Panaji:

The All India

Federation (

) is waiting for an official confirmation from

and

about their participation in the

in June.

South Africa and New Zealand both played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and have verbally assured the AIFF that they will take part in the second edition of the tournament to be held early June.

Hong Kong is likely to be the Asian pick at the four-nation tournament.

Stephen Constantine’s boys have rarely had the chance to punch above their weight in the last three years. But with a place in the Asian Cup 2019 already secured, and no worries about falling rankings, the India coach has signalled his intention of playing superior teams.

“For us, all that matters is preparing for the Asian Cup 2019. South Africa and New Zealand have experience of playing in the World Cup and, should they confirm, they will give us a solid test of our preparations for the tournament,” said a senior AIFF official.

With the Asian Cup 2019 draw set to be conducted on May 4 in Dubai, India need not worry about losing any points playing against higher-ranked opponents in the run-up to the tournament.

The second edition of the Inter-Continental Champions Cup is likely to be played between June 1-8. Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai are among the shortlisted venues for now but judging from the experience of last year when Chennai made life difficult for the AIFF, the choice seems to be between Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The 2017 edition, first of its kind, was played in Mumbai as a tri-nation tournament, featuring St Kitts & Nevis and Mauritius. India finished on top after putting it across Mauritius 2-1 and securing a draw against St Kitts & Nevis 1-1.

Until just a month before the Asian Cup, the Inter-Continental Champions Cup will be the big opportunity for Constantine to field a full-strength side. In September, the U-23 team will head to Jakarta for the Asian Games and then there is the SAFF Cup to take care of later that month.

The Asian Cup 2019 will be played in UAE in January.