Nepal national under-17 football team

Nepal
नेपाल राष्ट्रीय यू-१७ फुटबल टिम
Nickname(s)	The Junior Gorkhalis
Association	All Nepal Football Association
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	SAFF (South Asia)
Head coach	Upendra Man Singh
Home stadium	Dasarath Rangasala Stadium
FIFA code	NEP
First colours	Second colours
World Cup
Appearances	0
AFC U-16 Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 2000)
Best result	Group Stage (2000, 2006, 2014)
South Asian Championship
Appearances	8 (first in 2011)
Best result	Runners-up (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)

The Nepal national under-17 football team (Nepali: नेपाल राष्ट्रिय यू-१७ फुटबल टिम) is the under-17 football team of Nepal. The team is controlled by the All Nepal Football Association and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation.

History

Early years

In the mid-1980s, FIFA provided financial assistance and sent a number of coaches to help Nepal launch its first youth programme, which was geared towards spotting talent at the grassroots level (such as in schools, for example) and providing young players with the necessary know-how, both on and off the pitch. The initial five-year plan helped half the players groomed under the first youth programme to find a place in the national side, and the team that won the 2 gold medals in the first and sixth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games mostly consisted of the players from that youth programme.

Youth investment

ANFA asked FIFA for financial assistance to check the downslide of Nepalese domestic football and in 1998, FIFA agreed to donate funds through its Financial Assistance Programme (FAP), thereby allowing ANFA to construct a secretariat along with a football pitch and a hostel in Kathmandu to launch its youth development programme. The two-year intensive training period for the youth players selected in 1998 produced a number of skilful players, who recently participated in the ninth South Asian Games (Pakistan, 29 March - 5 April). The same team had earlier topped its group in the Asian Cup preliminary round in March 2004.

However, despite reaching the finals tournament of the 2000 AFC U-17 Championship in Vietnam, Nepal refused to participate in a biological age test, and as a result was banned from the 2002 AFC U-17 Championship.^[1] This, along with the Maoist uprising left manager Stephen Constantine to resign.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, endeavours to develop football received a further fillip when FIFA awarded a Goal programme to Nepal. Thanks to this project, ANFA has constructed regional football centres that include hostels, office secretariats and playing grounds in three major towns in three different regions. ANFA built these centres to focus on spotting hidden talent in villages or schools around the nation. These centres will also provide the necessary coaching and physical training, and in the long-term, the nation as a whole will benefit with more regional football sides on a par with the clubs of Kathmandu.

Recent years

Nepal was fined by the Asian Football Confederation for fielding over-age players during the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship.^[2] Since the fine, the All Nepal Football Association has put in place several necessary age checks as part of selection/trials. The most recent team has qualified for the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship, making it the first Nepal U-16 team to achieve a back-to-back qualification in history.^[3] However, the team was then excluded from the tournament due to player Manish Karki failing an MRI bone test.^[4] Nepal was penalized and ruled to have forfeited all three of their qualification group matches where the ineligible player was fielded by a 3–0 scoreline.^[5]

Stadium

The team's home ground is shared with the Nepal national football team at the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium in Tripureswor, Kathmandu, Nepal. Holding 25,000 spectators, of which 5.000 seated, it is the biggest stadium in Nepal. It is named after Dashrath Chand, one of the martyrs of Nepal.

Most recently, the stadium was used as a primary venue for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2013 SAFF Championship, with the Halchowk Stadium hosting some of the matches as well. Apart from sporting events, the stadium is also used as a music venue for cultural events with Bryan Adams being the most notable act that performed at the site.

Prior to the 2013 SAFF Championship in Nepal, the Dasarath Rangasala underwent heavy renovation that saw several improvements such as the expansion of seats from 20,000 to 25,000.

Recent results and fixtures

2010s

Date	Opponent	Result	Score*	Venue	Competition
29 October 2018	India	L	0–1	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2018 SAFF U-15 Championship
1 November 2018	Pakistan	L	0–4	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2018 SAFF U-15 Championship
29 October 2018	Bangladesh	L	0–1	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2018 SAFF U-15 Championship
25 October 2018	Maldives	W	4–0	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2018 SAFF U-15 Championship
24 September 2017	Palestine	L	1–2	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2018 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
22 September 2017	India	D	2–2	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2018 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
20 September 2017	Iraq	L	0–1	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2018 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
27 August 2017	India	L	1–2	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2017 SAFF U-15 Championship (Final)
25 August 2017	Bangladesh	W	4–2	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2017 SAFF U-15 Championship (Semi-final)
23 August 2017	India	L	1–2	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2017 SAFF U-15 Championship
21 August 2017	Maldives	W	6–0	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	2017 SAFF U-15 Championship
20 September 2015	Oman	L	0–3 (forfeit)	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	2016 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
18 September 2015	Kyrgyzstan	L	0–3 (forfeit)	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	2016 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
16 September 2015	Jordan	L	0–3 (forfeit)	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	2016 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
16 August 2015	India	L	0–1	Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet, Bangladesh	2015 SAFF U-16 Championship (Semi-final)
14 August 2015	Afghanistan	W	1–0	Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet, Bangladesh	2015 SAFF U-16 Championship
10 August 2015	Maldives	W	5–0	Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet, Bangladesh	2015 SAFF U-16 Championship
4 August 2015	Manang Marshyangdi Club	W	3–0	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)
2 August 2015	APF Club	L	0–1	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)
28 July 2015	Nepal (U-19)	L	2–5	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)
14 July 2015	Nepal (U-19)	L	0–2	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)
16 October 2014	Fluminense FC	L	0–1	Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi, India	2014 U-17 Subroto Cup (Quarter final)^{[N 1]}
13 October 2014	HVS Mizoram	D	3–3	Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi, India	2014 U-17 Subroto Cup^{[N 1]}
12 October 2014	Tripura Sports School	W	5–1	NWC Football Ground, New Delhi, India	2014 U-17 Subroto Cup^{[N 1]}
11 October 2014	CRPF Delhi	W	4–0	Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi, India	2014 U-17 Subroto Cup^{[N 1]}
11 September 2014	North Korea	L	1–4	Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	2014 AFC U-16 Championship
9 September 2014	Kuwait	W	2–1	SCG Stadium, Nonthaburi, Thailand	2014 AFC U-16 Championship
7 September 2014	Uzbekistan	D	1–1	SCG Stadium, Nonthaburi, Thailand	2014 AFC U-16 Championship
31 August 2014	Thailand	D	3–3	PAT Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Exhibition match (Friendly)
22 August 2014	Manang Marshyangdi Club	L	0–2	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)^{[N 2]}
13 August 2014	R.S.C. Anderlecht (U-19)	L	0–5	Neerpede Ground, Brussels, Belgium	Exhibition match (Friendly)
10 August 2014	KFC Zwarte Leeuw	W	3–2	Louis Van Roey Stadium, Rijkevorsel, Belgium	Exhibition match (Friendly)
5 August 2014	Nepal (U-23)	D	1–1	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)
19 July 2014	South Korea^[6]	D	0–0	Paju National Football Center, Paju, South Korea	Exhibition match (Friendly)
15 July 2014	Neunggok High School	W	1–0	Paju National Football Center, Paju, South Korea	Exhibition match (Friendly)
11 July 2014	Boin High School	D	2–2	Paju National Football Center, Paju, South Korea	Exhibition match (Friendly)
20 June 2014	Nepal	L	0–1	ANFA Complex, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)^{[N 2]}
4 March 2014	APF Club	L	1–1 (2–4 pen)	Pokhara Rangasala, Pokhara, Nepal	12th Aaha Gold Cup^{[N 2]}
28 February 2014	Madhyapur Youth Association	W	3–2	Chyasal Technical Centre, Lalitpur, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)
14 February 2014	Mahindra Bansbari F.C	W	5–0	Bansbari Home Ground, Kathmandu, Nepal	Exhibition match (Friendly)
17 November 2013	Mohammedan S.C.	L	0–1	Paljor Stadium, Gangtok, Sikkim	2013 Sikkim Gold Cup (Quarterfinal)^{[N 2]}
12 November 2013	George Telegraph S.C.	W	4–1	Paljor Stadium, Gangtok, Sikkim	2013 Sikkim Gold Cup^{[N 2]}
9 November 2013	Eastern Railway F.C.	W	1–0	Paljor Stadium, Gangtok, Sikkim	2013 Sikkim Gold Cup^{[N 2]}
25 October 2013	HKNFA	L	0–3	Pokhara Rangasala, Pokhara, Nepal	2013 SAFAL Pokhara Cup^{[N 2]}
29 September 2013	Turkmenistan	W	4–0	Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
27 September 2013	Iraq	D	2–2	Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
25 September 2013	Bahrain	W	2–0	Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
30 July 2013	India	L	0–1	Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	2013 SAFF U-16 Championship (Final)
27 July 2013	Bangladesh	W	5–1	Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	2013 SAFF U-16 Championship (Semi-final)
24 July 2013	Pakistan	W	3–0	Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	2013 SAFF U-16 Championship
22 July 2013	Afghanistan	D	1–1	Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	2013 SAFF U-16 Championship

2000s

Date	Opponent	Result	Score*	Venue	Competition
5 September 2006	Singapore	D	0–0	Bishan Stadium, Bishan, Singapore	2006 AFC U-17 Championship
5 September 2006	South Korea	L	0–2	Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore	2006 AFC U-17 Championship
3 September 2006	Japan	L	0–6	Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore	2006 AFC U-17 Championship
17 November 2005	Uzbekistan	W	2–0	Kathmandu, Nepal	2006 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
15 November 2005	Kyrgyzstan	W	2–1	Kathmandu, Nepal	2006 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
3 December 2003	Afghanistan	W	2–0	New Delhi, India	2004 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
1 December 2003	India	D	1–1	New Delhi, India	2004 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
9 September 2000	Myanmar	L	0–3	Da Nang, Vietnam	2000 AFC U-17 Championship
7 September 2000	Japan	L	0–3	Da Nang, Vietnam	2000 AFC U-17 Championship
5 September 2000	Vietnam	L	0–5	Da Nang, Vietnam	2000 AFC U-17 Championship
3 September 2000	China	L	2–6	Da Nang, Vietnam	2000 AFC U-17 Championship
14 June 2000	Uzbekistan	W	3–0	Kathmandu, Nepal	2000 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
12 June 2000	Turkmenistan	W	5–3	Kathmandu, Nepal	2000 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
10 June 2000	Maldives	W	7–0	Kathmandu, Nepal	2000 AFC U-17 Championship qualification

1990s

Date	Opponent	Result	Score*	Venue	Competition
27 April 1998	Sri Lanka	W	1–0	Kathmandu, Nepal	1998 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
24 April 1998	Bangladesh	L	0–1	Kathmandu, Nepal	1998 AFC U-17 Championship qualification
20 April 1998	Guam	W	10–0	Kathmandu, Nepal	1998 AFC U-17 Championship qualification

Win Draw Loss

Coaching staff

Head coach	Upendra Man Singh
Coach	Rajesh Manandhar
Manager	Madhusudhan Upadhyay

Players

U-16 Squad

The 23-man squad was Entered for the 2015 SAFF U-16 Championship.2016 AFC U-16 Championship

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Arpan Karki		3	0	ANFA Academy
21	1GK	Akash Ranabhat		0	0	ANFA Academy
22	1GK	Sandesh Gurung		0	0	ANFA Academy

3	2DF	Roman Limbu		3	0	ANFA Academy
15	2DF	Laxman Pariyar		3	1	ANFA Academy
23	2DF	Nikit Shrestha		0	0	ANFA Academy
13	2DF	Anosh Magar		0	0	ANFA Academy
2	2DF	Suman Aryal		3	2	ANFA Academy
4	2DF	Aashish KC		0	0	ANFA Academy
16	2DF	Abhishek Verma		0	0	ANFA Academy
18	2DF	Hrishik Gyawali		5	1	Nepal Police

7	3MF	Abhishek Rijal		3	0	ANFA Academy
27	3MF	Dewas Urau		1	0	ANFA Academy
9	3MF	Tenzin Jangchup Sherpa	16	12	8	ANFA Academy

30	4FW	Rajiv Lopchan		1	0	ANFA Academy
17	4FW	Rejin Subba		2	0	ANFA Academy
24	4FW	Dinesh Henjan		0	0	ANFA Academy
10	4FW	Pewen Sherpa		3	2	ANFA Academy
14	4FW	Rajesh Pariyar		0	0	ANFA Academy
8	4FW	Arik BistaG.T	15	12	1	ANFA Academy

U-16 Recent Call-ups

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Abhilash Thapa		0	0	ANFA	v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
GK	Prabin Shrestha		0	0	ANFA	v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
GK	Devraj Limbu		0	0	Kailali XI	v. South Korea, July 19, 2014

DF	Tshering Gurung		4	2	ANFA	v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
DF	Ujjwal Chemjong	(1998-03-09) 9 March 1998 (age 26)			ANFA	v. South Korea, July 19, 2014

MF	Tenzin Jangchup Sherpa	16	12	8	NPCANFA	v.
MF	Nishant Dhungana	(1998-01-06) 6 January 1998 (age 26)	0	0	ANFA	v. Turkmenistan national under-17 football team
MF	Sajan Magar		0	0	ANFA	v. India, July 30, 2013
MF	Sujan Limbu		4	2	ANFA	v.

FW	Ajay Limbu	16	3	4	GFA XI	v. South Korea

Competitive record

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

FIFA (U-17) World Cup

In order to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, AFC teams must secure a berth (currently, semi-finals) through a continental tournament, the AFC U-16 Championship.

FIFA U-17 World Cup finals record										FIFA U-17 World Cup qualifying record
Year	Result	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Result	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1985	Did not qualify									Did not qualify
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001										Round 1	0	4	0	0	4	2	17	–15
2003										Did not qualify
2005										Did not qualify
2007										Round 1	1	3	0	1	2	0	8	–8
2009										Did not qualify
2011
2013
2015										Round 1	4	3	1	1	1	4	6	–2
2017	Disqualified									Disqualified; replaced by Oman	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2019	did not qualify
2023
2025
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3/20	5	10	1	2	7	6	31	–25

AFC U-16 Championship

AFC U-16 Championship finals record										AFC U-16 Championship qualifying record
Year	Result	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Result	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1985	Did not qualify									Group 2B (3rd)	5	4	2	1	1	5	7	–2
1986										Did not enter
1988										Group 3 (4th)	2	4	1	0	3	1	11	–10
1990										Group 4 (2nd)	2	2	1	0	1	3	3	0
1992										Group 3 (2nd)	6	4	3	0	1	4	9	–5
1994										Did not enter
1996										Did not enter
1998										Group 5 (2nd)	6	3	2	0	1	11	1	+10
2000	Round 1	0	4	0	0	4	2	17	-15	Group 5 (1st)	9	3	3	0	0	15	3	+12
2002	Did not qualify									Did not enter
2004	Did not qualify									Group 6 (2nd)	4	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2
2006	Round 1	1	3	0	1	2	0	8	-8	Group F (1st)	6	2	2	0	0	4	1	+3
2008	Did not qualify									Group B (4th)	3	4	1	0	3	7	10	–3
2010										Group B (4th)	3	4	1	0	3	3	12	–9
2012										Group D (4th)	1	3	0	1	2	1	5	−4
2014	Round 1	4	3	1	1	1	4	6	-2	Group C (1st)	7	3	2	1	0	8	2	+6
2016	Disqualified									Group B(4th)	0	3	0	0	3	0	9	–9
2018	Did not qualify									Group D(4th)	1	3	0	1	2	3	5	–2
2023	Did not qualify									Group F(4th)	0	3	0	0	3	2	12	–10
Total	3/19	5	10	1	2	7	6	31	–25	15/19	55	47	19	5	23	60	89	–29

SAFF U-16 Championship

Host/Year	Result	Pts	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD
2011	Third place	4	4	2	2	0	9	2	+7
2013	Runners-up	7	5	3	1	1	16	3	+13
2015	Semi-finals	6	3	2	0	1	6	1	+5
2017	Runners-up	3	4	2	0	2	12	6	+6
2018	Fourth place	3	4	1	0	3	5	7	-2
2019	Runners-up	9	5	3	0	2	11	13	-2
2022	Runners-up	6	4	3	0	1	11	6	+5
2023	Group stage	0	2	0	0	2	0	2	-2
Total	8/8	34	31	16	3	12	70	40	+30

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Nepal entered the tournament as Lok Smriti High School, a side endorsed by the ANFA Academy to feed into the U16 national team in the following year. Effectively a Nepal U15 side.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Match played against a non-youth senior side.