Bhubaneswar: May 30: Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was the first person to buy a ticket for the Intercontinental Cup 2023, which will be held in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar from June 9 to June 18. India, Lebanon, Mongolia, and Vanuatu shall participate in the Intercontinental Cup 2023.
Indian Football Team Captain Sunil Chhetri handed the first ticket to the Chief Minister in the presence of Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran, the General Secretary of the All-India Football Federation, and Coach of the Indian Football team, Igor Stimac.
The Chief Minister said, “There is a lot of love for football amongst the people of Odisha. Hosting this spectacular event is another honour for us and will undoubtedly thrill the numerous football fans across the state and India. I would like to wish the teams the best of luck and encourage the fans to turn out in huge numbers to watch the top-quality football that will unfold.”
FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022, the SAFF U-20 Championship in 2022, the IWL 2021–22, and the Odisha Women’s League were all held in Odisha. It is coming up as a destination for football tournaments very fast.
The Intercontinental Cup is set to kick off on 9 June with Lebanon taking on Vanuatu while home team India will be taking on Mongolia in their first game of the campaign.