Indian Football Schedule 2023: Sunil Chhetri & Co kick off AFC Asian Cup 2023 prep with Intercontinental Cup 2023, SAFF Championship 2023

Indian Football Schedule 2023: Indian Football Team Calendar 2023: The Indian national football team will begin their preparations for the Hero Intercontinental Cup on May 15th with a camp in Bhubaneshwar. The four-team tournament will be contested during the FIFA International Window from June 9 to June 18, with hosts India participating with Lebanon, Mongolia, and Vanuatu. The competition is a warm-up for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup 2024 for Sunil Chhetri and Co led by Igor Stimac. Follow Indian Football Team LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN

Intercontinental Cup 2023: Bhubaneshwar to HOST Indian Football Team for third edition of…

Igor Stimac’s men were most recently in action at the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament, when they defeated Kyrgyz Republic 2-0 in the final to win the championship.Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan scored goals to drive the Blue Tigers to victory in the decider. Earlier in the competition, they defeated Myanmar 1-0 thanks to Anirudh Thapa’s winner.

[🥇] India will begin their preparation for the Hero Intercontinental Cup with a camp in Bhubaneshwar around May 15th. Up to 40 players will be called up to the national camp. 🇮🇳🔥 @KhelNow #IndianFootball #SFtbl pic.twitter.com/ivm66p4l0A

— Sevens Football (@sevensftbl) April 28, 2023

India is now on a five-match winning streak at home and will be looking to build on their recent success, which has boosted their rating by five places. According to the AIFF calendar for 2023, the national squad will compete in five competitions leading up to the Asian Cup, the most action the team has had in a calendar year in a long time.

The Indian squad will compete in the following competitions before the AFC Asia Cup in 2023:

Hero Intercontinental Cup

It will be the Indian national senior men’s team’s first competitive competition since the Hero Tri Nation Cup in Imphal, Manipur. The All India Football Federation launched the Intercontinental Cup in 2018, with the goal of hosting the competition in India.

The hosts were successful in the first edition. North Korea won the second event, which was also the final one to take place before the Coivd-19 epidemic hit. The four-team Hero Intercontinental Cup will be contested during the FIFA International Window from June 9 to June 18, with hosts India participating with Lebanon, Mongolia, and Vanuatu.

SAFF Championship

The SAFF Championship follows the Intercontinental Cup. The 14th SAFF Men’s Championship will be place in Bangalore, India, from June 21st to July 3rd, 2023. India, the eight-time champion, would like to add another trophy to their collection.

All South Asian Football Federation member nations are anticipated to compete in this edition, with teams divided into two groups and playing in a round-robin style, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals.

Intercontinental Cup 2023: Bhubaneshwar to HOST Indian Football Team for third edition of…

Asian Games

From September 23 to October 8, 2023, Hangzhou, China, will host the postponed 2022 Asian Games. Since the 2022 edition, the Asiad football tournament has been a U-23 competition with a three-player maximum for members of the senior team.

India has won two gold medals at the Asian Games—in 1951 and 1962—and one bronze—in 1970. There are several young players in the Indian senior team’s starting lineup, therefore they will get some playing time at this event.

King’s Cup

Since its inception in 1968, India has won the prestigious King’s Cup competition, hosted by the Football Association of Thailand, twice, in 1977 and 2019. In an effort to improve the medal’s hue, the Blue Tigers will compete in the competition once again.

The King’s Cup, which will be played during the International Window from September 7 to 10, has already received confirmation from the AIFF that they would be there. UAE, Lebanon, and the host nation of Thailand are said to be the other competing teams.

Merdeka Cup

The 42nd Merdeka Cup will be held between October 14 and October 17, 2023, according to recent confirmation from the Football Association of Malaysia. Palestine, Lebanon, and the host nation Malaysia will all take part, in addition to India.

According to the FIFA International match calendar, India will participate in the preliminary qualifying Round 2 for the Asia qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, even though this is not a tournament.Before putting the finishing touches on preparations for the AFC Asian Cup.

It is scheduled to take place from January 12 to February 10, 2024, this should be the Indian team’s penultimate opportunity to compete internationally. Along with Tajikistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore, India is grouped in Pot 4 of the draw.

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