Lebanon are 148th, hosts India and Sri Lanka are tied at 156th while Kyrgyzstan are 160th.

The six teams will be divided in two groups and the top two from them will qualify for the criss-cross semi-finals.

The tournament, kicked off in 1982, was revived in 2007 after a gap of 10 years.

Nehru cup ushered in the modern era of Indian football in more ways than one, and it also brought world stars like Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay), Laszlo Kiss (Hungary), Jorge Luis Burruchaga (Argentina), Euzebiusz Smolarek (Poland), Rinat Dasayev and Alexei Mikhailichenko (both Russia) to showcase their talent in the country.

The erstwhile Soviet Union had won the title on four occasions, Iraq and Hungary triumphed twice each while Poland, Uruguay, North Korea, Romania and India have tasted success once.