KATHMANDU: Had the earlier agreement held, a new edition of the A Division League would have already started within one month of the National League’s conclusion. But as the National League heads toward its end, clouds of uncertainty have begun gathering before preparations for the top-tier league, set to begin from 13 April this year, could even move forward.

Former Nepal national team captain and Madhyapur Youth Club president Upendra Man Singh accuses the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) itself of being the main cause of this uncertainty.

“It is the clubs that play the league. It seems practically impossible for the league to start on the date announced by ANFA,” Singh says, “The A Division is the country’s top-tier league. This is not an ordinary tournament like a duck or chicken cup. Running such a league requires planning, time, and preparation.”

The A Division League in a whirlpool of controversy

The A Division League, considered Nepal’s oldest and most prestigious competition, should normally be held regularly every year. But due to administrative delays and disputes, it has not been held since 10 June 2023.

According to the annual calendar ANFA published on 26 February 2024, the league was planned to run from 27 December 2024 to 29 May 2025. But it could not be held at the set time. Then on 3 November 2025, it was again announced the league would start from 24 December 2025. But that date too could not hold, and the league was ultimately pushed back to 24 December 2026.

As the league kept failing to happen, dissatisfaction in football circles grew. Amid the prolonged uncertainty and disputes, then-Minister of Youth and Sports Bablu Gupta also showed concern. Meanwhile, players took to the streets demanding the right to play. After repeated rounds of talks, ANFA announced as a resolution attempt that it would first hold the National League and then start the A Division League within one month of that.

The National League, being run in single round-robin format, has now entered its 11th round. But ANFA has neither moved forward with concrete preparations nor allocated the necessary budget for the A Division League, which is considered the basis for securing participation in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions.

This is why dissatisfaction has been growing in football circles, with people saying the top league’s future has fallen into uncertainty again. Against this backdrop, on 8 March 2026 players padlocked ANFA’s main gate and presented their demands.

Players had demanded that the A Division League date be formally announced within the deadline ANFA had committed to. They also demanded that detailed information about the players’ endowment fund be made public, and that clear information be given about the status of approximately Rs 6.5 million that should have been collected from one competition last year.

Similarly, players also demanded immediate payment of salaries, allowances, and prize money they should have received since 2017 but had not yet gotten. Players claimed that the matter of making this money available had already been passed by the current ANFA executive committee meeting.

After the players’ padlocking, ANFA’s administrative operations were disrupted. As the situation became more complex, ANFA agreed to address the three-point demand put forward by the Nepal Football Players Association. According to the agreement, it was announced that the A Division League would start from 13 April 2026 and the remaining B and C Division leagues would be completed within mid-December 2026.

But before even a week had passed since that date was made public, a new dispute surfaced. This time the clubs have expressed dissatisfaction. “We have no agreement on this date; the agreement was only with the players. Another thing is, we are only ready to play the league in the home-and-away system as was already agreed with us,” says former ANFA president and Himalayan Sherpa Club president Karma Tsering Sherpa.

According to the agreement reached on 3 November 2025 between ANFA and the 14 A Division clubs, a decision was made to run the league in a home-and-away system. The purpose of that decision was to make league football more organized and effective while bringing structural and historic change to Nepali football.

According to the agreement, long-term goals were also set – to gradually orient participating clubs toward a fully professional model, to create year-round employment opportunities for players, and ultimately to build a capable and competitive Nepali national football team. Along with this, the concept of modifying the current league structure and effectively running the domestic league across various cities of the country was also put forward.

A phased work schedule was also set for implementing that agreement. Accordingly, the 14 A Division clubs agreed to select their home grounds and complete the necessary paperwork by mid-April 2026.

After that, it was agreed that on 17 May 2026 ANFA would formally inform and correspond with clubs about the league, on 21 July 2026 the home grounds of participating clubs would be inspected, and on 19 August a training and workshop would be held to prepare the technical personnel needed to effectively run the home-and-away system.

Sherpa recalls that the training was planned to cover technical personnel including venue managers, media officers, security officers, and referee coordinators.

How feasible is the league?

With only 28 days remaining before the A Division League is set to start, clubs have again risen in protest. Clubs have put forward a seven-point demand, raising issues including that the league must be run in the home-and-away system and that all 14 clubs’ participation must be ensured. Club representatives went to ANFA on Monday with these demands.

But they were not allowed to enter the ANFA premises at all. After talks called later with representatives of eight clubs also ended inconclusively, the possibility of the league happening on the scheduled date has weakened, says Three Star Club vice-president Jaykishan Shrestha.

“This is a matter where players, clubs, and ANFA should all sit together and discuss. But here there is clearly a lack of coordination. It appears the date was announced in haste just to handle the players’ pressure,” Shrestha says. “We are only sent emails around 8 at night. Another important issue is that the Three Star case has still not been resolved. So it seems ANFA has signaled it will call the next meeting only after the elections.”

The dispute involving Three Star has also become a major cause of uncertainty around the league. ANFA had deducted three points from Three Star for fielding foreign players with expired visas, resulting in their relegation to the B Division. But Three Star has obtained an order from Patan High Court reinstating their A Division status.

Another complication has also emerged alongside this. The status of departmental team APF Club, which has been playing in the National League with A Division recognition despite being relegated to B Division, is also unclear. Without resolving this dispute, ANFA last Saturday sent letters to only the remaining 13 clubs excluding these two for team registration. Shrestha therefore insists that it must be settled whether APF, which was allowed to stay in the A Division after Three Star was penalized in the last edition, or Three Star, which has regained its status through the court, will play in the league.

“ANFA must implement all agreements made. One email has been fired off, and it is unclear when the next league will happen. Another thing is the High Court’s order has also not been complied with. Without all of this being resolved, the league cannot happen,” he says.

ANFA Spokesperson Suresh Shah reiterates the decision to hold the A Division League within one month of the National League’s completion, in accordance with the agreement with clubs. According to him, the league’s date was set on the basis of this agreement.

However, keeping the recent dissatisfaction in mind, he believes a further round of discussion among clubs, players, and ANFA could create a more positive environment. He says ANFA is ready to move forward through dialogue and agreement to resolve the problems.

“This is all moving forward according to process. There has been no coercion or unilateral decision on our part. That is why the path to finding a solution through talks and discussion is still open, and we are ready for that,” he says.