Nepal U-18 Team Ends on a High Note with Consecutive Wins at ISF Football World Cup 2026
The Nepal U-18 school football team concluded the ISF Football World Cup 2026 held in Suzhou, China, on a positive note by defeating India and Haiti in their final two matches. The tournament, which featured 38 nations and ran from October 17 to 26, saw Nepal secure 29th place overall. Notably, Nepal’s Tenzing Sherpa scored four goals in the match against India. Kathmandu, 9 Kartik – Despite facing setbacks in the initial matches, Nepal’s U-18 team successfully finished the competition with back-to-back wins in their final games at the ISF Football World Cup 2026 in Suzhou, China. Nepal overcame India’s second team 6–3 and triumphed over Haiti 5–3 in a penalty shootout. The event featured teams from 38 countries worldwide, with Nepal ultimately placing 29th.
Although Nepal suffered five consecutive losses at the start, their victories in the last two matches marked a strong finish. In the group stage, Nepal competed against Turkey, Hong Kong (China), and Chile. On October 19, Nepal was defeated 12–0 by Turkey in their opening match, followed by a 6–3 loss to Hong Kong and a 7–1 defeat to Chile. Moving into the classification round, Nepal faced substantial defeats against Ireland and Quebec, both by an 8–0 margin.
After five straight losses, Nepal registered their first win on October 24 by defeating India’s second team 6–3, with Tenzing Sherpa scoring four goals, and Prashant Manyambo and Krischal Thapa adding one each. On October 25, Nepal edged Haiti 5–3 in the penalty shootout stage, with goals from Tenzing Sherpa, Bhavishya Shah, Sanyug Rai, Isaac Shahi, and Ivan Ratna Tuladhar.
In the school level finals of the tournament, Croatia defeated Guinea 4–0 in a penalty shootout to claim the title, while China’s ‘China 1’ squad was crowned champions by beating Germany 5–1.
Representing the Nepal School Sports Federation, the Nepali team gained significant international experience through this tournament. Rajkumar Karki, General Secretary of the School Sports Federation and a member of the Executive Committee of the International School Sport Federation (ISSSF), who led the team in China, stated that although the initial matches were challenging, securing consecutive wins at the end was a positive achievement for the team.
