Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik bought the first ticket for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup 2023 football tournament. It will be played at the Kalinga Stadium here June 9 to June 18. Captain of the Indian football team, Sunil Chhetri handed the first ticket for the marquee event to Naveen Patnaik in presence of Dr Shaji Prabhakaran, the general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and coach of the team, Igor Stimac.
Following the success of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar and Rourkela are is all set to host yet another international sporting spectacle. This four-nation tournament will feature India, Lebanon, Mongolia, and Vanuatu.
“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,” Patnaik said after buying the first ticket of the event.
Odisha has been emerging as a major hub for football as well. The state hosted the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022, SAFF U-20 Championships the same and also ISL matches..
In partnership with AIFF, the capital city of Bhubaneswar is also the base of the Indian U-16 and U-19 teams, frequently hosting camps and training sessions at the state-of-the-art infrastructure.
The Intercontinental Cup is set to kick off June 9 with Lebanon taking on Vanuatu while the hosts India will be taking on Mongolia in their first game of the campaign the same day.