and Laligurans Association Club.

Chitlang Youth Club defeated Deurali Youth Club 4–1 to start their campaign.

Chitlang’s Chandan Kumar Das, Lohan Subba, Vigyan Khadka and Madan Syangtang each found the back of the net. Deurali managed to pull one goal back through Ram Chandra Wazi, but it was not enough to challenge Chitlang’s dominance. For his impressive performance, Chitlang midfielder Jay Gurung was named the Player of the Match.

The second match of the day saw Bijaya Sports Club and Laligurans Association battle to a goalless stalemate. Despite the lack of goals, the match featured competitive play, with Laligurans’ Suraj Thakuri earning the Player of the Match award for his standout effort.

The tournament is being held in a league-cum-knockout format. The champions will receive a cash prize of Rs 1 million, while the runners-up will take home Rs 500,000.

Teams have been divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals. Importantly, all semifinalists will qualify for the National League.

2025-11-13

Nepal hold Bangladesh to thrilling draw

Nepal held Bangladesh to a thrilling 2-2 draw in Thursday’s international friendly at the National Stadium in Dhaka, extending the unbeaten run against the hosts since 2020.

Bangladesh’s England-based midfielder Hamza Choudhury was the standout performer for the home side, scoring twice in quick succession early in the second half. But Nepal showed strong character to fight back and deny the hosts a victory in front of a packed crowd.

Nepal opened the scoring in the 25th minute through Rohit Chand, who fired a brilliant long-range strike past the Bangladeshi defence. Nepal controlled much of the first half before Bangladesh responded immediately after the break.

Choudhury levelled the match in the 46th minute with an acrobatic finish and gave Bangladesh a 2-1 lead four minutes later from the penalty spot. Despite the pressure, Nepal kept their composure and continued to push forward.

The equaliser arrived deep into added time when Ananta Tamang produced a clever backheel finish from a corner, silencing the home crowd and securing a deserved 2-2 draw for Nepal.

Choudhury was substituted in the 80th minute after picking up a knee injury and was seen on the sideline as Nepal struck the late leveller.

With this result, Nepal continue their impressive record against Bangladesh, having remained unbeaten in meetings since 2020. The friendly served as valuable preparation for both teams ahead of their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on November 18.

2025-10-29

Nepal defeat India in exhibition match

Nepal held India to a 1–1 draw before winning 3–0 on penalties in an exhibition match at a packed Paljor Stadium in Gangtok on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.

The Sikkim Football Association organised the match, which drew a capacity crowd as fans from across the region turned up in large numbers. Chief Minister of Sikkim, Shri Prem Singh Tamang Golay, attended the event as the Chief Guest, with free entry offered to supporters.

Nepal made several changes from their previous match in Shillong but started strongly, creating early chances through Purnima Rai and Meena Deuba. Despite Nepal’s promising start, India took the lead in the 30th minute following a defensive error. Nepal responded well and equalised just before halftime when Rashmi Kumari Ghising headed in an Anita Basnet corner.

The second half remained competitive but produced few clear chances. Saru Limbu and Sabita Rana Magar came close for Nepal, while goalkeeper Usha Nath made key saves to keep the score level.

With the match ending 1–1, the contest proceeded directly to penalties, where Nepal were flawless. Sabita Rana Magar, Rashmi Kumari Ghising, and Nisha Thokar all converted their spot-kicks. Goalkeeper Anjana Rana Magar, brought on late in the game, saved two penalties as Nepal sealed a confident 3–0 shootout victory.

2025-10-27

Sabitra’s double guides Nepal to victory over India

The Nepali women’s football team defeated hosts India 2–1 in the Tri-Nation Football Tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.

Team captain Sabitra Bhandari scored both goals for Nepal, securing a well-earned victory. She struck in the 2nd minute, capitalizing on a long pass from Bimala BK to give Nepal an early lead.

Sabitra doubled the advantage in the 63rd minute with another composed finish. India pulled one back in the 81st minute through Karishma Sirabhokar, but Nepal held firm for the remainder of the match to claim the win.

With this result, Nepal finished as runners-up in the tournament. Nepal had lost their opening match 3–0 to Iran, while India, who were defeated 2–0 by Iran earlier, ended the competition without any points.