By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – The Nepal National Football Team head coach Vincenzo Alberto Annesse has called three more players to join his preliminary squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. With this inclusion, the preliminary squad has now reached 33 players.
The newly called-up players are Hisub Thapaliya, Santosh Khatri, and Kushal Phuyal. Among them, 24-year-old forward Hisub made a notable impact while representing Jawalakhel Youth Club in the recent Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League. Hisub displayed an impressive performance for his team, scoring four goals and providing four assists appearing in 25 outings.
Similarly, Santosh Khatri, who played for Friends Club, showcased his dominance in the midfield. The 19-year-old midfielder started in 20 matches, scoring a goal, and contributing three assists during the league.
Furthermore, another midfielder from Friends, Kushal Phuyal, scored a goal, and provided a couple of assists spending 506 minutes of playtime,
The closed training camp for the national team is set to commence on August 1. The players from Machhindra and Army, who were initially called up for the preliminary squad, will join the national team after the conclusion of their respective club tournaments. Machhindra will be representing Nepal in the AFC Cup Qualifiers Preliminary stage, while Army has traveled to India to participate in the Durand Cup.
Nepal has been drawn to face Laos in the Preliminary Round 1 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. The first leg of the match is scheduled to be played in Nepal on October 12, with the second leg taking place in Laos on October 17.
Should Nepal advance to the second round, they will be pitted against UAE, Bahrain, and the winner of Yemen and Sri Lanka in Group H. The second-round matches are set to be played in a home-and-away format between November 2023 and June 2024.
Preliminary Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kiran Kumar Limbu (RG Punjab FC), Anish Deula (Jawalakhel Youth Club), Deep Karki (Manang Marsyangdi Club), Abhishek Baral (Satdobato Youth Club)
Defenders: Bimal Panday (Tribhuvan Army FC), Sanish Shrestha (APF Football Club), Ananta Tamang (Church Boys United), Devendra Tamang (Machhindra Football Club), Ashish Gurung (Manang Marsyangdi Club), Rohit Chand (Persic Kedri), Simanta Thapa (Jawalakhel Youth Club), Anjal Maharjan (Friends Club), Chhiring Lama (Jawalakhel Youth Club), Anjan Rai (Nepal Police Club)
Midfielders: Arik Bista (Church Boys United), Sudip Gurung (Satdobato Youth Club), Laken Limbu (Three Star Club), Awas Lamichhane (APF Football Club), Utsab Rai (Machhindra Football Club), Bishal Tamang (Jawalakhel Youth Club), Bibek Poudel (Church Boys United), Kritish Ratna Chhunju (NRT), Santosh Khatri (Friends Club), Kushal Phuyal (Friends Club)
Forwards: Ayush Ghalan (Sankata Club), Nawayug Shrestha (Tribhuvan Army FC), Anjan Bista (Church Boys United), Manish Dangi (Sankata Club), Aashish Chaudhary (Church Boys United), Bimal Gharti Magar (Machhindra Football Club), Gillespye Jung Karki (Tribhuvan Army FC), Dinesh Henjan (Tribhuvan Army FC), Hisub Thapaliya (Jawalakhel Youth Club)
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