Odisha State capital, Bhubaneswar would host the 3rd Intercontinental Cup Football Tournament from 9 to 18 June 2023. This was announced by the All India Football Federation today. Details of the fixture would be announced later.

The four countries _ host India, Lebanon, Mongolia and Vanuatu _ would compete in Intercontinental Cup, which is the second mens international football event to be hosted by Bhubaneswar after the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The first two editions of the Intercontinental Cup were held in Mumbai (2018) and Ahmedabad (2019). Hero MotoCorp is the main sponsors of the Intercontinental Cup, which was earlier known as Nehru Cup.

Announcing the host city of the third edition, AIFF Secretary General Dr Shaji Prabhakaran said, “We have seen some excellent infrastructure being developed by the Government of Odisha in Bhubaneswar. It has paved the path for the Senior Mens National Team to now play in the city for the first time in its history.

The Indian Men National Team had previously never played against Mongolia and Vanuatu. Against Lebanon, the hosts hold a record of playing six matches. The Blue Tigers are currently on a five-match unbeaten streak on home turf, a run that began on June 8, 2022, with a 2-0 win over Cambodia in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers Round 3 in Kolkata.

Since then, India have defeated Afghanistan (2-1), Hong Kong (4-0), and then on to the Tri-Nation, where they beat Myanmar (1-0) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2-0) in Imphal.
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PHOTO: A view of the Kalinga Stadium, which is likely to be the main venue of the Intercontinental Cup.