Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday bought the first ticket for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup that will be played in Bhubaneswar from June 9-18.

India football captain Sunil Chhetri handed the first ticket for the marquee event to Patnaik in the presence of Shaji Prabhakaran, the general secretary of the All-India Football Federation, and national coach Igor Stimac.

This four-nation tournament will feature India, Lebanon, Mongolia, and Vanuatu.

“There is a lot of love for football amongst the people of Odisha. Hosting this spectacular event is another honour for us and will undoubtedly thrill the numerous football fans across the state and India. I would like to wish the teams the best of luck and encourage the fans to turn out in huge numbers to watch the top-quality football that will unfold,” Patnaik said.

The Intercontinental Cup is set to kick off on June 9 with Lebanon taking on Vanuatu while hosts India will open their campaign against Mongolia.