Syria, Mauritius confirm participation for September's Intercontinental Cup in Hyderabad

Manolo Marquez’s first encounter with Indian football team will be in the Intercontinental Cup.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) have announced the participants, venue as well as dates of the upcoming Intercontinental Cup, which happens to be the first assignment for head coach Manolo Marquez. The Indian football team will lock horns against Syria and Mauritius in Hyderabad. The tournament will take place from September 2 to 10 of this year.

This is set to be the fourth edition of the Intercontinental Cup, with the first edition being held in 2018. The city of Hyderabad will be hosting the tournament for the first time. The inaugural edition was held in Mumbai, while the 2019 and 2023 editions were played in Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar respectively.

The Blue Tigers boast a magnificent record in the Intercontinental Cup, having clinched it twice (in 2018, and 2023), while the 2019 edition was won by North Korea. India’s former captain Sunil Chhetri, who recently retired from international football has scored the most number of goals in the competition (13 goals in 11 matches).

Our Coach Manolo Marquez has got his first two assignments locked-in.AIFF confirms FIFA International Window participation: Sept’24 Intercontinental Cup – Hyderabad India x Syria x MauritiusOct’24Tri-Nation – VietnamVietnam x Lebanon x India #IndianFootball⚽️

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 26, 2024

This tournament presents a vital opportunity for the hosts to build their base from scratch, with head coach Manolo Marquez starting his tenure after the end of the Igor Stimac era (2019-2024). The Blue Tigers are currently at 124 in the FIFA rankings after poor results in the AFC Asian Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Opponents Syria and Mauritius are at 93 and 179 in the latest rankings.

India lost to Syria in their last meeting on January 23 this year at the AFC Asian Cup. A meeting before this was at the Intercontinental Cup in 2019, where both teams shared the spoils. While against Mauritius, the Blue Tigers have only played once and won the game 2-1.

The Blue Tigers haven’t performed well for a long time, with no wins to display since November 16, 2023. They didn’t score a single goal in the AFC Asian Cup campaign and lost all their games. In the World Cup Qualifiers, they won only one game (vs Kuwait), losing three and drawing two. This tournament can be a stepping stone to change their fortunes and form.

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