KATHMANDU: Nepal faced a tough defeat against Bahrain in the second phase of the joint qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The match, held this morning at the Bahrain National Football Stadium in Riffa, saw Bahrain dominating with a resounding 5-0 victory.

With this win, Bahrain secures its second victory in the qualifiers, earning six points and claiming the second position.

Unfortunately for Nepal, this marks their third consecutive defeat in the qualifiers, leaving them without any points on the board.

Previously, Nepal suffered defeats against UAE and Yemen in Group ‘H’.

Mehdi Al-Humaidan, Syed Nasser, Ali Madan, Ibrahim Al-Khatal, and Ismail Abdulatif each contributed a goal for Bahrain.

Humaidan opened the scoring for Bahrain in the second minute, followed by Syed doubling the lead in the ninth minute.

In the dying moments of the match, Abdulatif sealed Bahrain’s victory with a penalty shootout goal in additional time of the second half.

In Group ‘H’, UAE leads the standings with nine points, while Yemen holds third place with three points earned from a single win in three games played so far.