KATHMANDU: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has officially appointed Belgian coach Patrick De Wilde as the head coach of the Nepal women’s national football team, marking the first time a foreign coach has formally taken charge of the squad.

Wilde has been appointed as the head coach on a one-year contract. The appointment letter was handed over on Thursday at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato by General Secretary Kiran Rai. De Wilde was selected from a final shortlist of two candidates by ANFA’s coach selection committee.

A UEFA Pro License holder, De Wilde will make his debut as Nepal’s head coach during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Uzbekistan, starting with Nepal’s match against Laos on June 29. Nepal is placed in Group F alongside Laos, Sri Lanka, and hosts Uzbekistan.

Nepal currently ranks 99th in FIFA women’s rankings, while Laos sits eight spots below at 107th. Nepal will face Sri Lanka in the second match and end the group stage with a crucial fixture against Uzbekistan. Only the group winner will qualify for the prestigious Asian Cup in Australia.

De Wilde, 60, is no stranger to Nepal. He previously coached Kathmandu Rayzrs in the second season of the Nepal Super League (NSL). Despite a promising campaign, the team failed to reach the playoffs, narrowly losing out to Pokhara Thunders on goal difference.

Before this role, De Wilde coached the Somalia national football team and has prior experience managing Rwanda’s national team. He also served as an assistant coach for the Algerian and Hungarian national teams and led China’s Under-23 squad.

With his wide-ranging international experience, De Wilde’s appointment is expected to boost Nepal’s women’s football ambitions as the team prepares for one of its most important competitive tournaments in recent years.