The winning club of Nepal’s A Division League qualifies for the Asian Football Confederation’s continental competition. It was under this system that Church Boys United, winner of the 2023 season of the Martyrs’ Memorial A Division League, faced Bhutan’s Paro FC at the AFC Challenge League Preliminary Stage 1 Tie in August last year.

However, Nepal does not have a representative to send for the AFC Club Competition for the 2025/26 season, a result of the All Nepal Football Association’s inability to host the A Division League on time.

Thus, in a bid to utilise the slot given to Nepal by the AFC, ANFA is planning to organise a league-cum-knockout tournament between A Division clubs and send the winner to the AFC Club Competition.

ANFA has said the tournament will kick off on May 3 and called the clubs for registration.

“An agreement has been reached to register clubs and fix the minimum number of players in a squad for the tournament by May 23,” ANFA said in a statement on Monday.

The statement came after the discussion between ANFA and 14 A Division Clubs at the former’s office in Satdobato, Lalitpur.

While ANFA stressed that the tournament would allow a Nepali club to participate in the biggest club competition in Asia, club owners argued that the tournament was unprofessional as it only covered up ANFA’s inability to host the league regularly.

“AFC allows Nepal’s top club, the winner of the top-tier league, in their tournament. But we do not have a winner for this season as the league was not organised,” ANFA spokesperson Suresh Shah said.

“We cannot organise the A Division League unless the B Division League, which is underway, concludes. We need two new teams promoted.”

Shah also informed that ANFA would hold further meetings to discuss the tournament structure and other rules. And unless the structure and rules are proper, A Division clubs might not be interested in the knockout game.

“It is a shame,” Reuben Rai, president of Church Boys United, told the Post. “Plus, this event increases the burden on clubs, and ANFA as well. Clubs will now have to invest more in foreign players and struggle for work permits and visas.”

Rai also argues that the tournament would be problematic if Khumaltar FC and APF Club, who were relegated from the last season in 2023, participate. “What will happen if either Khumaltar or APF, who are not in the top tier, win the tournament?” questioned Rai.

According to Rai, the clubs have seen Monday’s meeting as a preliminary discussion. “We will express our problems and reservations regarding the tournament in the upcoming meetings,” Rai said.

ANFA also stated that they would organise multiple discussions in the upcoming days to reach a consensus among the clubs and organise the event successfully.