FIFA has suspended the All Nepal Football Association with immediate effect, barring the country from all international competitions following a prolonged dispute over government interference in the running of Nepali football.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom confirmed the decision in a letter to ANFA on 25 June, citing “flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes” stemming from “undue interference by a third party.” The third party in question is Nepal’s National Sports Council, the government body responsible for sports administration in the country, which FIFA says has repeatedly encroached on ANFA’s independence.
FIFA statutes require that national football associations operate free from government interference. The governing body’s position is that the Sports Council’s interventions have breached that principle.
The conflict centres on a long-delayed electoral process within ANFA. FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation had agreed to a specific election procedure, but the Sports Council issued a series of directives seeking to amend ANFA’s statutes under Nepal’s sports development act, repeatedly disrupting the process.
In March 2026, the Sports Council suspended ANFA for three months during the association’s preparations for the election. The suspension was lifted in May, but the underlying tension remained unresolved, eventually prompting FIFA to step in with its own ban.
The consequences are immediate and wide-ranging. Nepal, currently ranked 175th in FIFA’s world rankings, cannot participate in any international competition. The women’s national team, ranked 88th in the world, faces the same restrictions. ANFA will also lose access to FIFA development programmes, courses and training resources.
ANFA spokesman Suresh Shah described the situation as deeply damaging. “It impacts our players, barring them from opportunities and dampens dreams of aspiring players,” he told AFP. “The suspension is an issue of grave concern. We are consulting with all stakeholders to lift the suspension keeping Nepal’s football in priority.”
Ram Charitra Mehta, a member secretary of the Sports Council, sought to distance the government from blame. “The government never wanted this,” he said. “We are looking for alternative ways to address this crisis.”
FIFA has set out a clear condition for lifting the ban: the Sports Council must revoke its March decisions and allow ANFA to complete its electoral process without further interference.
