India will face Iraq in King's Cup on 7th September

The King’s Cup is an annual international football tournament held in Thailand since 1968. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious football competitions in Asia. The 49th edition of the King’s Cup will take place from September 7 to 10, 2023, at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The four teams participating in the King’s Cup 2023 are Iraq, India, Lebanon, and hosts Thailand. Iraq is the highest-ranked team in the competition at world No. 70, followed by India at No. 99, Lebanon at No. 100, and Thailand at No. 113. The tournament will be conducted in a knockout format, with the semi-finals on September 7 and the final and third-place play-off on September 10.

India will face Iraq in the first semi-final on September 7 at 4:00 PM IST. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2010 when Iraq won 2-0 in a friendly match in Baghdad. India will hope to repeat their performance from the King’s Cup 2019 when they beat hosts Thailand 1-0 to win the bronze medal. Anirudh Thapa scored the winning goal for India in that match.

Thailand will play Lebanon in the second semi-final on September 7 at 7:00 PM IST. Thailand has played in every edition of the King’s Cup and has won it a record 15 times. Lebanon has never won the King’s Cup and will be looking to make history in its third appearance. The two teams have met twice before in the King’s Cup, with Thailand winning both times.

The King’s Cup 2023 will be an important preparatory tournament for all four teams ahead of the Asian Games 2023, which will be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10 to October 25, 2023.