When FIFA suspended the All Nepal Football Association on June 24, leading to Nepal’s exclusion from the SAFF Championship draw, it appeared to confirm the worst: Nepali football was completely cut off from the international stage.

This led football stakeholders, including fans, to wonder if football was dying a slow death in Nepal. After all, the country’s domestic football scene has been in tatters for quite some time now. The country’s A-Division football league has not been held for over three years. The National Sports Council and ANFA have been in loggerheads, which has further hamstrung the domestic scene, and which, in fact, led to the FIFA suspension. The country’s football has been in free fall, with no light at the end of the tunnel.

So when ANFA announced on August 13 that Nepal is participating in the inaugural edition of the FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival, taking place in Azerbaijan from October 22 to 31, it came as a sliver of hope.

Nepal can participate in the tournament despite the suspension because FIFA has opened it for all 211 member associations, including Russia, which has been suspended since 2022.

The world football governing body said that the move was part of its “unwavering commitment to promoting the youth game.” In a statement in December last year, the body said that the FIFA Council had confirmed the introduction of new FIFA U15 festival-style tournaments for boys and girls that would be open to all 211 FIFA Member Associations. “The first edition will be contested by boys’ teams and take place in 2026,” the statement read. “The second instalment, in 2027, will feature girls’ teams.”

FIFA is yet to announce whether all 211 member nations are participating or not. But it is expected that the event will see the biggest ever number of nations participating in a FIFA tournament at once.

Nepal have already confirmed their participation, according to ANFA spokesperson Suresh Shah. “Nepal’s emerging players will get an important platform and exposure there,” he said.

To build the Nepali squad, ANFA instructed its 49 district associations earlier this month to conduct local tryouts. The allocated time period for the district-level selection concluded on Tuesday. The process now moves to the provincial level from August 28 to 30, before culminating in a final central selection in Kathmandu from September 3 to 6.

The tryouts have seen an overwhelming response, officials say, with about 5,000 youngsters taking part in them, highlighting that despite everything, football is far from dead in Nepal. It remains alive and kicking.

In Morang, for instance, the district association conducted selections across 10 different venues, the most by a district. “We saw 855 children coming for the tryouts in the 10 venues,” said Binesh Basnet, general secretary of the Morang District Football Association. “Of them, 118 were selected. From a final district-level selection, we plan to send around 50 of the best players for the provincial selection.”

Morang’s final selection was conducted in Belbari on Wednesday, while the final list has not been revealed yet.

The numbers were similar—more than 800—in the neighbouring Jhapa district. Jhapa conducted selections in Kakarvitta and Dudhe.

Jhapa selected 32 players, including seven goalkeepers, for the provincial selection. There were also a good number of participants in the district selections in Ilam, Panchthar, Sunsari, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Dhankuta, Udayapur, Khotang and Bhojpur as well.

More than 250 teenagers have made it to the Koshi’s provincial selections so far. They are expected to reach the ANFA Academy in Dharan on August 29 and 30 for the selection.

Meanwhile, Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces have also seen a massive number of aspirants.

The Surkhet District Football Association saw over 500 teenagers arrive for the tryouts. The district is sending 94 players for the provincial selection.

There are district football associations in only 49 of the 77 districts, said Pramod Hamal, president of Karnali Province Football Association. “In Karnali, there are only two—Surkhet and Jumla,” he said. “But we coordinated with other districts in the province, through their sports authorities, and had many children arrive in Surkhet for the tryouts.”

Hamal says that Karnali loves football. “The number of children travelling long distances through difficult geography for the tryouts illustrates that,” he said. “Karnali has given great footballers to the country, including Rohit Chand, and we want to give more.”

In Sudurpashchim, which has nine districts, there are only two district football associations—Kailali and Kanchanpur. But the craze for football is so big that the two districts had to organise district-level selections in three venues each. Kailali has selected 89 players and Kanchanpur 50 for the provincial selection.

To not let aspiring players miss the opportunity because their districts did not have a football association, Palpa also conducted a selection for players from Gulmi. With 41 players selected from Palpa, nine were selected for Lumbini’s provincial selection.

While the districts have gone through the struggle to select the best of the best, it is now the turn of the provinces. But the central selection is expected to be tought as thousands of youngsters are competing for only 14 spots in the squad.

Shah, the ANFA spokesperson, said that they will select around 30-35 players from the central selection, keep them in a closed camp and then decide on the final 14.

According to the FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival tournament structure, each team can register up to 14 players, as the teams will compete in an eight-a-side system.

The teams will be classified into over 30 groups. And there are unique rules. Each game will have two halves of 20 minutes each. Throws-in will be replaced by kick-ins, offside applies only within the attacking third and unlimited rolling substitutions are allowed. The teams finishing at the respective positions in the groups will compete against each other.

But Nepal’s participation in the global event is still not certain.

With ANFA’s accounts frozen, it all depends on the government’s willingness to fund the young athletes’ trip to Azerbaijan.

For the selection, the district associations have managed resources through their own pockets and the provinces will also do the same. Players have borne their accommodation and food costs themselves.

But ANFA plans to cover the costs of the players who are selected for the closed camp, Shah said.

“If the government wants us to participate and give Nepal’s rising stars the best platform, they will have to look after them,” he said. “The government should be aware of the selections taking place and the problems ANFA is in.”