When Sahara Club Pokhara organised the Caravan Gold Cup in 2058BS (2001/02), little would they have known that it would transform into one of Nepal’s most prestigious and longest-running local football tournaments.

From the second edition in 2059BS, Caravan Gold Cup was renamed ‘Aaha Gold Cup’. Ten years later, in 2069BS, it became ‘Aaha Rara Gold Cup’. Now, the tournament is being played under the banner of ‘Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup’.

And through different highs and lows, the tournament has reached a historic milestone as the upcoming season will mark the 25th edition of the annual Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup.

Four foreign clubs this year

There will be 12 teams participating in the 25th edition of the tournament, the organisers informed at a press conference in Pokhara on Sunday.

Nepal Police FC and Manang Marsyangdi Club, two of the most successful clubs in the tournament, are the biggest names among local Pokhara fans. The two clubs have lifted the trophy of the Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup six times each, the joint-highest in the tournament’s history.

The two will be accompanied by five other A-Division clubs—defending champion Church Boys United, Armed Police Force FC, Jawalakhel Youth Club, Machhindra FC and Planning Boyz United. The tournament will also feature a team from the organisers Sahara Club and four foreign clubs.

Gorkha International FC of Hong Kong and AVA FC of Uzbekistan will be joined by two Indian clubs. Thunderbolt North United of Sikkim, alongside another Indian club, which is yet to be confirmed fully, are the foreign clubs travelling to Pokhara.

Silver jubilee under floodlights

The 16,500-capacity Pokhara Stadium, which was constructed at a budget of Rs1.28 billion, does not have floodlights. However, for the silver jubilee edition of the Aaha Rara Pokhar Gold Cup, the organisers are setting up portable floodlights temporarily.

Compared to the early years of the tournament, the number of fans thronging the Pokhara Stadium has been on a decline. In the previous edition, the stadium did not get packed even in the final.

However, to organise the tournament after office hours so that more fans could come to the stadium, Sahara Club Pokhara has brought temporary floodlights.

The matches will kick off at 5pm. Organisers expect that the lights will be needed at the start of the second half.

Similarly, the prize amount has been increased this year. The winner will walk away with Rs1.401 million, and the runner-up will get Rs701,000. Previously, the winner and the runner-up got Rs1.2 million and Rs601,000, respectively.

Likewise, as from the second edition in 2059BS, Him Shree Foods’ Aaha and Rara noodles will be the main sponsor of the event. “The floodlights have been installed to bring more energy to the event alongside promoting Pokhara Tourism Year 2025-26,” read a statement by the organisers.

The earnings from the tournament have been invested in the operation of the Surya Bahadur KC Memorial Sahara Football Academy, which currently has 30 children from different parts of the country.