Iraq and India will clash in King’s Cup semi-finals
New Delhi (IANS). The Indian football team will take on Iraq in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup 2023 after the draw ceremony conducted by the Football Association of Thailand on Wednesday.
The match will take place on September 7 at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Later that day, Thailand will face Lebanon in the other semi-final.
The winners of the 49th King’s Cup semi-finals will compete in the final on 10 September. The losers will face off in the third-place play-off.
According to the draw, Iraq (as the highest FIFA-ranked team – 70th) and Thailand (as hosts and ranked 113th) were placed in separate match-ups, and the remaining two teams, which were ranked by FIFA – According to the rank- India, ranked 99th, and Lebanon, ranked 100th, will compete.
India’s last encounter with Iraq was a 0-2 defeat in a friendly match in Baghdad in 2010.
This will be India’s fourth participation in the King’s Cup in Thailand. Earlier in 2019, the Blue Tigers lost to Curaçao in the semi-finals before defeating hosts Thailand 1–0 for the bronze medal.
India had won the bronze medal in their first appearance in the tournament in 1977, defeating South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia. At the same time, in 1981, India got eliminated in the group stage itself.
