SAFF U-19 Championship: Nepali team leaves for India

KATHMANDU: The Nepali team participating in the U-19 SAFF Championship left for India on Tuesday.

The championship will be held from May 9 to May 17 at the Golden Jubilee Stadium at Yupia in Arunachal Pradesh of India.

The event will feature six South Asian nations, excluding Pakistan. Nepal is in Group ‘B’ with Sri Lanka and hosts India, while Group ‘A’ consists of the Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Nepal will begin its campaign with a match against Sri Lanka on May 11, while it will take on India on May 13.

The best two teams from each group after the group stage will advance to the semifinals to be played on May 16. The final will be held on May 18.

This is the 7th edition of the men’s U-19 teams of the SAARC region. India is the most successful side in the tournament, winning the titles thrice – in 2019, 2022 and 2023. Nepal has lifted the titles twice, in 2015 and 2017. Bangladesh won the title in 2024.

Urjan Shrestha is the Head Coach of the Nepali team.

Nepal Squad:

Goalkeepers: Bhakta Bahadur Pariyar, Upendra Lwagun, Bishal Baniya

Defenders: Roshan Tamang, Rohan Moktan, Prashant Moktan, Kushang Nembang, Madan Paudel, Ram Thapa, Bijay Urwa, Siddhanta Khadka

Midfielders: Krishna Bahadur Ale, Krish Thapa Magar, Saroj Darlami, Lachhu Thapa, Sabin Kumar Lungeli Magar, Ranjit Lama, Subash Bam, Bigyan Khadka

Forwards: Pawan Pakhrin, Dharvendra Kunwar, Sujan Dangol, Prasun Tamang