There are two countries that have participated in all 14 editions of the SAFF Men’s Championship to date—India and Nepal. That, however, might change this year. As Bangladesh are preparing to host the championship’s 15th edition in November, Nepal could miss playing at the biggest South Asian footballing event for the first time in history.

Nepal’s participation in South Asia’s premier international football tournament hinges on a critical condition: FIFA must lift the current suspension on the All Nepal Football Association before the stipulated SAFF deadline on September 30.

If that doesn’t happen, the beleaguered Nepali football would face another blow. Nepal have already missed out on five major football events this year.

Amid this, stakeholders have started pressuring the government—through social media—to help lift the FIFA suspension at the earliest.

“Honourable Prime Minister, today, the future of thousands of Nepali football players stands in jeopardy,” Hari Khadka, ANFA’s technical director, wrote on his Facebook on Sunday afternoon. “If a timely solution is not found, Nepal faces the grim reality of missing out on the upcoming SAFF Football Championship as well.”

Khadka, who is Nepal’s all-time joint highest goal scorer, added, “To safeguard years of hard work, dreams, and national pride of our athletes, I respectfully request you to consult with the concerned stakeholders, take the necessary initiatives, and foster an environment where Nepali players can step onto the pitch once again.”

The South Asian Football Federation has shown extreme flexibility towards Nepal. “In the event that Nepal’s FIFA suspension is lifted by September 30, Nepal will be included in the group of the hosts Bangladesh,” SAFF announced during the draw ceremony for the SAFF Championship in Thimpu, Bhutan, on Saturday.

Bangladesh were drawn into Group A alongside Sri Lanka and Bhutan, while Group B comprises India, Pakistan and the Maldives.

But Nepal needs the FIFA suspension, which was imposed on June 24 citing continuous third-party interference, to be lifted. And it is only possible when the incumbent ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang’s plan for an early election is allowed to resume from the point it was stopped in Jhapa on March 26 after the government’s intervention.

Nembang is allowed to host an early election, and it abides by FIFA and ANFA Statutes, the governing body of international football has stated multiple times. However, the National Sports Council (NSC) has had a separate opinion that ANFA can conduct its elections only after ensuring a fresh mandate at the district associations.

“It is not a fair election if there are the same voters, who helped Nembang win the previous election, at the district level,” the NSC has been stressing.

Despite Nembang’s four-year term ending only in mid-June, he had put forth the plan to organise it as early as February. “We cannot force district associations to conduct their elections before time because they are independent bodies,” Kiran Rai, ANFA general secretary, has been defending Nembang’s move.

With the two authorities—ANFA and NSC—at loggerheads, the NSC even had ANFA suspended for up to three months on March 25, two days before ANFA’s election in Jhapa. It was later lifted following warnings of suspension from FIFA, but ANFA was still under state scrutiny.

It was only after the government disallowed ANFA representatives from flying abroad to participate in FIFA’s Congress, Summit and World Cup that the international footballing body had enough and imposed the suspension.

FIFA’s suspension means that Nepali football cannot exercise any of its membership rights. “Other member associations may not entertain sporting contact with a suspended member association,” FIFA stated in a circular to all of its members.

As a result, Nepal could not participate in the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27, AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers and AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Had Nepal’s suspension been lifted by August 1, Nepal, who were drawn in Group I alongside Mongolia, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands on May 28, could have had the opportunity to play in the U20 Qualifiers. Now, the fixtures are out, and Nepal are not listed in the group.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), on June 27, had written a letter to ANFA stating that the deadlines to lift the FIFA suspension in order to ensure participation at the Women’s Champions League and U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers were on June 29 and July 13, respectively. As the suspension continued, Nepal were excluded.

However, Nepal had lost two other footballing events, long before the FIFA suspension, to the tussle between ANFA and NSC.

Firstly, a friendly between the men’s teams of Nepal and Hong Kong scheduled for March 26 was cancelled after the NSC, as per ANFA, did not allow the use of Dasharath Stadium. The NSC, meanwhile, defended itself by making public permission letters provided to ANFA.

Secondly, Nepal women’s team could not travel to Thailand in mid-April for the FIFA Series as ANFA withdrew from the tournament citing NSC’s suspension. The women’s team were training in a closed camp for the Series when they heard the bad news.

As they were denied participation in the FIFA Series, the women’s team could not train properly during the closed camp for the SAFF Women’s Championship, which Nepal played in Goa, India, from May 25.

“There were noises of FIFA suspension when the team was training. As they had missed the FIFA Series already, they were in continuous fear of missing the SAFF tournament as well,” Nabin Neupane, the team’s head coach, had told the Post earlier. “They were not focused on training. How could they even?”

Neupane also took to social media on Sunday and requested the government to take necessary steps to ensure the men’s team did not lose the opportunity.

“Honourable Prime Minister, the SAFF Championship is like the World Cup to us. It is not merely a tournament—it is an opportunity tied to the dreams, hard work, and futures of thousands of Nepali players and coaches,” Neupane, who is also a former national player, wrote. “Considering the future of Nepali footballers, please create a suitable environment to play.”

Similarly, Nepal’s captain Kiran Chemjong posted a photo of the teams divided into two groups for the SAFF Championship on his Facebook story. He then wrote, “As a proud Nepali footballer, seeing Nepal’s name missing from the upcoming SAFF schedule is heartbreaking.”

He added, “We have always fought for our country with pride, passion and hope,” Chemjong continued. “We sincerely hope that the ban will be lifted soon and that Nepal will once again be on the pitch, representing our nation and making our people proud.”

Manish Dangi, another national player, had also requested the same from the state.

The Post has been trying to reach out to Minister for Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel and the ministry’s spokesperson Shiva Kumar Sapkota for comments for weeks. However, they have not responded despite repetitive calls and messages.

Minister Pokharel had publicly stated a couple of weeks ago that the government was in communication with FIFA and AFC and had called their representatives for dialogue. He has not spoken about the issue since then.

The Post has also sought a response from FIFA on the matter through the formal channel for media.