The national team will host Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Palestine for the Group C matches of the AFC Challenge Cup 2010 qualifiers. Similarly, Nepal Police Club will hosts top clubs from Tajikistan, Taiwan and Pakistan for the Group A matches of AFC President’s Cup 2009.[break]
Nepal was drawn in Group of Death for the Challenge Cup. The draw and venues were announced in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday.
For the AFC Challenge Cup 2010, defending champions India, runners-up Tajikistan and third-place finisher DPR Korea have qualified directly to the finals whereas 17 other teams will go through the qualifiers.
Macau and Mongolia plays the playoff to be the fourth team in Group A that also consists of Myanmar, Cambodia and Group hosts Bangladesh.
Group hosts Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Chinese Taipei and Brunei Darussalam have been pooled in Group D, while Group B will see Turkmenistan, the Philippines, Bhutan and Group hosts Maldives fight it out.
The winners of each group and the best second-placed team from among the groups advance to the eight-team finals of the AFC Challenge Cup 2010.
AFC Challenge Cup 2010 Qualification draw
GROUP A: Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Macau/Mongolia
GROUP B: Turkmenistan, The Philippines, Bhutan, Maldives
GROUP C: Nepal, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine
GROUP D: Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Chinese Taipei, Brunei Darussalam
The AFC President’s Cup, to be competed by national champion clubs of 11 Asian nations, will run in three different venues in the first round. Two venues are yet to be decided.
Nepal Police Club, who will play for third time as no national league has been held in past two years, will have tough time against defending champions Regar-TadAZ of Tajikistan, Taiwan Power Company and Pakistan’s Wapda.
Kyrgyzstan’s Dordoi-Dynamo, who won two straight President’s Cup titles before Regar-TadAZ dethroned them last year, are in Group C with Kanbawza FC of Myanmar, Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown and Yeezdin FC of Bhutan.
The only pool with three teams is Group B, which is led by top Turkmenistan side Asghabat and also features Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh team Abahani Ltd.
The President’s Cup is the leading international competition for clubs whose countries belong to the third tier in the Asian rankings. The hosts for Group B and C matches are yet to be announced.
The group competition, scheduled for April or May, will see the top team from each pool advance to the knock-out stages. These three teams will be joined in the last four by the best runners-up from the group stage.
Nepal Police Club was the runners-up in 2007 and semifinalists in 2008 – both time losing to Dordai Dynamo. On two other occassions, Nabil Three Star Club and Manang Marsyandi Club represented Nepal.
AFC President’s Cup 2009 draw
Group A: Regar-TadAZ (Tajikistan), Nepal Police Club (Nepal), Taiwan Power Company (Chinese-Taipei), Wapda (Pakistan).
Group B: Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). Sri Lanka Army (Sri Lanka), Abahani Limited (Bangladesh).
Group C: Dordoi-Dynamo (Kyrgyzstan), Kanbawza (Myanmar), Phnom Penh Crown (Cambodia), Yeezdin FC (Bhutan).
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