ANFA announces revised football calendar

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sept. 24: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has officially announced the return of the Martyr's Memorial 'A' Division League, unveiling its revised annual calendar on Tuesday. Earlier, ANFA had reavealed its annual football caelndar on May But the FA was unable to run the events as per the schedule.  

Alongside the top-flight league, ANFA has also revealed plans to host several international fixtures. The premier division is set to kick off on 24 December 2025 and will run until 10 July 2026, marking the end of a two-and-a-half-year break.

The league will follow a home-and-away format across 14 districts, as previously confirmed by ANFA.

Youth football is also making a comeback. The U-16 Youth League, which was suspended due to Gen-Z protests, will resume from 3 to 18 November. The Lalit Memorial U-18 Youth League 2025 is scheduled to begin on 15 December at the ANFA Complex.

Men’s football will see the President League take place from 2 to 22 November, featuring ten teams battling for glory. Meanwhile, the Martyr's Memorial C Division Qualifiers will run from 20 November to 14 December.

On the international front, Nepal’s men’s national team will be in action for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. They face Vietnam on 9 and 14 October, Malaysia on 18 November, and Laos on 31 March 2026.

The women’s national team has a busy schedule too. They’ll play a friendly against India on 26 October in Sikkim, followed by a Three Nations Tournament in Indonesia from 24 November to 2 December. After that, they’ll compete in the SAFF Women's Club Championship at Dashrath Stadium from 5 to 20 December.

Domestically, women’s clubs will feature in three competitions. The ANFA Women's Championship is set for 26 December to 6 January 2026 at Chyasal Stadium. The Martyr's Memorial Women's League will run from 23 January to 17 February. In a landmark move, ANFA will also launch the first-ever women’s franchise league—the Martyr's Memorial Women's Super League—from 21 to 28 February 2026.

Notably, the Nepal Super League (NSL), which had been part of previous calendars, is absent this year. ANFA spokesperson Suresh Sah clarified that NSL is not run by ANFA, hence not included. “ANFA only provides dates to the NSL,” he said. Interestingly, ANFA’s earlier calendar released in May had pencilled in September and November for the NSL