Dasharath Stadium deemed fit to host international matches
The stadium will host the AFC Challenge League qualification playoff between A-Division League champions Church Boys and Bhutan’s Paro FC on August 13. A view of the Dasharath Stadium as seen in this picture provided by the National Sports Council. Photo: Courtesy of National Sports Council
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has cleared the Dasharath Stadium, Nepal’s only international-standard football stadium, to host international matches, according to the National Sports Council (NSC).
The NSC on Thursday said it has received a response from the football governing body All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), which stated that AFC’s reports have now deemed the stadium fit to host international competitions.
In March, AFC had moved Nepal’s home match of the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup joint qualification against Bahrain to an away venue saying the stadium did not meet the required standard.
The stadium had hosted the National 15s Rugby League Championship a week before the AFC’s denial. The stadium was also used to hold various other non-football programmes following the conclusion of Nepal Super League, which took place from November 24 to December 30 last year. The 49th convocation ceremony of the Tribhuvan University was also held in the stadium in the middle of the Nepal Super League.
Nepal played both their home and away match against Bahrain at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa on March 22 and March 27. Nepal suffered a 5-0 loss in the first leg and 3-0 defeat in the second leg.
Nepal also played their home match against the United Arab Emirates in Saudi Arabia, which the UAE won 4-0, in June.
Nepal lost five of their six group matches and drew one (2-2 against Yemen) failing to qualify for the third round of the World Cup qualifiers which also denied them a direct entry to the Asian Cup.
After Nepal’s football team were forced to play their home World Cup qualifiers match in Bahrain, the NSC had taken over the supervision and protection of the Dasharath Stadium from the ANFA.
AFC representatives inspected the Dasharath Stadium on July 24.
The reinstatement of international status has paved the way for the Dasharath Stadium to host the AFC Challenge League qualification playoff between A-Division League champions Church Boys and Bhutan’s Paro FC on August 13.
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