The 21 member Nepali national football team leaves for Dhaka Thursday to participate in the South Asian Federation Football Games being played in the Bangladeshi capital, sports officials said.

The eight nation tournament kicks off Friday. Nepal is placed in Group B along with Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan. Nepal plays host Bangladesh Friday in its first match.

Sagar Thapa, selected for the first time in the national squad, will not participate in the tournament after suffering from jaundice, an official source said.