The AIFF Emergency Committee has approved the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata as the venue for the Indian national football team’s final 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifier against Afghanistan on June 9, 2020.

The decision has been made to help the Blue Tigers avoid too much travel, with the team travelling to Dhaka to go up against Bangladesh in their penultimate fixture in Group E just five days earlier.

India’s head coach Igor Stimac, while speaking to the official AIFF website, explained the same, stating, “The flight from Dhaka to Kolkata takes minimal time and it will enable the team to settle down quickly once we land in Kolkata. We are playing in midst of a FIFA window with only 4 days in between.”

The Croatian also looked back to his team’s last encounter at the same venue, where India roared back to level the match 1-1 against Bangladesh in mid-October. “The fan support and ambience in Kolkata last time around when we played Bangladesh was amazing. We look forward to another such experience. The team is eagerly waiting to be in Kolkata and play in front of a full stadium. Let’s win it together,” hoped Stimac.

Placed in Group E, the Blue Tigers have already played five matches and collected three points from it. Their upcoming fixture will see them welcome Qatar at the end of March.