“This team has been playing together for years. It will take another 5-6 years to build a team like this. If anything is to be achieved in Nepali football, it will be by this team. Everyone has seen that this team can deliver results. There is hope,”says the former captain of Nepal’s national women’s football team, Anu Lama, speaking before the team began its AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign in Uzbekistan.
“We have a golden opportunity. If we can not make it this time it will be even more difficult next because we will have to build a new team, and that takes time,” she adds.
Just as Lama said, the Nepali women’s team is now just one win away from creating history.
All eyes are now on the match against hosts Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Saturday, under the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. This match is a long-awaited moment for Nepali women’s football. It is a decisive game that will determine the future of the team.
The match between Nepal and Uzbekistan is drawing significant attention and importance, as the winner will secure the top spot in the group and qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be held in Australia next year. The losing team will be eliminated. Nepal has been striving to reach the Asian Cup for the past 26 years, while Uzbekistan has not qualified for the tournament in the last 22 years.
Nepal last played in the Women’s Asian Cup in 1999. Uzbekistan, which was in the same group then, participated in the tournaments in 2001 and 2003 as well.
Nepal’s captain Sabitra Bhandari had said that after winning two matches in a row, the team was ready to fight against Uzbekistan in the final game. She said they were prepared for the challenge.
After winning two matches in a row, Nepal’s captain Sabitra Bhandari said that the team was all set to play against Uzbekistan.
“We have six points from two matches. Everyone in the team has a positive mentality,” she says. “Now the main challenge remains, and we are ready to face it.”
Uzbekistan’s women’s team captain Lyudmila Karachik also stated that they would be playing against Nepal with the goal of qualifying for the Asian Cup.
“Every match is tough. Nepal also wants to qualify for the Asian Cup. We will step onto the field with the goal of securing a ticket to the Asian Cup,” she said after defeating Laos.
Despite Uzbekistan being 49 places ahead of Nepal in the FIFA rankings, both teams’ performances have looked quite similar. Uzbekistan ranks 51st, and Nepal is at 100th.
A thrilling situation
In Group F, both Nepal and Uzbekistan have won their two matches and have 6 points each. They both defeated Laos and Sri Lanka. Nepal beat Laos 9–0, while Uzbekistan thrashed Sri Lanka 10–0.
In the second round, Nepal beat Sri Lanka 8–0 and Uzbekistan beat Laos 7–0.
Coincidentally, both teams have scored 17 goals and conceded none. That makes the group winner scenario even more thrilling. Since the goal difference is also the same, and the final group match is between these two teams, it is a nail-biting situation.
If the final game ends in a draw and the goal difference remains equal, many are wondering how the group winner will be determined.
According to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup regulations, if both points and goal difference are the same, there will be a penalty shootout.
In both matches, newly appointed captain Sabitra Bhandari Samba scored hat-tricks. She has scored 7 goals in two games.
Past encounters between Nepal and Uzbekistan
Historically, Uzbekistan has been stronger than Nepal in women’s football. So far, the two teams have met three times, Uzbekistan has won all three.
The first encounter was in the 1999 Women’s Asian Cup group stage in the Philippines, where Uzbekistan defeated Nepal 6–1. Despite the loss, the match was memorable for Nepal because that game saw Nepal score its first-ever goal in an international women’s football match, netted by Pema Dolma Lama.
For a long time, the two teams did not meet again. In 2019, during the Nadezhda Cup in Kyrgyzstan, Nepal once again played Uzbekistan twice, and lost both times.
In the league round, Uzbekistan won 2–0. The same teams met again in the final, where Uzbekistan narrowly defeated Nepal 3–2. Sabitra Bhandari scored both goals for Nepal in that game.
Can Nepal beat Uzbekistan?
Nepal’s record against Uzbekistan in women’s football has not been good. So far, Uzbekistan has scored 11 goals in three matches, while Nepal has managed 3.
Nepal now has a new head coach, Patrick de Wilde, who is employing different tactics and formations. In the first match, he benched former captain and goalkeeper Angela Tumbapo Subba and started Anjana Rana Magar instead. Bhandari took over the captaincy.
Saraswati Hamal debuted as a defensive midfielder. Preeti Rai started from the bench in the first match. The coach employed a three-defender formation with Geeta Rana, Samikshya Ghimire, and Nisha Thokar.
He has been effectively using bench players and getting goals from across the lineup; from defenders to forwards.
Along with the starters, the coach is also impressed from the substitutes.
Throwback to Asian Cup
Nepal played in the Women’s Asian Cup before Uzbekistan. Nepal made its debut in 1986, when Uzbekistan was still part of the Soviet Union. Nepal played again in 1989, still before Uzbekistan became an independent nation.
Uzbekistan began participating in the Women’s Asian Cup in 1995. Since then, they have played in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003, five consecutive tournaments. Nepal only participated once during that span, in 1999.
Since then, Uzbekistan has attempted qualification five times but failed. Nepal also tried for the 2022 edition but remained unsuccessful.
If Nepal defeats Uzbekistan and qualifies, it will mark the first time the team has earned a spot in the Women’s Asian Cup through qualification. Previous appearances were through direct entry.
If Nepal qualifies
If Nepal wins the match against Uzbekistan, they will qualify as group winners and reach the Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in 26 years. This would also open doors to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympic qualifiers.
The top 12 teams from Asia will compete in the Women’s Asian Cup, giving Nepal a chance to play against strong teams and gain valuable exposure.
Since the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers are based on the Asian Cup, this could be the first step toward Nepal’s World Cup mission.
The top six teams from the Asian Cup will qualify for the Women’s World Cup. Similarly, Nepal will also take a step closer to qualifying for the 2028 Olympics.
Having already won two important matches, the Nepali women’s football team is now just one win away from securing a golden future. Therefore, this is not just a match, it is a future-defining moment for Nepali women’s football.
If Nepal loses against Uzbekistan, they will not only miss out on the Asian Cup but also lose the chance to qualify for the World Cup and Olympics.
If Nepal fails to qualify now, the team won’t have another major tournament to play in until the 2030 Asian Cup.
