Indian football team to play two friendlies against Nepal in September

AIFF will also convene a 15-day camp for its Senior Men’s team starting August 15.

The Indian football team will play two International Friendlies against Nepal in September, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) have confirmed. The national governing body of the sport in the country published an official statement on Friday.

"The Nepali national football team is all set to play two friendly matches against the Indian national football team on September 2 and 5 in Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal. The friendlies have been confirmed by both All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and All India Football Federation (AIFF)," ANFA's statement read.

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The two national teams have faced each other in 19 occasions with India winning in 13 of them. Nepal has defeated India twice so far, the latest of which was a 2-1 victory in the SAFF Championship in 2013, in Kathmandu.

Both teams are currently in preparations for the 2021 SAFF Championship, which is set to be held in October.

The last time Nepal hosted India was in March 2015 when the two teams played a goalless draw at Dasharath Stadium in the FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers.

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Earlier this week, the AIFF announced the Indian men's football team calendar for the rest of the year. The action begins with Bengaluru FC playing their (pending) AFC Cup qualifier against Club Eagles (Maldives) on August 15. This will be followed by the league stage draw featuring ATK Mohun Bagan and BFC if they beat Club Eagles.

Concurrently, the federation will also convene a 15-day camp for its Senior Men’s team starting August 15 in preparation for the two International games against Nepal. Plans are also afoot to ensure the smooth integration of the players from BFC and ATKMB players returning from the Maldives to the Indian camp in regard to COVID-19 protocols.

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