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Tibet national football team

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Tibet
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameThe Forbiddens
AssociationTibetan National Football Association
ConfederationCONIFA
Head coachGompo Dorjee
Most capsTenzin Samdup
BK Narayan (9)
Top scorerTashi Samphel (5)
First colours
Second colours
First international
Unofficial
   Nepal 4–0 Tibet 
(China; 6 November 1972)
Official
 Greenland 4–1 Tibet 
(Copenhagen, Denmark; 30 June 2001)
Biggest win
 Tibet 12–2 Western Sahara 
(Marseille, France; 28 June 2013)
Biggest defeat
 Provence 22–0 Tibet 
(Marseille, France; 23 June 2013)
CONIFA World Football Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2018)
Best result12th, 2018

The Tibet national football team is a football team that represents the cultural region of Tibet in non-FIFA international tournaments,[2] and is organized by the Tibetan National Football Association (TNFA), an organization of exiled Tibetans.

Many of the players are in exile and represent the Tibetan Government in Exile. The team is part of neither FIFA nor the AFC and does not participate in international tournaments. The TNFA was founded in 2001 and its goal is to gain an official status.

History

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The Forbidden Team

[edit]
The first Tibet team, c. 1936

The first international game against a non-Asian team was versus Greenland, which took place in Denmark.[3] The team was followed by a documentary film crew during the process of forming the team, practicing, playing the match, and events in between. The documentary was titled 'The Forbidden Team'. To form the team, a selective tournament was held in Dehradun, India, featuring all the various Tibetan football teams around India.[citation needed]

After the team was selected, Team Tibet headed to Dharamsala to begin practice sessions. Jens Espense was hired by the Tibetan Football Association to coach the team for the match. He had only a month to get the players conditioned and ready to play, despite the team not yet playing at even a minor league level. Moreover, the pitch was in poor condition and only half of it could be used, as it was located on a public road. During practice, Karma Nyodup was working to complete all documentation or the flight to Greenland. A number of players were subsequently dropped due to improper travel documents.[citation needed]

After a month, the team flew to Denmark for its first international game, which was organized by Michael Nybrandt. He was also advocating for Tibet at a time when the Chinese government officials had made it clear that they did not want this match to happen as they believed Tibet belonged to China. They threatened to cut off all of China's trade with Denmark if the match went ahead as planned. Denmark, despite all of this, allowed the game to take place. And on 30 June 2001, the Tibetan National Football Team played its first international match in which it lost 1– 4 against Greenland.[4]

FIFI Wild Cup (Hamburg, Germany) and ELF Cup (Northern Cyprus)

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The 2006 FIFI Wild Cup took place in Hamburg, Germany. The first match they played was against St. Pauli on 30 May 2006. They lost this game 7–0. The second and final match of Tibet in this tournament was against Gibraltar on 31 May 2006 and lost the game 5–0. During the ELF Cup Tibet played three games, the first game was against Tajikistan on 19, November 2006 in which they lost 3–0. And on 20 November, Tibet played the Crimean Tatars, and lost 1–0. In their final match, Tibet played Northern Cyprus, and lost 10–0.

International Tournament of Peoples, Cultures and Tribes

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During 2013, Tibet was invited to Marseille, France from 22 to 29 June in order to take part in the inaugural World Tournament of Peoples, Cultures, and Tribes.

The Tibetan team came in fifth place when the competition was over.

2018 ConIFA World Football Cup

[edit]

For the first time in its history, the Tibetan selection participated in the ConIFA World Football Cup in 2018 by qualifying with the wild card.[5]

2023 CONIFA Asia Cup

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Tibet participated in the CONIFA Asia Cup in 2023. They lost 5-4 to Hmong FF in their first match, and then lost 3-1 to Tamil Eelam in their next match, which would get them eliminated. However, they qualified for the CONIFA World Cup 2024.

Current squad

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The following players were called up to the squad for the 2025 Conifa Asian Football Cup in London.[6]

Head Coach: Gompo Dorjee

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
21 1GK Tenzin Tsewang United States Soccer Federation Bay Area Friends Tibet
1 1GK Tenzin Kalsang United States Soccer Federation Tibet FC
2 2DF Tenzin Osaki Canadian Soccer Association SC Toronto
3 2DF Tenzing Wangyal (1995-09-04) 4 September 1995 (age 30) 2 0 United States Soccer Federation New York Shockers
16 2DF Sam Rinchen (2008-01-17) 17 January 2008 (age 17) Royal Belgian Football Association Sportkring Sint-Niklaas
18 2DF Tenzin Choepak (1996-01-07) 7 January 1996 (age 29) Unattached
29 2DF Tenzin Kunsang Unattached
30 2DF Tenzin Tsultrim United States Soccer Federation FC Rangzen
8 3MF Tenzin Dechance Unattached
11 3MF Lennox Tendhar Scottish Football Association East Craigie
19 3MF Tenzin Namdol United States Soccer Federation DV7 Soccer Academy
24 3MF Karma Bhagentsang Canadian Soccer Association Oakville SC
59 3MF Tenzin Passang Unattached
7 4FW Tenzing Thabke (1995-11-16) 16 November 1995 (age 30) 2 1 Unattached
9 4FW Tenzing Chodak United States Soccer Federation Tibet FC
10 4FW Tenzin Yougyal (1993-08-12) 12 August 1993 (age 32) Unattached
63 4FW Tenzin Thaye The Football Association United Tibet

Selected internationals

[edit]

Results 1970s

[edit]
6 November 1972 Friendly Tibet  0–4    Nepal China
Attendance: —
7 June 1979 Friendly Tibet  2–3    Nepal Dasharath Rangasala, Kathmandu
Unknown Attendance: —
9 June 1979 Friendly Tibet  1–2    Nepal Dasharath Rangasala, Kathmandu
Unknown Attendance: —

Results 2000s

[edit]
30 June 2001 Friendly Tibet  1–4  Greenland Vanløse Idrætspark, Copenhagen
Norbu Attendance: 5000
14 July 2001 Friendly Tibet  1–2  Monaco Dreisamstadion, Freiburg
Unknown [7]
10 October 2003 Friendly Tibet  1–2 Sikkim Sikkim Paljor Stadium, Gangtok
Unknown
30 May 2006 FIFI Wild Cup Tibet  0–7 FC St. Pauli Millerntor-Stadion, Hamburg
Attendance: 400
31 May 2006 FIFI Wild Cup Tibet  0–5  Gibraltar Millerntor-Stadion, Hamburg
Attendance: 400
19 November 2006 ELF Cup Tibet  0–3  Tajikistan (futsal) Zafer Stadium, Güzelyurt
20 November 2006 ELF Cup Tibet  0–1  Crimean Tatars Zafer Stadium, Güzelyurt
21 November 2006 ELF Cup Tibet  0–10  Northern Cyprus Mağusa Dr. Fazıl Küçük Stadium, Gazimağusa
4 August 2007 Friendly Tibet  6–0 India Delhi XI Kirori Mal College, New Delhi
Unknown
31 October 2007 Friendly Tibet  2–2  Bhutan Paljor Stadium, Gangtok, Sikkim
Unknown
2 November 2007 Friendly Tibet  0–3  Bhutan Paljor Stadium, Gangtok, Sikkim
17 April 2008 Friendly VDL-Maassluis Netherlands 5–0  Tibet Maassluis, South Holland
19 April 2008 Friendly JEKA Breda Netherlands 1–1  Tibet Breda, North Brabant
Unknown
7 May 2008 Friendly Padania  13–2  Tibet Milan
Unknown

Results 2010s

[edit]
23 June 2013 International Tournament of Peoples, Cultures and Tribes Quebec  21–0  Tibet Marseille, France
24 June 2013 International Tournament of Peoples, Cultures and Tribes Provence  22–0  Tibet Marseille, France
28 June 2013 International Tournament of Peoples, Cultures and Tribes Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic  2–12  Tibet Marseille, France
Unknown
31 May 2018 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup – Group Stage Abkhazia  3–0  Tibet Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield
12:00 BST Akhvlediani 12'
Maskayev 61'
Shoniya 77'		 Report Referee: Raymond Mashamba
2 June 2018 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup – Group Stage Northern Cyprus  3–1  Tibet Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield
17:00 BST Turan 2', 67'
Gök 73'		 Report Topgyal 38' Referee: John McCallum
3 June 2018 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup – Group Stage Kárpátalja  5–1  Tibet Larges Lane, Bracknell
15:00 BST Gajdos 2'
G. Sándor 36' (pen.)
Takács 42', 77'
Svedjuk 75'		 Report Yougyal 69' Referee: Raymond Mashamba
5 June 2018 Friendly London Turkish Select Turkey 4–0  Tibet Hayes Lane, Bromley
15:00 BST Nalbant
Ali Avci 		Report Referee: Mario Guastafierro
7 June 2018 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup – Placement Round Tibet  1–8  Kabylia Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield
12:00 BST Topgyal 43' (pen.) Report Baudia 25', 74', 77', 87'
Hadid 45'
Mezaib 49', 51'
Bouabbas 81'		 Referee: Clément Auclair
9 June 2018 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup – Placement Round Tibet  1–1
(1–4 p)		  United Koreans in Japan St Paul's Sports Ground, Rotherhithe
12:00 BST Yougyal 20' Report Gelek 84' (o.g.) Referee: Ivan Mrkalj

Results 2020s

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5 August 2023 2023 CONIFA Asian Cup Hmong FF 5–4  Tibet Alcochete, Portugal
7:00 PM CET
6 August 2023 2023 CONIFA Asian Cup Tibet  1–3  Tamil Eelam Alcochete, Portugal
7:00 PM CET
18 August 2023 Friendly West Papua Republic of West Papua 5–2  Tibet The Hague, Netherlands
Stadium: Sportpark De Verademing
1 July 2025 2025 CONIFA Asian Cup Tamil Eelam  4-0  Tibet Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
Stadium: Elmbridge Sports Hub
3 July 2025 2025 CONIFA Asian Cup Tibet  4-6  East Turkestan Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
Stadium: Elmbridge Sports Hub
17 November 2025 2025 Sikkim Gold Cup Tibet  0–4 India Sikkim Dragon FC Gangtok, Sikkim
12:00 IST Stadium: Paljor Stadium

General secretaries of the TNFA

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Name period
Tibet Kelsang Dhondup 2001–2017
Tibet Passang Dorjee 2017–

Honours

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  • ANFA Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 1985[8]
  • Ladakh Climate Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 2023[9]

References

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  1. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Tibet – Monaco". Monégasque Football Federation. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  3. ^ Cremer, Justin (28 February 2015). "Dane's Tibetan dream made football history". Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  4. ^ Sarmah, Bhargab (31 March 2013). "Keeping the flame alive: The Forbidden Team's story".
  5. ^ Tibet National Football Team Qualifies for CONIFA World Football Cup 2018
  6. ^ "TIbet Squad List CONIFA Asia Cup 2025" (PDF). conifa.org. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Tibet – Monaco". Monégasque Football Federation. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  8. ^ "ANFA Invitational Tournament (Nepal)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Ladakh Climate Cup: Delhi FC rattle TNSA 6–0 to take trophy home". uniindia.com. Jammu. 7 September 2023. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
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