KATHMANDU: The Nepal national football team returned home on Thursday after completing their AFC Asian Cup qualifying matches in Vietnam.

The team was welcomed at Tribhuvan International Airport by officials from the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

Nepal’s campaign ended in disappointment after suffering defeats in both legs against Vietnam.

In Tuesday night’s “home” match—played in Vietnam due to Dasharath Stadium’s disqualification by the AFC—Nepal lost 1–0.

Earlier, in the first leg held last Thursday, Nepal had gone down 3–1.

With these losses, Nepal’s hopes of qualifying for the Asian Cup have ended.

Placed in Group F, Nepal lost all four matches—2–1 against Laos, 2–0 against Malaysia, and twice against Vietnam.

Due to infrastructure shortcomings, Kathmandu’s Dasharath Stadium was deemed unfit to host international fixtures, forcing Nepal to play its designated home game on foreign soil.