Malaysia FA confirms India's participation in Merdeka Cup 2023; tournament to be held from October 14 to 17

The much-awaited 42nd edition of the Merdeka Cup 2023 will be held between October 14 to 17 at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, the Football Association of Malaysia confirmed on Wednesday (April 5).

The Indian men's senior team will participate in the tournament alongside Palestine, Lebanon, and hosts Malaysia.

Shaji Prabhakaran, the General Secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), announced the Blue Tigers' participation in the coveted competition back in January. However, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chalked out the details today during their meeting at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya.

India are scheduled to have a lot of international football action in the upcoming few months in preparation for the AFC Asian Cup next year. Igor Stimac and his men emerged victorious in the recently-concluded Hero Tri-Nation friendly tournament, edging past Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar.

Meanwhile, the Merdeka Cup is the oldest football tournament in Asia and started out in 1957. India have finished runners-up twice in the tournament and will be hoping for a strong performance once again.

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India showed fine form in the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament

With the AFC Asian Cup 2024 inching closer, the Blue Tigers have been in amidst fine form. In the recently-concluded Hero Tri-Nation Tournament, India defeated Myanmar 1-0 thanks to a crucial strike from Anirudh Thapa.

In the second game against Kyrgyzstan, Sunil Chhetri and Co looked much more threatening as they won 2-0. The national team captain and Sandesh Jhingan got on the scoresheet.

Meanwhile, apart from the Merdeka Cup, the Blue Tigers are slated to play in the Intercontinental Cup, the King's Cup, the SAFF Championships, the Asian Games, and the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. All these matches in a span of 12 months or less give India the appropriate time to prepare for the elite inter-continental competition.