KATHMANDU: Nepal will play the third round of the Asia Cup football qualifiers directly.
The fate of Nepali football has been revealed after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) changed the selection process. Nepal will no longer have to play the next playoff.
Earlier, Nepal had to play the playoffs by finishing fourth in their group in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. Asia Cup host China and World Cup host Qatar are also defending champions of the Asia Cup.
Other lucky teams like Nepal are Hong Kong, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Similarly, the top three teams in the fifth position will also play in the third round of the Asia Cup qualifiers. Accordingly, Myanmar, Yemen and Bangladesh will also play the third round directly.
