INDIA WILL FACE Lebanon, Vanuatu and Mongolia in the upcoming edition of the Hero Intercontinental Cup.
This third edition of AIFF's marquee tournament featuring the Blue Tigers will take place in Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium, during the FIFA International Window of June (9th to 18th).
This will be the Indian national team's first tournament since they beat Myanmar and Kyrgyz Republic to lift the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament in Imphal, Manipur last month.
Vanuatu's presence in the competition marks a return to the tournament's intention of pitting India against teams from outside Asia, after having an all-Asian affair back in the previous nation back in 2019. Held in Ahmedabad, it saw India struggle against strong opponents; losing to the lower ranked Tajikistan and North Korea while securing a draw against the higher ranked Syria.
This time, India (FIFA ranking 101) have a better chance to get some wins under their belt as their strongest opponents, Lebanon (FIFA ranking 99), are just a few places above them. Both Vanuatu (FIFA ranking 164) and Mongolia (FIFA ranking 183) are the two lowest ranked teams to ever participate in this competition.
This tournament marks an important pit-stop in India's preparations for the Asian Cup in 2024. After this, they will play in the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru, the King's Cup in Thailand and the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia before starting their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign in 2026.