Mumbai to host football tri-series

India will begin their Hero Tri-nation football campaign against Mauritius on August 19 at the Mumbai Football Arena.

The Tri-nation series is part of the national team's preparatory process for the AFC Asian Cup qualifying away match against Macau which is scheduled for September 5.

India will play their second match against St. Kitts & Nevis on August 24.

Thanking Western India Football Association (WIFA) and Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) for their cooperation, All India Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary Kushal Das said the "sporting culture" of Mumbai makes it stand out amongst others.

"We are overwhelmed by the eagerness of the authorities in Mumbai to host the three International matches in Mumbai. Mumbai has been the venue for the National Team since September 2016 when we hosted Puerto Rico," he stated.

India are currently ranked 97 as per the August 2017 FIFA Rankings. The national team have been on the upsurge with a string of good results leading to a climb of 77 places in FIFA Rankings over the last two years.

The team has now won 13 of their 15 international matches with victories in their last eight fixtures (including the unofficial match against Bhutan).

--IANS

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