The inaugural edition of Intercontinental Cup will kickstart at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai on Friday, June 1.
When will the matches start and how to watch them live in India
The football matches will start at 8 pm IST and 3:30 pm BST on all matchdays.
Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports Hindi will provide live television coverage of the match in India. Live streams will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.
Intercontinental Cup 2018: All you need to know
The first-ever Intercontinental Cup was scheduled to be held in 2017 but the idea of a four-team tournament did not take off and a three-team association football tournament — Hero Tri-National Series — was played at the same venue between the hosts, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Mauritius between August 19 and 24.
The All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) though has managed to rope in the likes of Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, and Kenya for the four-national tournament, which is expected to become an annual fixture in Indian football calendar.
South Africa were initially part of the four-team tournament but their withdrawal made way for Kenya, the 111th-ranked African side.
Hosts India start as the top-ranked side (97) while New Zealand are the least-ranked at 133. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign against 121st-ranked Chinese Taipei on Friday, June 1.
Here's the full schedule of Intercontinental Cup 2018
After a single-legged round-robin group stage, involving all four teams, the top two teams will play the final in Mumbai on June 10.
| Date | Match | Time | Venue |
| Friday, June 1 | India vs Chinese Taipei | 8 pm IST | Andheri Sports Complex |
| Saturday, June 2 | Kenya vs New Zealand | 8 pm IST | Andheri Sports Complex |
| Monday, June 4 | India vs Kenya | 8 pm IST | Andheri Sports Complex |
| Tuesday, June 5 | Chinese Taipei vs New Zealand | 8 pm IST | Andheri Sports Complex |
| Thursday, June 7 | India vs New Zealand | 8 pm IST | Andheri Sports Complex |
| Friday, June 8 | Chinese Taipei vs Kenya | 8 pm IST | Andheri Sports Complex |
| Sunday, June 10 | Final | 8 pm IST | Andheri Sports Complex |
India to use tournament as a preparation for AFC Asian Cup: Coach Stephen Constantine
Stephen Constantine's men will begin preparations for next year's AFC Asian Cup in the upcoming four-nation tournament. India have sealed a spot in the continental tournament, starting January 5, 2019, in the United Arab Emirates, after a 13-match unbeaten run between June 2016 and March.
"We will use this tournament as a preparation for the AFC Asian Cup. I am aware of the quality of the players whom Kenya and New Zealand have brought in and they are playing all across Europe," Constantine told the media ahead of the tournament.
Constantine is of the view that India needs to make use of the busy 2018 calendar in order to make a mark in their fourth appearance at AFC Asian Cup.
"We have quite a programme coming up. We have the Asian Games, the SAFF Championships, the October and November windows. It's quite a busy schedule. There is a lot of football to be played between now and the Asian Cup. It's all about performance, work. It doesn't matter whom we play. Whoever is in front of us is the team we need to beat," the coach added.
Captain Chhetri nearing major landmark
India have named a 23-member squad for the quadrangular tournament. While Ashique Kuruniyan and Laldanmawia Ralte have received their maiden call-ups, seasoned campaigners, including Sunil Chhetri, are part of the squad.
Notably, captain Chhetri is only two matches away from becoming the second player after Baichung Bhutia to represent India in 100 matches. A lot of focus will be on the star striker as he has been in fine form in the lead up to the tournament.
Intercontinental Cup 2018 - Global live stream
New Zealand: TV - Sky Sport 2, Live stream: Sky Go.
