The Indian Men’s football team will be playing in the competition for the first time after 22 years
The 2023 Merdeka Tournament will be the 42nd edition of the tournament which is organized by the Football Association of Malaysia. The tournament will feature four participants and is scheduled to take place between 13 and 17 October 2023.
A draw ceremony was held by the Football Association of Malaysia to determine the matchups. The Blue Tigers will face off against hosts Malaysia in the semi-finals of the tournament on October 13. The match will take place at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Palestine was drawn against Lebanon in the other semi-final, which will take place earlier on the same day.
The Merdeka Cup is a friendly international football tournament played in Malaysia to celebrate the country’s Independence Day. It started in 1957.
The tournament, however, was last held in 2013 and is making a comeback after a decade. India has played 17 of the 41 editions of the Merdeka tournament played so far, last making an appearance in 2001.
The Merdeka Tournament 2023 will mark India’s first appearance in the competition since 2001 and 18th overall. India’s best performance was runners-up in 1959 and 1964.
India’s record 32nd meeting with Malaysia in international matches, with the last one coming in a friendly in Kolkata back in 2011, where the Blue Tigers emerged 3-2 winners.
The winners of the semi-final will clash in the final on October 17. The two losing teams will contest the third-place play-off.
Merdeka Cup 2023 Fixtures
October 13, Friday
- Semi-final 1: Palestine vs Lebanon – 2:00 PM IST
- Semi-final 2: Malaysia vs India – 6:30 PM IST
October 17, Tuesday
- Third-place play-off: Loser of SF1 vs Loser of SF2 – 2:00 PM
- Final: Winner of SF1 vs Winner of SF2 – 6:30 PM
