India will face Mongolia on the opening day of Hero Intercontinental Cup, which will be played at Kalinga Stadium. The other two nations of the tournament Lebanon & Vanuatu will play in the opening match on the same day.
The tournament is part of India’s preparations for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
This will be the third edition of the Hero Intercontinental Cup, with the previous two being held in Mumbai (2018) and Ahmedabad (2019).
In the first edition in 2018 at Mumbai, four nations participated – India, Kenya, New Zealand & Chinese Taipei.
India defeated Chinese Taipei 5-0, Kenya 3-0, but lost to New Zealand 1-2. In Final India defeated Kenya 2-0 to win the Inaugural edition of Hero Intercontinental Cup.
In the second edition in 2019 at Ahmedabad, India, Syria, Tajikistan and North Korea participated.
India lost to Tajikistan 2-4, against North Korea 2-5 and drew with Syria 1-1. In final, North Korea defeated Tajikistan 1-0 to win the second edition.
Fixture:
June 9, 2023: Lebanon vs Vanuatu, 16:30 IST
June 9, 2023: India vs Mongolia, 19:30 IST
June 12, 2023: Mongolia vs Lebanon, 16:30 IST
June 12, 2023: Vanuatu vs India, 19:30 IST
June 15, 2023: Vanuatu vs Mongolia, 16:30 IST
June 15, 2023: India vs Lebanon, 19:30 IST
June 18, 2023: FINAL, 19:30 IST
