Intercontinental Cup: India to open campaign against Tajikistan; Final on July 19

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) today announced the fixtures for the Intercontinental Cup, which will be held in Ahmedabad from July 7-19.

The AIFF, which had announced last month that Tajikistan, DPR Korea and Syria had accepted the invite to participate in the tournament, has also ensured no hindrance to the tournament from the ongoing Cricket World Cup.

With the semifinals scheduled for the 9th and 11th of July, and the final for the 14th, the AIFF have ensured no games would take place on those dates.

All matches will kick off at 8pm IST, and will be held at the Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad.

India are the current holders of the Intercontinental Cup, having won last year's tournament at the Mumbai Football Arena, after a 2-0 win over Kenya in the final.

New Zealand and Chinese Taipei were the other teams that took part in the competition, which will always be remembered as the one in which India's talisman Sunil Chhetri made his 100th appearance for the country.

The tournament will mark head coach Igor Stimac's first games on home soil, as the Blue Tigers look to kick on from the win over Thailand in the King's Cup, where they finished third.

There have been plenty of positives to take for Stimac from that tournament in Buriram, and with the seven debutants in the King's Cup all having shown Stimac what they are capable of, it will be interesting to see how many keep their place when the Croatian names his squad for the Intercontinental Cup.

Full Fixtures for the AIFF Intercontinental Cup

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