Nepal will play their home match of the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Bahrain outside the country instead of the Dasharath Stadium after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) deemed the country’s only international-standard stadium unsatisfactory for the match.

Nepal were scheduled to host Bahrain on March 21 at the country’s only international-standard venue and travel to Bahrain on March 27 away clash.

“Regrettably, due to various sporting and other activities being hosted at the only international stadium in Nepal, and considering the time constraints for pitch maintenance, the condition of the stadium pitch has been deemed unsatisfactory for the Qualifier match,” the country’s football governing body said in a statement on Friday.

“The decision has been communicated by the Asian Football Confederation following a field visit by an AFC representative in February,” ANFA added.

“We deeply regret to inform our fans that the home match against Bahrain cannot be held in Nepal. Consequently, the match will be relocated to an alternative venue outside the country, the details of which will be announced shortly,” it added.

The stadium hosted the National 15s Rugby League Championship last week. The stadium was also used to hold various school-level annual sports programmes following the conclusion of Nepal Super League, which took place from November 24 to December 30 last year.

Nepal are pitted alongside the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen in Group H. They are at the bottom of the group after losing their away match at the UAE 4-0 and home match against Yemen 2-0.

A total of 36 teams have been divided into nine groups of four teams in the second round. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup and the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

The bottom two teams from each group will head to the third round of the Asian Cup qualification.