Nepal have failed to qualify for the ICC U-19 World Cup scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia next year after their final match against Afghanistan in the ICC U-19 Asia Qualifier was cancelled due to rain on Saturday.

Nepal needed an outright win in the decisive fixture at Mulpani Cricket Ground to qualify, while a washout or a draw would suffice for Afghanistan, who had a better net run rate. Rain had started on Friday evening and persisted into Saturday morning, leaving parts of the outfield waterlogged despite efforts to dry the inner 30-yard circle.

Match referees and umpires inspected the ground but concluded that even a reduced 20-over game was not possible, leading to the match being called off.

Both teams had won their last three matches and were tied on points heading into Saturday. Afghanistan topped the round-robin group with a net run rate of 4.81, ahead of Nepal’s 3.57. The tournament featured five teams—Nepal, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong—with only the winner earning a place at the 2026 ICC U-19 World Cup.

Nepal had defeated Afghanistan by one wicket in the previous edition of the World Cup held in South Africa. They had also beaten Afghanistan in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup in the UAE last November. However, Afghanistan had won a three-match bilateral series 2-1 against Nepal before this qualifier.

Nepal have previously participated in the ICC U-19 World Cup eight times.