ANFA FIFA Suspension

Nepal was ruled out of the 15th SAFF Championship after FIFA’s suspension of ANFA was not lifted before the participation deadline. It is the first time Nepal will miss the tournament, and the Dhaka event will go ahead with six teams.

Nepal was reported to be on the verge of missing the SAFF Men’s Championship for the first time because its FIFA suspension remained unresolved ahead of SAFF’s September 30 deadline. The dispute also led to arrests and a Central Investigation Bureau probe into related financial issues.

FIFA’s indefinite suspension of ANFA was reported as halting Nepal’s participation in international football and disrupting domestic administration. The ban was said to be affecting national teams, clubs, academy programs and around 240 staff members.

The government said it was making high-level efforts to get FIFA’s suspension on ANFA lifted. Officials said the dispute stemmed from ANFA’s statutes and election process, which had triggered FIFA’s third-party interference ruling.

ANFA said Nepal’s participation in the SAFF Championship could be affected if FIFA did not lift its suspension by September 30, 2026. The warning came as the ban was already disrupting the national team, academy operations and staff pay.