KATHMANDU, Feb 20: Nepal and Lebanon will face off today in the Four-Nation Cup international football championship.
The match is set to take place at Dashrath Stadium in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, on Thursday at 6 PM.
Both teams will be playing their second match of the ongoing league.
Nepal defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in their first match and now has a chance to secure a spot in the final with a second consecutive win. However, Nepal can qualify early only if Myanmar defeats Kyrgyzstan in the day's opening match.
Nepal struggled to finish against the relatively weaker Kyrgyzstan, making a win against Lebanon more challenging.
Meanwhile, Lebanon delivered an impressive performance against the stronger Myanmar in their first match but lost 3-1.
Lebanon visa application center opened in Nepal
In the previous match, Nepal's star player Sabitra Bhandari (Samba) played only in the second half. She arrived on the same day and has now had enough rest for tomorrow’s game.
Samba landed from France on Monday morning and competed against Kyrgyzstan in the evening.
This is the second time that Nepal is playing against Lebanon. In their previous encounter, Nepal and Lebanon competed in the semifinals of the 2024 WAF Women's Championship, in which Nepal defeated Lebanon 2-1. After initially trailing due to an own goal by Pooja Rana, Samba had equalized in the 76th minute. In the match held in Saudi Arabia, Preeti Rai scored in the fourth minute of injury time, securing Nepal's victory.
All matches of the ongoing competition will be held during FIFA international windows, so the games will have international recognition.
The matches will be played on a round-robin basis, with the top two teams competing in the final. The games will be held at 2 PM and 6 PM.
The ticket prices for the competition are set at 500 for general seating and 1,000 for VIP seats. Tickets can be purchased via the Khalti app.
The league phase and final will span nine days, with four match days. Nepal will play against Lebanon on February 20 and Myanmar on February 23.
Nepal Team
Goalkeepers:
Angela Tumbapo Subba, Anjana Rana Magar, Usha Nath
Defenders:
Amrita Jaisi, Geeta Rana, Bimala BK, Pooja Rana, Nisha Thokar, Samiksha Ghimire, Bimala Chaudhary, Manmaya Damai
Midfielders:
Anita Basnet, Renuka Nagarkoti, Preeti Rai, Saru Limbu, Sabita Rana Magar, Renuka Hamal, Sushma Tamang
Forwards:
Sabitra Bhandari, Rashmi Kumari Ghising, Chandra Bhandari, Anita KC, Rekha Paudel
