India to play friendlies against Maldives and Qatar

The Indian football team will be playing friendlies against Maldives and Qatar to prepare for their 2014 World Cup first round qualifying match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

India will face Maldives July 10 and Qatar July 17. Both the matches will be away ties. In the first round of qualifying, the first leg in UAE is slated for July 23 while India will host the return-leg July 28.

"The qualifying matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup against UAE are a challenging proposition for the team. Hence, it is imperative that the (Indian) national team prepares in the right manner with enough number of matches," said national team director Tathagata Mukherjee

The national team will also undergo an acclimatisation camp in Dubai before the first-leg.