Ambedkar Stadium to host 45-team Oriental Cup from July 7 to 16

NEW DELHI: The fourth edition of the Oriental Cup will be held at the Dr Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi from July 7 to 16, bringing together more than 45 school teams from across the Delhi-NCR region.The inter-school football tournament is expected to see participation from over 1,500 student-athletes. More than 50 matches will be played across the boys' Under-17 and girls' Under-19 categories.

To encourage young footballers, the organisers have announced scholarships worth Rs 2.5 lakh for 10 outstanding players. They also revealed that the overall prize money for this year's edition has been increased to more than double that of previous tournaments.Long-term visionFounder Fareed Bakshi said the aim is to establish the Oriental Cup as one of India's top inter-school football tournaments."Our long-term vision is to become India's leading inter-school football tournament. Our immediate focus is to deliver our strongest edition yet, but over time we intend to expand to several states across the country," Bakshi told PTI.Final preparations underwayBakshi said preparations are in the final phase, with the organisers hoping to attract even more teams before the tournament gets underway.

"We already have more than 45 teams and are hoping to reach the 50-team mark before the tournament begins. We are also partnering with football influencers in Delhi to increase awareness of the Oriental Cup," he added.Growing participationAccording to the organisers, participation in the girls' category has increased steadily since the tournament's inaugural edition. This year, more than 25 teams are expected to compete in the boys' Under-17 category, while over 16 teams will take part in the girls' Under-19 competition.Since its launch in 2023, the Oriental Cup has involved more than 55 educational institutions and NGOs. Across its first three editions, over 2,700 young footballers have participated, with more than 80 competitive matches being played.