Sabitra Bhandari, Nepal’s captain and all-time leading goal scorer, is set to play in the Ninja A-League Women—the elite women’s club football competition of Australia and New Zealand—for the next two seasons.

Bhandari, widely known as “Samba” in the football community in Nepal and beyond, has signed with New Zealand-based club Wellington Phoenix FC. The signing was officially announced on Thursday.

The A-League described Bhandari’s signing as a “huge coup” for Wellington Phoenix—the only New Zealand-based club in the top division. The league published an article on its website announcing her arrival, headlined: “Huge coup as Wellington Phoenix sign ‘national icon’ with crazy international goals record.”

Samba entered the European stage through D1 Arkema, the top division of France and one of the best in the world, with En Avant Guingamp (EAG) in February 2024 for the 2023-24 season. She scored six goals for the club in the 2024-25 season, with two of them coming against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on March 22 this year. However, EAG got relegated this season.

Wellington Phoenix became New Zealand’s first-ever professional women’s football team when they debuted in the A-League in the 2021–22 season, expanding the competition to 10 teams. Meanwhile, Auckland FC, whose men’s team entered the A-League in 2024–25, are set to launch their women’s team in the upcoming 2025–26 season, making it the second Kiwi club in the competition.

The A-League has ramped up investment in expansion and development following the surge in interest in women’s football across Australia and New Zealand, especially after the two countries co-hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

“Football is now the biggest team participation sport, with women and girls’ involvement in New Zealand Football programmes rising by 27% since 2022,” FIFA noted in a February 24 article titled ‘How the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 is redefining football Down Under’, published on its website.

“As someone who loves new challenges, I am happy to start this new journey,” Samba told the Post. “I will probably leave for the club in September.”

The A-League runs from November to May, with teams competing in a double round-robin format. The top six then advance to a knockout stage, known as the Final Series, to contest for the title.

Last season, fourth-placed Central Coast Mariners triumphed in the Final Series, defeating second-placed Melbourne Victory on penalties to claim the title. Melbourne City, who topped the regular season standings, were eliminated in the semi-finals after a 3–2 aggregate loss to the Mariners.

Wellington Phoenix finished ninth in the 2024–25 season. In their first two campaigns—2021–22 and 2022–23—they ended bottom of the table, with the latter season marking the league’s expansion to 11 teams following Western United’s debut.

The 2025–26 season will be Phoenix’s fourth in the A-League and the league’s 18th overall. Samba believes she can help lift the club to new heights in the upcoming campaign.

“I am really excited to come to the Phoenix, score lots of goals and make the fans super happy,” said Bhandari as quoted by the club.

The Nepali diaspora in New Zealand is equally thrilled to welcome one of South Asia’s finest women footballers.

Dinesh Khakda, Honorary Consulate of Nepal to New Zealand, posted on Facebook that Samba’s signing is a proud moment and an opportunity to “show her the strength and pride of the Nepali diaspora in New Zealand.”

“To celebrate this milestone, the Honorary Consulate Office is working closely with the CEO of Wellington Phoenix to organise meet-and-greet events with Samba across major cities in New Zealand,” his post read, “giving our Nepalese community the opportunity to meet their national star in person.”

Wellington Phoenix praised Sabitra’s proven abilities at the highest levels, highlighting her international experience, leadership, and goal-scoring prowess.

“She has demonstrated her abilities against some of the best players in the world in France, and brings a wealth of international experience and attacking prowess to our squad,” the club stated. “Sabitra is a national icon in Nepal and the country’s all-time leading goal scorer, and her leadership, experience, and on-field excellence will be invaluable both on and off the pitch.”

Samba has scored 66 goals in 60 games for Nepal, a record that is unlikely to be broken, or even challenged, anytime soon. She scored nine goals in the last three games—four against Laos, three against Sri Lanka and two against Uzbekistan in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers.

The club further said that Samba’s presence promises to add a “new dimension” to their attacking play. “Beyond her footballing talents, Sabitra’s inspiring journey, determination, and deep love for the game resonate strongly with the values of our club,” the club said. “Her story is one our fans—both long-time supporters and newcomers—will undoubtedly connect with.”