KATHMANDU: Nepal’s hopes of qualifying for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 were dashed after a heartbreaking loss to Uzbekistan in a penalty shootout during the final match held late Saturday night.
The decisive match took place at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, where the Nepali National Women’s Football Team fell 4–2 to the hosts in a dramatic tiebreaker. The match had ended in a thrilling 3–3 draw after 90 minutes of regulation time, pushing the game into penalties.
In the shootout, Gita Rana and Sabita Rana Magar converted their penalties for Nepal, but captain Sabitra Bhandari ‘Samba’ and goalkeeper Anjana Rana Magar missed their attempts. Uzbekistan capitalized on Nepal’s misses to secure their first-ever spot in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Nepal took the lead early, with captain Bhandari scoring in the 12th minute. She added two more quick goals in the 70th and 71st minutes of the second half, completing a hat-trick and giving Nepal a strong position before Uzbekistan equalized to force penalties.
Despite a valiant effort and a standout performance from Bhandari, Nepal’s journey to the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup came to a painful end.
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