Six new faces in Nepali squad to face Bahrain

KATHMANDU: Six new players have been named in the Nepali squad to face Bahrain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Head Coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese has named Ajay Chaudhary, Abhishek Limbu, Saubhagya Rai, Bishal Basnet, Roshan Karki, and Samir Tamang in the squad for the first time, while Tribhuvan Army Club Captain Bharat Khawas is making a comeback in the national side after a long break.

Nepal is playing both legs of the qualifiers in Bahrain after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) declared Dasharath Stadium unfit to hold international matches. Nepal will play against Bahrain on March 21 and 26.

Before leaving for Bahrain, Nepal will play a friendly against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on March 15. The national team is leaving for Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

Nepal Squad

Goalkeepers: Kiran Chemjong, Bishal Sunar, Abhishek Baral

Defenders: Abhishek Limbu, Ajay Chaudhary, Ananta Tamang, Chiring Lama, Sanish Shrestha, Saubhagya Rai, Sumit Shrestha

Midfielders: Bharat Khawas, Bishal Basnet, Laken Limbu, Mani Kumar Lama, Manish Dangi, Roshan Karki, Utsav Rai

Forwards: Anjan Bista, Dinesh Hemjan, Gillespye Jung Karki, Hishub Thapaliya, Samir Tamang, and Sanjiv Bista