Intercontinental Cup: India to face Tajikistan in campaign opener

The tournament will begin on July 7, with the final scheduled for July 19.

India won the Intercontinental Cup last year, defeating Kenya in the final.

The Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019 will start on July 7 in Ahmedabad's EKA Arena. India will face Tajikistan in the campaign opener.

India, Tajikistan, Syria and Korea DPR are the four nations participating in the tournament.

The top two teams from the round robin stage will qualify for the final that is scheduled on July 19.

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According to the latest FIFA rankings, Syria is ranked 83rd, followed by Tajikistan and DPR Korea- who are placed 120 and 121 respectively. India is ranked 101.

The Blue Tigers lifted the title last year with a victory against Kenya in the final. The other two teams that competed last year were New Zealand and Chinese Taipei.

The Indian side, under new head coach Igor Stimac, will be heading into the tournament on the back of a promising show in the King's Cup 2019 in Thailand, where it went down 3-1 to Curacao and followed the result with a 1-0 win against the host, courtesy of a goal from midfielder Anirudh Thapa.

 

The Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019 fixtures are as follows:  

July 7: India vs Tajikistan

July 8: Syria vs DPR Korea

July 10: Tajikistan vs Syria

July 13: India vs DPR Korea

July 15: DPR Korea vs Tajikistan

July 16: India vs Syria

July 19: Final

All the matches will kick off at 8 PM IST.