Here is all you need to know about Merdeka Cup 2023 football, it’s schedule, date, time and more as India faces hosts Malaysia in semi-final
The semifinal match of the 2023 Merdeka Cup will take place on October 13 between Malaysia, the tournament’s hosts, and the Indian men’s football team. The match will be held at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Merdeka Cup 2023 football schedule, date, time table, teams, matches list, live streaming telecast in India where to watch
The Merdeka Cup, also known as Pestabola Merdeka, is an event organised to honour Malaysia’s Independence Day. The word for independence in Malay appears in the competition.
On Tuesday, FA Malaysia conducted the draws for the 2023 Merdeka Cup football tournament. Since 1957, Malaysia has hosted the Merdeka Cup, also known as Pestabola Merdeka, an amicable international football tournament to honour the country’s Independence Day.
Nevertheless, the event is back after a ten-year absence. It was last put up for contest in 2013. India has taken part in 17 of the tournament’s 41 editions, with its most recent appearance taking place in 2001.
In the Malaysian competition, India’s best finishes were as runners-up in 1959 and 1964. IM Vijayan was a member of the Indian squad in 2001 when they lost all three games and were ousted from the group stage.
The Merdeka Cup will be contested by four teams in 2023, with Palestine taking on Lebanon in the other semifinal. The two semi-final winners will face off in the championship game on October 17, while the two losers will square off in the third-place playoff earlier that day.
The top seeds in the league will be Palestine (ranked 96th in the most recent FIFA football rankings), India (ranked 99th), Lebanon (ranked 100th), and Malaysia (ranked 136) in that order.
India and Malaysia will compete against each other on the world stage for the 32nd time on October 13. India defeated England by a score of 3-2 in a friendly match played between the two sides in Kolkata in 2011.
Merdeka Tournament 2023 schedule and start times in IST
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