Over the past few years, the number of top-class Nepali footballers leaving for Australia has been on the rise, mirroring the overall trend of Nepalis migrating to the land down under.

According to Goalnepal.com, an online media outlet that covers football, over a dozen players have landed in Australia since October 2025 alone—Aakash Ranabhat, Bijaya Bhujel, Chirring Gurung, Bibek Chaudhary, Mohit Gurung, Aswin Ghorasaini, Roshan Rana Magar, Bishal Syangtan, Roshan Dong, Ujjwal Rai, Phatteman Ghale, Jaya Gurung and Niraj Chaudhary.

The players have been leaving Nepal as it is virtually impossible to make a living from the sport. The league cycle, which provides the platform for clubs and players to keep their finances kicking, is inconsistent and other domestic tournaments are scarce.

Meanwhile, the players, with a lot of promise in football, are not heading to Australia to earn a livelihood from the game. “They take up different jobs, and they play football only in their leisure time,” said Sundar Karki, a former local footballer who currently works in Australia as a chef. “They are seen playing football in Australia, but they are not professional leagues. They play in tournaments organised at the community-level.”

Karki, a founding member of Yeti FC, a club formed by individuals from the Nepali community, informed that community-level football tournaments are popular in Australia because Nepalis can see top-class Nepali footballers, who have also donned the national jersey, play.

“Nepalis in Australia love football, and the Nepali players who arrive here cannot keep themselves from utilising the opportunity to touch the ball again,” Karki, who is currently in Kathmandu, told the Post. “So, whenever there is a football tournament, it is a festival for both the fans and players.”

Nepal at Shepparton Nations Cup

Shepparton Nations Cup’s first edition took place in January 2024 after some youths from Iraq saw the chances of a structured football tournament with the participation of multicultural and diverse demographics present in the Shepparton region, a region in Victoria.

The first edition saw participation from teams representing 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Congo, Italy, Albania, Turkey, Australia and Nepal.

A team representing Nepal, through the club Youthify Shepparton, which was founded by Karki, also participated in the second edition in January 2025, where they finished as the runner-up after losing to Afghanistan in the final.

The team is now ready to represent Nepal in the third edition, which is kicking off on January 8, 2026. And it does not feel problematic to state that the club represents Nepal due to the players.

This year’s squad of Youthify Shepparton includes Sagar Thapa (captain), Suman Lama, Aasish Lama, Tej Tamang, Dinesh Rajbanshi, Alan Neupane, Rumesh Bartaula, Samip Magar, Subash Gurung, Bikash Thapa, Mishan Lama, Suk Bhattarai, Tribendra Khatri, Indra Katuwal, Nischal Magar and Bipin Thapa. Many of these players have donned the Nepali national jersey at different times, while others have played for renowned clubs in Nepal’s domestic football scene.

“We are trying to have Bhola Silwal, who is currently on a three-month trip to Australia, coach the team too,” Karki informed. “We also aim to win the title this time with hundreds of passionate Nepali fans in attendance.”

The 10 teams in the tournament are divided into two groups of five each. Team Nepal will face Italy, Turkiye, Iraq and Macedonia on January 10, 12, 14 and 17, respectively, in the group stage.

Love for Nepali football

Ever since Sabitra Bhandari aka Samba joined New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix FC for the A-League, the top-tier women’s club football tournament of Australia and New Zealand combined, she has been the talk of the region.

“For the first time, Wellington ‘Samba show’ is coming to Sydney tonight. Sabitra Bhandari has had incredible travelling support everywhere she’s gone in the Ninja A-League. Will there be more of the same when the ‘Nix travel to take on Western Sydney tonight? Get your tickets now,” A-Leagues, the social media platform for both men’s and women’s leagues, posted on its Facebook.

A-Leagues have continuously been posting about Samba because she brings in the attention of thousands of passionate Nepali fans, who were dominant in Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney on Tuesday. Further, the fans left satisfied with Samba scoring a goal and making an assist in the team’s 3-0 win.

“There are fans travelling miles to see Samba play at different places,” Karki said. “It is all because Nepalis in Australia love Nepali football and its players.”

Karki went on, “We might have been sad to see them come here had there been a proper footballing environment back home. But in the lack of opportunities in Nepal, with footballers struggling to survive financially, we are happy to welcome them. And as we do not want to see them end their passion for football, we keep creating clubs and have local tournaments.”

There are expected to be around 70 Nepali community football clubs across Australia.

Karki also recalled the time when Jack Stefanowski, a Polish-born American coach who led Nepal’s senior men’s team for a year (2015-16), came to Australia scouting for Nepali footballers.

“Nepali footballers have been coming to Australia for a long time now,” Karki said. “All we hope is to see Nepali footballers enjoying playing the game alongside earning a decent life from it.”