ANFA: The All Nepal Football Association Explained

ANFA — the All Nepal Football Association — is the body that runs football in Nepal, from the national teams down to grassroots competition. If you have read about the Gorkhalis, the A-Division League, or a Nepal international fixture, ANFA is the organisation behind it. This short explainer covers what ANFA is, when it was founded, what it does, and how it fits into the wider story of football in Nepal.

Key takeaways

• ANFA stands for the All Nepal Football Association, founded in 1951.
• It is Nepal's FIFA and AFC member association, representing the country internationally.
• ANFA is headquartered at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur.
• It runs the national teams (men's, women's, and youth) and the domestic league pyramid.
• Its competitions include the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League and the newer Nepal Super League.

What ANFA stands for

ANFA is the acronym for the All Nepal Football Association (in Nepali, अखिल नेपाल फुटबल संघ). It is the single national governing body recognised for the sport, meaning it holds Nepal's place in world football and answers to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on the country's behalf.

A brief history

ANFA was founded in 1951, making it one of Nepal's oldest sporting institutions. In the decades that followed, it built out a national league system and connected Nepal to the global game by affiliating with FIFA and joining the AFC during the early era of organised Asian football. The national team played its first international in 1972, the start of a long run of regional and continental competition organised under ANFA's banner.

What ANFA does

As the governing body, ANFA's remit is broad. Its core functions include:

• National teams — selecting and managing the men's, women's, and age-group sides that represent Nepal.
• Domestic competition — organising the league pyramid and national cup football.
• Development — training and licensing referees and coaches and supporting grassroots and youth football.
• Representation — acting as Nepal's voice at FIFA, the AFC, and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
• Structure — coordinating provincial and district football associations across the country.

This makes ANFA responsible not just for the high-profile international fixtures most fans notice, but for the everyday machinery that keeps clubs, leagues, and competitions running.

Where ANFA is based

ANFA's home is the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, in the Lalitpur area on the southern side of the Kathmandu Valley. The complex serves as the association's administrative headquarters and a hub for football activity, including training and youth development facilities. National-team matches, meanwhile, are typically staged at the larger Dasharath Rangasala stadium in central Kathmandu.

The leagues ANFA runs

ANFA organises a tiered domestic structure topped by a long-established league:

| Competition | Role | | --- | --- | | Martyr's Memorial A-Division League | Traditional top division of club football | | B-Division and C-Division Leagues | Feeder tiers beneath the A-Division | | Nepal Super League | Franchise-based, city-themed tournament from 2021 | | Women's National League | Top women's club competition |

The A-Division has long been the centre of the club game, contested largely by Kathmandu-based and institutional teams. The Nepal Super League, launched in 2021, added a modern franchise format aimed at boosting the sport's commercial profile and reach.

ANFA and governance

Like many football associations around the world, ANFA has at times faced public debate over its administration, elections, and finances. This is a common feature of the modern game globally and does not change the association's central role: as long as it is the recognised member body, ANFA remains the organisation through which Nepal participates in international football. For visitors and casual fans, the practical takeaway is simply that ANFA is the name to know when following the national game.

How ANFA fits the bigger picture

ANFA is one half of a story that also includes the players, clubs, and fans who make up Nepali football. To see how it all connects — the national team, its history, the league pyramid, and football's place alongside cricket — read our fuller overview of football in Nepal. For wider context on the country, our guides to Nepali culture and the Gurkha tradition behind the Gorkhali nickname add useful background.

The bottom line

ANFA, the All Nepal Football Association, is the governing body at the heart of Nepali football. Founded in 1951 and based in Satdobato, it runs the national teams, the league system, and the country's place in world football. Knowing what ANFA is — and what it does — is the quickest way to make sense of any headline about Nepal's national game.

Sources

• All Nepal Football Association — Wikipedia
• All Nepal Football Association — FIFA
• ANFA: All Nepal Football Association — official site
• Football in Nepal — Wikipedia