Nepal’s SAFF Championship hopes hinge on FIFA lifting ANFA suspension

Nepal faces an anxious wait to determine its participation in the upcoming SAFF Men's Championship 2026, as its inclusion hinges on FIFA lifting the suspension of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

The national team has been drawn into Group A alongside hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. However, the crucial deadline for FIFA to resolve the suspension is September 13. If the ban remains in place past this date, Nepal will be excluded from the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 4 to 17.

The suspension, imposed indefinitely on June 24 due to third-party interference, threatens to make this the first SAFF Championship without Nepal. Should the suspension be lifted in time, Nepal, the runners-up in the 2021 edition, will join Group A, expanding it to four teams without altering the existing fixture schedule.

SAFF's general secretary, Purushottam Kattel, stated that the September 13 deadline allows sufficient time for finalizing fixtures and completing registration procedures. The 15th edition of the regional tournament is also set to feature the use of VAR technology.

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September 13 has been kept as the deadline so that we can have sufficient time to finalise the fixtures and complete other registration procedures for the tournament.