Hosts Mai Valley Club of Ilam will play against visiting Darjeeling United of India in the curtain raiser of the fifth Mai Valley International Invitational Gold Cup football tournament on Sunday.

According to the organisers, all the preparations for the tournament were over. The tournament will feature 10 teams including five ‘A’ Division outfits and foreign teams. Departmental teams – Tribhuvan Army Club, Nepal Police Club, Nepal APF Club – defending champions Three Star Club and Himalayan Sherpa Club are the ‘A’ Division sides competing in the event.

Kakarbhitta Football Training Centre of Jhapa, Nepalese Football Academy Hong Kong, Dauphins Family of Cameroon along with hosts and Darjeeling are the other teams vying in the event. The knockout tournament offers Rs 700,000 to the winners and Rs 400,000 to the runners up. Army were the champions of the first edition while Jhapa XI were the winners of the second and third edition of the annual event before Three Star lifted the title last year.