Kathmandu: More than 300 schools from across the country will compete in the Asian Paints Inter-School U-18 Boys’ and Girls’ National Football Championship 2026, which kicks off with provincial qualifiers from September 10.

Amidst a press conference, event deputy coordinator Madhu Sudan Upadhyaya informed that the championship aims to identify promising school-level footballers and provide them with a pathway to national-level competition.

The first phase will be held simultaneously across six provinces, with matches taking place at 13 football grounds and school fields.

In Koshi Province, matches will be played in Biratnagar and Itahari, while Lalbandi and Simara will host boys’ matches in Madhesh Province, with the girls’ competition will take place in Rautahat.

Bagmati Province will host boys’ matches in Chitwan and boys’ and girls’ matches in Kathmandu. Pokhara and Gorkha will host the boys’ and girls’ competitions respectively in Gandaki Province.

In Lumbini Province, boys’ matches will be played in Ghorahi and Nepalgunj, while Butwal will host the girls’ competition. Dhangadhi will host both boys’ and girls’ matches featuring teams from Sudurpaschim and Karnali Provinces.

Six boys’ and girls’ team each will qualify for the National Championship following provincial tournaments.

The National Championship will feature a group stage, with the top two teams in each category advancing to the finals. The finals are scheduled to be held in Kathmandu on October 2.

The tournament carries a total prize purse of Rs 1.6 million.

Meanwhile, tournament coordinator Mahesh Bista unveiled the trophy.

The championship is also introducing a ‘One Goal, One Tree’ environmental campaign, under which a tree will be planted for every goal scored during the tournament.

The Trophy Tour, another major attraction of the championship, has already been held successfully in Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi. Trophy Tour events have been postponed due to the floods in Rasuwa and other areas of the country. It will now to place in Pokhara and Biratnagar on October 16 and 17.

Meanwhile, each goal scored during the provincial events will generate a donation of at least Rs 250 to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, while each goal in the National Championship will generate at least Rs 2,500.

The expected cost to run the tournament is Rs8.1 million.