Nepal had a win and a draw in six of the matches at the SAFF U17 Women’s Championship, which was played in a double round-robin format between four teams, in Bhutan in August.

The win and draw had come against the hosts, while Nepal suffered 0-7 and 0-5 defeats to India, and 0-3 and 1-4 loss to Bangladesh. They had a 2-1 win and a 1-1 draw against Bhutan in the South Asian tournament.

The results were not in favour of the youngsters; neither were the comments on their performance by Nepali football fans as the country finished third in the league structure.

Meanwhile, less than two months later, as the 23-member squad, with three changes compared to the SAFF event, headed to Thailand on Friday midnight for the Asian Cup Qualifiers, the expectations are higher.

“There was a mixed result in the SAFF tournament,” ANFA general-secretary Kiran Rai said in the team’s farewell at ANFA Complex on Friday afternoon. “But I want to suggest that you [players and coaches] all forget the past and focus on the future.”

Rai also argued that he felt that the players and coaching staff felt nervous due to the negative comments by the Nepali football fans, who, according to Rai, sought wins like any other supporters.

“Fans want us to win. It is natural,” Rai added. “But two teams do not win a football match. So, please do not feel down when you lose. What matters most is whether you gave your all in the ground or not, whether you focused on mitigating your mistakes in the next game or not.”

Rai also highlighted that the youngsters were participating in the tournament that, as per the FIFA and the AFC, falls under ‘development projects’.

“You [players] are preparing for a bigger challenge which will come when you play for the senior side,” Rai continued. “It is why you all need to focus on improving rather than winning. You need to perform better than before, it is what matters the most.”

The inaugural edition in South Korea in 2005 saw the competition being played in the U17 category. However, the biennial event was organised in the U16 category from the second edition in 2007 to the eighth in 2019. The ninth edition, which was slated for 2022 in Indonesia, was to be held in the U17 category but got cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

And when the event returned in 2024, Indonesia hosted the ninth edition in the U17 category, which was won by North Korea for the fourth time, the joint highest alongside Japan. The main event in 2026 in China will be the 10th edition of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Nepal, who started participating in the qualifiers in 2019, have not been able to qualify for the major tournament. Nepal, the hosts of the qualifiers in September 2018, lost two games against the Philippines (0-4) and Myanmar (1-11), while drawing one, with a 4-4 result against Malaysia. Players like Preeti Rai and Sabita Rana Magar were in the U17 squad in 2018.

Similarly, in the qualifiers for the 2024 tournament, Nepal defeated Iran 1-0 but lost 1-4 to Jordan, the hosts, in April 2023.

As the results and comments have not been in favour of the youngsters, ANFA’s President Pankaj Bikram Nembang suggested that the players and staff stay away from social media in the meantime.

“What I feel is that you [players] cannot handle the comments on social media at such a young age,” Nembang stressed while the majority of the ANFA officials on the dais were either busy talking to each other, scrolling their mobile phones or feeling sleepy. “I have asked the coaching staff and the head of delegates to regulate it.”

Nembang praised the players’ determination to improve as they stayed for training without going home during the festival of Dashain. “We are impressed by how the players did not go home for Dashain, a festival where the family members gather and celebrate with each other,” he said. “We are also aware of the hard work of the players who have, among hundreds of candidates, made it to the squad. But you all need to put more effort now, as you [the players] are the back up of the nation as we aim to take part in the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

What do the coach and captain say?

As the formal farewell function concluded, Nepal’s U17 head coach, Chet Narayan Shrestha, who led the team to the SAFF tournament in August, was surrounded by journalists. When asked how he prepared the team for a bigger event in just over a month's time, Shrestha said, “We have corrected our mistakes.”

The mistakes, as per Shrestha, were the shortcomings in the defensive, goalkeeping and attacking fronts. Overall, Shrestha meant that the team focused on improving in all aspects.

Compared to the SAFF tournament, Shrestha has made three changes to the 23-member squad—Bhupika Shahi replaced Ganga Gurung in goalkeeping, Diki Syangbo Tamang replaced Aayusha Reule in midfield and Dikshya Ranpal replaced Puja Giri in forward positions.

“We expect to capitalise on the chances we create in the Asian qualifiers, not missing out on them like in the South Asian event,” Shrestha said. “The players are young, but I believe, with proper training and guidance, they can represent the country in the senior side in the future.”

Shrestha argued that his side was looking forward to upsetting Thailand, who had finished third in the Asian Cup in 2005 and fourth in 2013 and 2015, and Turkmenistan. Thailand, at 53rd, ranks higher than Nepal, who are 89th, in the FIFA Women’s Ranking, while Turkmenistan are positioned 138th.

“We have high motivation and the training went extremely well,” Nepal’s captain Bhumika Budhathoki said on Friday. “The whole team will be coordinating on the ground as we aim to qualify for the Asian Cup.”

Nepal will face Turkmenistan on October 15 and Thailand on October 17 in Group F. The group toppers from eight groups will qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup.