Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal has announced the preliminary squad of the men’s national team in the Second Round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against the UAE.
Head Coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese named 28 players in the preliminary squad announced on Tuesday.
Nepal was announced to face the UAE at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on June 28. However, the match will now be moved to a neutral venue as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has directed the All Nepal Football Association to name a neutral venue for the match, stating that the Dasharath Stadium does not meet the required standards to hold international matches.
Earlier, Nepal played both legs of the Qualifiers against Bahrain in the latter’s home ground.
Nepal is at the bottom of Group ‘H’ with four losses in as many games. It has not been able to score in four matches of the Qualifiers while it has conceded 14 goals.
UAE sits at the top of the table with 12 points winning all four matches. Bahrain is second with nine points, while Yemen is third with three points from four matches.
Preliminary Squad:
Goalkeepers:
Abhishek Baral, Bishal Sunar, Kiran Chemjong, Santosh Mahat
Defenders:
Abhishek Limbu, Ananta Tamang, Bimal Pandey, Bishal Basnet, Chhiring Lama, Rohit Chand, Sanish Shrestha, Saubhagya Rai, Ajay Chaudhary, Yogesh Gurung
Midfielders:
Bharat Khawas, Laken Limbu, Mani Kumar Lama, Manish Dangi, Basant Jimba, Phatteman Ghale, Rohan Karki, Sumit Shrestha
Forwards:
Anjan Bista, Dinesh Henjan, Gillespye Jung Karki, Hisub Thapaliya, Samir Tamang, Sanjeeb Bista
