2024 Intercontinental Cup Rival Watch: Syria

The Nosour Qasioun will be looking to stamp their authority on the competition.

After a disappointing series of results coupled with a few heartbreaks in 2024, the Indian men’s national football team will return to action in the 2024 Intercontinental Cup. It will be Manolo Marquez’s first assignment after being appointed as the new head coach of the Blue Tigers and a lot is expected from him. 

The 2024 edition of the Intercontinental Cup will be played between Syria, Mauritius and hosts India. Syria who are the best-ranked team in the tournament and are clear favorites alongside the hosts. Syria have had a decent 2024 so far and will be keen to put their best foot forward in the Intercontinental Cup.

Let us take a look at what Syria brings to the table.

About the Team

Syria are known for punching above their weight and have shown time and again that they mean business. The Qasioun Eagles are currently ranked 93 in the latest FIFA rankings. They have been a part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since 1969, but played their first official game in 1942.

Syria have won the WAFF Championship, Arab Games and Mediterranean Games once and have finished as the runners-up at the Arab Cup, Palestine Cup of Nations, West Asian Games, Kuneitra Cup and Nehru Cup. They also finished in third place in their only appearance at the Intercontinental Cup back in 2019.

Recent Performances

Syria have enjoyed a decent run of results so far in 2024. They began with three back-to-back draws against Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Uzbekistan before being handed a defeat by Austria. They picked up their first win against India in the final group stage fixture at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and made it to knockouts for the first time in their history.

Their journey in the Asian Cup was brought to an end following a penalty shootout defeat to Iran in the last 16. Syria played out a 1-1 draw and a statement 7-0 win over Myanmar in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March. In June, they faced defeats against North Korea and Japan in their final World Cup qualifier fixtures.

The Coach

Hector Cuper is a very highly regarded personality in the footballing world. He played as a central defender and played 550 matches and also represented the Argentine national team. Cuper is known more for his managerial career and he has previously overseen clubs like Valencia, Real Betis, Mallorca, and Inter Milan. 

He took Valencia to two back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals. Hector Cuper has also managed the likes of Egypt, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan before taking over the reins of the Syrian national team in 2023. He became the first head coach to guide Syria to the knockouts of the AFC Asian Cup back in January 2024 and has completely revamped the Qasioun Eagles.

Players to watch 

Thaer Krouma 

Thaer Krouma will play an important role for Syria, not just at the back, but also with his valuable inputs to tackle the danger possessed by some of his teammates at Mumbai City FC. Krouma is coming into the Intercontinental Cup on the back of a title-winning season with the Islanders and will be keen to continue his good run of form. The 34-year-old has played 42 games for his national team and has also scored a goal.  

Mohammad Al Marmour 

The 29-year-old centre-back is one among the most experienced campaigners in the present Syrian national team squad. He has played 34 games for Syria and has found the back of the net on four occasions. He has prior experience of playing in the Intercontinental Cup as he was a part of Syria’s squad in 2019. Moreover, he was Syria’s joint-highest goalscorer at the tournament in 2019 with two goals to his name.

Mahmoud Al-Mawas

Mahmoud Al-Mawas is the most experienced player in Syria’s current squad with over 90 international caps under his belt. Mahmoud has all the tricks to find the back of the net and he has shown it time and again with the fifteen goals that he has scored for the Qasioun Eagles. He will have a crucial part to play for Syria at the Intercontinental Cup and will have to lead his side from the front. Expect him to be one of the players to watch out for.

What to expect

Syria have already defeated India once this year during their final group-stage match at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. They are a much better squad on paper and more physically strong as well. They will want to capitalize on the absence of Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan and play a repeat telecast of what happened in January. The Qasioun Eagles come into the tourney on the back of two-back-back defeats in June and will be ever so motivated to get back to winning ways.

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