ANFA calls 35 players for closed camp. Does it guarantee Nepal’s participation in SAFF Women’s Championship?
Having already lost a FIFA Series opportunity because of administrative turmoil, Nepal’s women footballers now prepare for SAFF amid fears that suspension politics could again deny them international action.Nepal women’s team players take a walk during their visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers last year. Nayak Paudel/TKP
The All Nepal Football Association broke its silence on social media after a fortnight on Tuesday afternoon. The governing body of Nepali football revealed the list of 35 players called for the closed camp targeting the eighth edition of the SAFF Women’s Championship in Goa, India, next month.
The last Facebook post by ANFA, which is currently under domestic suspension, was on April 5. The post informed that the U20 national team, which was in the Maldives for the SAFF Championship, had landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport.
ANFA was suspended for three months by the National Sports Council (NSC) on March 25 for denying directives related to tier-wise election. Nepal’s U20 team was then playing the South Asian tournament in the Maldives.
“Head Coach Nabin Neupane has announced a 35-member preliminary squad for the upcoming SAFF Women’s Championship 2026,” ANFA wrote on Tuesday’s Facebook post, which had a link for the news on its official website.
The initial closed camp, which will be led by head coach Nabin Neupane, is scheduled to begin on April 27 at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur.
Neupane has shortlisted a promising preliminary squad.
Moreover, ANFA wrote, “Nepal, frequent finalists in the competition, will be looking to secure their first title under Neupane’s leadership.”
However, there are doubts that the camp will begin and Nepal will play in the tournament. The reason: the Nepali women’s team was denied a big international tournament recently.
On March 25, the closed camp for the FIFA Series fixtures in Thailand began for Neupane’s 32-member preliminary squad. In a week, ANFA was suspended, and the camp ended since Nepal withdrew from the FIFA Series.
Further, with continued intervention from the NSC, ANFA, suspended within the country, is on the edge of an international suspension from FIFA.
The global footballing body is strictly against third-party (government) interference in its member associations.
A week ago, FIFA and AFC officials, in a virtual meeting, had pressed the NSC to lift the suspension on ANFA and allow it to continue the election process.
As the NSC is in no mood to lift the suspension unless ANFA agrees to follow its directives, a FIFA suspension could come any time soon.
And a FIFA suspension means that SAFF will not entertain Nepal in the upcoming Women’s Championship in Goa.
“It has not been decided yet to deny Nepal’s participation in the tournament in Goa,” a SAFF official told the Post under the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter. “Whatever it is back in Nepal, ANFA is still a member of FIFA.”
When asked if it is certain that Nepal will play in Goa, the official said that they will abide by their competition process.
“There is a cutoff time for teams to finalise their participation. After that, there will be a draw to distribute participating teams, if there are enough, into groups,” the official said. “And if Nepal is suspended by FIFA by the time the tournament is underway, we will follow FIFA/AFC’s directives.”
For now, the call-up offers hope and preparation, but for Nepal’s women footballers, participation in Goa will depend less on training sessions in Satdobato and more on decisions taken far beyond the turf.
Nayak Paudel covers sports for The Kathmandu Post. He previously worked at the Post (2018–19) and spent over five years at The Rising Nepal. His reporting spans crime, health, education, and social issues.
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