Nepal kicked off their AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign in a spectacular fashion, routing Laos 9–0 at the Milliy Stadium in Tashkent on Sunday. The emphatic victory marks Nepal’s 100th international match and their best-ever result in Asian Cup qualification history.

Leading the charge was Sabitra Bhandari, affectionately known as ‘Samba’, who scored four goals on her captaincy debut. Bhandari’s clinical performance underlined Nepal’s attacking prowess as she netted once in the first half and added three more after the break, taking her international goal tally to 62 in 59 appearances.

Anita Basnet opened the scoring in the 12th minute, heading home off a cross from Sabita Rana Magar. Bhandari doubled the lead just before the break, finishing off a low cross from Anita KC in the 44th minute. Nepal went into half-time with a 2–0 advantage.

The second half saw a flurry of goals. Saru Limbu scored immediately after the restart in the 47th minute. Bhandari struck again in the 55th minute to make it 4–0 before Rashmikumari Ghising added another moments later. Bhandari completed her hat-trick in the 75th minute and netted her fourth just a minute later, making it 7–0. Anita KC joined the scoresheet in the 83rd minute, and the match concluded with an own goal from Laos in the 88th minute after a deflected shot from Bhandari.

Nepal’s regular captain and goalkeeper, Anjila Tumbapo Subba, was rested for the milestone fixture. With this win, Nepal collected three points and surged to the top of Group F, which also features hosts Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.

Nepal head coach Patrick De Wilde, who had emphasised readiness despite limited preparation time, now has his squad well-placed for the remaining group-stage fixtures. The team faces Sri Lanka on Wednesday before taking on hosts Uzbekistan in what could be the group-deciding clash on Saturday.

Only the winner of Group F will qualify for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.