Nepal has to call futsal players to compete against Vietnam's national team

The Nepal Football Association (ANFA) revealed the squad of 23 players for the upcoming two matches versus Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round, with the remarkable inclusion of Mani Kumar Lama – a former futsal player selected for the national team.

Mani Kumar Lama has played professional futsal since 2019 and previously represented Nepal’s futsal team in the 2020 Asian futsal qualifiers, where he scored 3 goals. However, due to the lack of a national futsal championship and no futsal team activity from 2019 to 2022, Lama decided to switch to 11-a-side football.

Now, with the opportunity arising, this player born in 1996 has been named by coach Matt Ross in the national team roster, becoming one of the most interesting highlights of the South Asian squad.

Besides Lama, Nepal’s squad still revolves around experienced players such as captain goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong (107 caps, currently playing in Bangladesh), defender Rohit Chand (97 appearances, active in Indonesia), midfielder Laken Limbu (jersey number 10, playing for Kirivong Sok Sen Chey in Cambodia), and forward Anjan Bista. The total market value of Nepal’s team is estimated at around 1.9 million euros by Transfermarkt, nearly three times lower than Vietnam’s squad.

Currently ranked 176th in FIFA, Nepal is 62 places behind Vietnam. Nevertheless, coach Matt Ross still trusts the young players scattered across clubs in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Their lineup mainly consists of relatively inexperienced players, with only a few still playing domestically since Nepal’s national league has been halted due to violence and protests.

According to the plan, Nepal’s team will fly to Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of October 7, have a single training session at Binh Duong stadium on October 8 to acclimate, before facing Vietnam on October 9 (first leg). The return match will take place on October 14 at Thong Nhat stadium, where Nepal will be considered the home team.

After the first two matches, Vietnam currently holds 3 points, ranking second in Group F, while Nepal has yet to score any points. Despite being rated lower, calling a futsal player into the squad shows Nepal’s effort to refresh the team and their ambition to create surprises ahead of their away match in Vietnam.