Image source, AFP via Getty Images
The Nepali national football team has participated in FIFA World Cup qualifiers for over four decades. However, the team has never advanced beyond the second round of the competition.
Despite some improvements in Nepal’s football standards and increased investment in the sport, the national team has generated many interesting moments throughout its forty-year journey.
From Nepal’s World Cup qualifier debut in the 1986 campaign, the team initially adopted a heavily defensive strategy aimed at conceding fewer goals.
For example, in the 1990 qualifiers, Nepal conceded 28 goals and failed to score a single goal.
However, as Nepali players improved over time, Nepal began adopting a more attacking style of play. Across eight qualifying campaigns, 17 players have collectively scored 31 goals. Let’s take a closer look at these goal scorers.
1990s: First Goal by Hari Khadka
Image source, Sundar Shrestha
Twelve years after their debut in the qualifiers, Nepal scored their first goal.
Hari Khadka was the first goal scorer in Nepal’s World Cup qualifying history, netting against Macau during the 1998 qualifiers. The match was held in Oman and ended in a 1-1 draw.
In the second match held in Japan, Nepal again scored against Macau, with Deepak Amatya scoring. This game also ended in a 1-1 draw.
2000s: Hero Nirajan Rajmazi
Image source, Rakesh Shrestha
During the 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, Nepali football adopted a more offensive style. Nepal not only scored goals but also secured wins in matches played in Iraq and Kazakhstan.
This qualifying round remains Nepal’s most successful to date, where the team achieved its first-ever victory and a player recorded a hat-trick.
In the first leg in Iraq, Nepal defeated Macau 4-1, which was the national team’s first World Cup qualifier win. Striker Nirajan Rajmazi scored twice, while Hari Khadka and Basanta Thapa each added a goal.
Rajmazi scored a spectacular goal against host Iraq at Saddam Hussein Stadium in Baghdad.
In another match in Kazakhstan, Nepal defeated Macau 6-1. Rajmazi scored a hat-trick, and Hari Khadka, Balgopal Maharjan, and Deepak Lama each scored once.
In the match against Iraq, both Hari Khadka and Nirajan Rajmazi scored one goal each.
Rajmazi netted seven goals over six matches he played, ranking seventh among the top scorers in the Asian qualifiers at that time.
2014: Anil Gurung, Jumanu Rai, and Bharat Khawas
Nepal did not participate in the 2006 qualifiers and was eliminated without scoring in the 2010 qualifiers playoff.
However, the young team delivered an excellent performance in the 2014 qualifiers.
In the playoff, Nepal faced Timor-Leste. Due to Timor-Leste’s lack of quality stadium facilities, both matches were hosted in Nepal. During the 2011 qualifiers, the then star duo Anil Gurung and Jumanu Rai scored as Nepal won the first match 2-1.
Nepal won the second match 5-0, with Gurung, Rai, Bhola Silwal, Jagjit Shrestha, and Sujal Shrestha each scoring one goal.
In the second round, Nepal faced Jordan. Away in Jordan, Nepal suffered a heavy 9-0 defeat.
However, under captain Sagar Thapa’s leadership, Nepal showed great resilience at home, managing a 1-1 draw in a rain-soaked, packed stadium against Jordan.
Bharat Khawas scored for Nepal. Striker Santosh Saukhla missed a significant chance inside the box that could have secured a win for Nepal.
Modern Era: From Anjan Bista to Gilespie Jung Karki
Image source, ANFA
In the 2018 playoff against India, Nepal was unable to score and failed to advance to the second round.
Under captain Kiran Chemjong, Nepal achieved success in the 2022 World Cup campaign. Being ranked among Asia’s top 34 nations, Nepal qualified directly for the second round after advancing past the playoff stage.
Nepal was grouped with Australia, Kuwait, and Chinese Taipei. Results against Australia and Kuwait were disappointing, but Nepal defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 in both matches. In the first match, Anjan Bista scored both goals; in the second match, Anjan Bista and Navin Yugrishtha each scored once.
Nepal’s performance in the qualifiers for the upcoming World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, was less impressive.
In the playoff, Nepal faced Laos. The first leg in Kathmandu ended in a 1-1 draw with Anjan Bista scoring for Nepal.
This goal brought Bista’s international tally to 13, equaling the record of Hari Khadka and Nirajan Rajmazi.
In the second leg, Manish Dhangi scored the decisive goal, securing a 1-0 victory and helping Nepal reach the second round.
In the second round, Nepal was grouped with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Yemen. Due to internal disputes within ANFA, there was uncertainty about hosting home games. The team struggled and conceded 21 goals while scoring only two. Apart from a 2-2 draw against Yemen, other results were disappointing. In the Yemen match, Sanjiv Bista and Gilespie Jung Karki scored goals.
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