The Indian men's football team will be locking horns with Iraq in the semi-final of the 2023 King’s Cup, which will be played in Thailand from 7 to 10 September. The draw for the competition was organised by the Football Association of Thailand on Wednesday, 16 August.
India's match against Iraq will take place on 7 September at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Later on the same day, Thailand will be facing Lebanon in second semi-final. The winners will compete for the silverware, whereas the other two sides will be competing in the third place play-off. Both of those matches will take place on 10 September, at the same venue.
Iraq and India last crossed paths way back in 2010, in a friendly match in Baghdad, wherein the Blue Tigers succumbed to a 2-0 loss. Iraq are the highest-ranked team in this competition, positioned at numbers 70 in the FIFA men's rankings.
India are placed at 99, with Lebanon and Thailand at 100 and 113 respectively.
India last participated in King’s Cup back in 2019, where they won a bronze medal after beating Thailand 1-0 in the third place play-off, after losing out to Curaçao in the semi-final earlier.
So far, 2023 has been a very successful year for the Indian men’s football team, as they started this year’s campaign by winning the Tri-Nation Series, followed by the 2023 Intercontinental Cup triumph in June.
In July, the team became the South Asian champions by beating Kuwait in the finals of 2022 SAFF Championship. After the King’s Cup, India will be competing in the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia.
King's Cup 2023 Full Schedule:
7 September, 4:00pm – Iraq vs India
7 September, 7:00pm – Thailand vs Lebanon
10 September, 4:00pm – Third-place play-off
10 September, 7:00pm – Final
(Timings are in Indian Standard Time).
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