2026 ANFA National League
Football league season
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The 2026 ANFA National League (officially National League 2082) is the 3rd edition of the Nepal National League. The competition features 17 teams competing in a single round-robin format. The champions or the highest ranked team with a national license will qualify for the 2026–27 AFC Challenge League preliminary stage.[1][2] The league was postponed on 20 March, after foreign players were found to be participating without work permits.[3]
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14 January – 12 April |
| Matches | 94 |
| Goals | 253 (2.69 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Jonathan Cantillana 10 goals |
| Longest winning run | 5 games Church Boys United |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 games Laligurans |
| Longest winless run | 10 games Nawa Jana Jagriti Kankre Bihar |
| Longest losing run | 9 games Nawa Jana Jagriti |
← 2015
All statistics correct as of 16 March 2026. | |
Teams
The following 17 teams compete in the 2026 National League, 11 from the 2023 Martyr's Memorial A-Division League, 2 promoted from the 2025 Martyr's Memorial B-Division League and 4 that qualified from the 2025 ANFA President League.[4] Himalayan Sherpa Club is the only A-division club not participating in this league.[5]
| Team | Location | Head Coach | Captain | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APF FC | Kathmandu (Halchowk), Bagmati |  Rajendra Tamang |
Top Bista | 12th (A-Division) |
| Chitlang FC | Makwanpur, Bagmati | Prajwal Pratip Chhetri |
Fagu Ram Tharu | Runner-Up (President) |
| Church Boys United | Lalitpur (Balkumari), Bagmati | Ashok Thapa |
Ananta Tamang | 1st (A-Division) |
| Friends Club | Lalitpur (Kupondole), Bagmati | Ramesh Maharjan |
Rupesh KC | 11th (A-Division) |
| Jawalakhel YC | Lalitpur (Jawalakhel), Bagmati | Sunil Shrestha |
Yunesh Chaudhary | 4th (A-Division) |
| Kankre Bihar YC | Birendranagar, Karnali | |
Semi-Final (President) | |
| Laligurans Association Club | Pokhara, Gandaki | Kiran Shrestha |
Raj Bhusal | Champion (President) |
| Machhindra FC | Kathmandu (Jana Bahal), Bagmati | Prabesh Katuwal |
Bishal Shrestha | 2nd (A-Division) |
| Manang Marshyangdi Club | Pokhara, Gandaki | Sailesh Karmacharya |
Nava Raj Gurung | 8th (A-Division) |
| Nawa Jana Jagriti YC | Jitpursimara, Madhesh | |
Umesh Sanjel | Semi-Final (President) |
| Nepal Police FC | Kathmandu (Maharajgunj), Bagmati | Chetan Ghimire |
Ram Wajee | 3rd (A-Division) |
| New Road Team | Kathmandu (New Road), Bagmati | Jeevan Sinkeman |
Jagajeet Shrestha | 6th (A-Division) |
| Planning Boyz United | Budhanilkantha (Kapan), Bagmati | Ganesh Khadka |
Shankar Tharu | 1st (B-Division) |
| Sankata FC | Kathmandu (Te Bahal), Bagmati | Rabindra Silakar |
Sunil Bal | 9th (A-Division) |
| Satdobato Youth Club | Lalitpur (Satdobato), Bagmati | Balgopal Sakhukhala |
5th (A-Division) | |
| Shree Bhagwati Club | Tokha, Bagmati | Sanoj Shrestha |
Ashok Khawas | 2nd (B-Division) |
| Tribhuvan Army FC | Kathmandu (Bhadrakali), Bagmati | Jitendra Karki |
George Prince Karki | 7th (A-Division) |
Foreign players
For the 2026 season, ANFA adopted a registration system based on three distinct "Routes," allowing clubs to specialize their recruitment. The SAFF slot is reserved for players from South Asian nations (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bhutan). Departmental clubs (Army, Police, APF) and Friends Club traditionally do not field foreign players.
Club Foreign Player List
| Club | Route | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4-10 | SAFF Player | Former Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APF FC | None | None | |||||
| Chitlang FC | Route 2 |  Mathew Babatunde | Solomon Ilesanmi | ||||
| Church Boys United | Route 2 | Abayomi Fakunle |  Serge Dicka | Neymar | |||
| Friends Club | None | None | |||||
| Jawalakhel YC | Route 2 |  Nicholas Hamilton |  Abdul Majid Shamatey |  Abdulaziz Nishonboev |  Nicholas Fernandes | ||
| Kankrebihar Youth Club | Route 3 | ||||||
| Laligurans AC | Route 2 |  Yves Priso | |||||
| Machhindra FC | Route 1 |  Jonathan Cantillana | Sardor Rashidov |  Daisuke Nomura | |||
| Manang Marshyangdi Club | Route 2 | Andrew Ebo Yamoah | Olawale Oladipo | ||||
| Nawa Janajagriti Youth Club | Route 3 | ||||||
| Nepal Police FC | None | None | |||||
| New Road Team | Route 2 | Shota Atsumi | H. Morimoto | Stephen Adams | |||
| Planning Boyz United | Route 2 | ||||||
| Sankata FC | Route 2 |  Wendpanga Gilbert Bilgo | |||||
| Satdobato Youth Club | Route 2 | Farrukh Musabekov | |||||
| Shree Bhagwati Club | Route 2 | Peter Segun | Martins Kayode Ajayi | ||||
| Tribhuvan Army FC | None | None | |||||
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APF FC | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 7 | +12 | 25 | Qualification for AFC Challenge League |
| 2 | Church Boys United | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 12 | +13 | 25 | |
| 3 | Machhindra FC | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 25 | |
| 4 | Laligurans AFC | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 24 | |
| 5 | Tribhuvan Army | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 7 | +18 | 23 | |
| 6 | Planning Boyz United | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 22 | |
| 7 | New Road Team | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 20 | |
| 8 | Jawalakhel YC | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 14 | |
| 9 | Manang Marshyangdi | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 13 | |
| 10 | Sankata FC | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 13 | |
| 11 | Friends Club | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 13 | |
| 12 | Shree Bhagwati | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 12 | |
| 13 | Nepal Police | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 18 | −4 | 9 | |
| 14 | Satdobato YC | 11 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 9 | |
| 15 | Chitlang FC | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 25 | −15 | 8 | |
| 16 | Nawajana Jagriti YC | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 41 | −33 | 4 | |
| 17 | Kakre Bihar YC | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 37 | −29 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored.
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of 15 March 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Cantillana | Machhindra | 10 |
| 2 | Abayomi Fakunle | Church Boys United | 7 |
| 3 | Milan Rai | Church Boys United | 6 |
| 4 |  Papa Kebe |
Planning Boyz | 5 |
| Nawayug Shrestha |
Tribhuvan Army | ||
| Timothy Chiemerie Okereke |
NRT | ||
| 7 | Fagu Ram Tharu |
Planning Boyz | 4 |
| Nirajan Dhami | Tribhuvan Army | ||
| Yubaraj Khadka | APF | ||
| Dharbendra Kunwar | Jawalakhel | ||
| Aashish Gurung | Laligurans | ||
 Nicholas Odane Hamilton |
Jawalakhel |
Clean sheets
- As of 13 March 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yogesh Dhimal |
Planning Boyz | 5 |
| 2 | Bishal Shrestha |
Machhindra | 4 |
| Anjal Shrestha |
APF | ||
| Bikesh Kuthu | Tribhuvan Army | ||
| Tikendra Thapa | Jawalakhel | ||
| 3 | Bishal Sunar | NRT | 3 |
Results
The 2026 season is played as a single round-robin format across 17 rounds. Matches are held at the Dasharath Stadium, ANFA Complex and Chyasal Stadium.
Results table
Prize money
The following prize structure was established for the 2026 season:
- Champions: रु 5,000,000
- Runners-up: रु 2,500,000
- Third place: रु 1,500,000
- Fair play: रु 100,000