Nepal’s remarkable run in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 came to a bittersweet end as both the men’s and women’s team lost against India in the finals at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.

Both men’s and women’s teams had created a rare history on Saturday by becoming the first in the country's sports history to reach the final of a World Cup event. However, India’s dominance proved insurmountable as the hosts claimed both titles.

The Nepali men’s team lost 36-54, while the women's team suffered a 40-78 defeat.

The Men in Blue team asserted their dominance all four turns to keep Nepal at bay. India took a commanding 26-0 lead while attacking on turn 1. Nepal mustered 18 points in attack to remain 26-18 after turn 2. But the Indian team then collected 28 in the turn 3 to take a giant 56-18 lead. Nepal faced an uphill task, needing 37 points in the final turn to stage an extraordinary comeback but could only muster eight points.

Earlier, in the women’s final, the Women in Blue raced to 34-0 at the end of turn 1 as they attacked first. Nepal closed the gap bringing the score to 35-24 in the next turn but India responded with 38 more points in the third turn for a 49-point advantage. In the last turn, Nepal women could only manage 16 as they surrendered the game.

Despite the losses, the Nepali teams will still return home high after securing first World Cup silver for the country.

Nepal’s teams advanced to the final from a pool of 20 men’s and 19 women’s teams.

Nepal men’s team lost to India 42-37 in the opening game but stormed back with wins against Peru (80-34), Brazil (134-8) and Bhutan (98-8) to advance into the knockout stage as group A runners-up. Nepal beat Bangladesh 67-18 in the quarter-finals and registered a 72-20 victory over Iran in the semi-finals.

The women’s team remained unbeaten en-route to the final. In the group stage, Nepal defeated Bhutan (83–24), Germany (74–34), Sri Lanka (110–10), and Bangladesh (83–24) to top Group C. They continued their stellar form by thrashing Iran 103-8 in the quarter-finals and outshining Uganda 89-18 in the semi-finals.