The Singapore national football team[a] represents Singapore in the senior men's international football. It is organised by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), the governing body of football in Singapore, which is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The team's colours are red and white. Singapore are colloquially known as "The Lions", an animal of prominent symbolic nature to the country.[7][verification needed] Singapore has one of the oldest national teams in Asia, with the FAS being the oldest football association in the continent itself.[8]
Despite the country having a small population pool, it has historically punched above its weight by successively producing squads that has fiercely competed with its larger and much more populated neighbours. This can be seen in its most significant successes, which have come in the regional AFF Championship, whereby Singapore had won four times in 1998, 2004, 2007, and 2012. Singapore was the first team to achieve this feat and the only team to win in all the finals that they had played. In 1998, Singapore defeated Vietnam in the final to capture the country's first major international football title. In the 2004–05 competition, Singapore defeated Indonesia in a two-leg final 5–2 on aggregate. Singapore retained the trophy in 2007, beating Thailand 3–2 on aggregate in the final. In 2012, Singapore won the trophy a record 4th time, again defeating three-time champions Thailand 3–2 on aggregate in the final.
Singapore has also achieved notable results beyond its sub-confederation. In the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Singapore became the only team to beat Iraq where Iraq was en route to their Asian Cup-winning campaign. Singapore also drew with China 0–0, 1–1, and 2–2 at home in 2006, 2009 and 2024 respectively. In March 2008, Australia also failed to beat Singapore when the game ended in a goalless draw. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Japan was held to a draw at home at the Saitama Stadium by Singapore, being the only game where they had dropped points in the group. Singapore also notably managed to get good results against UEFA continent against Kazakhstan on 24 December 2006 which resulted in a 0–0 draw and Azerbaijan which ended in a 2–2 draw on 24 February 2012.
In 1892, the Singapore Amateur Football Association applied to become a registered society. The HMS Malaya Cup (which was later known as the Malaysia Cup) was launched in 1921 by officers of a British battleship in Malaya, and Singapore was one of the six teams that took part in the inaugural year, and won the event. While the representative side in the Malaysia Cup and the Malaysian League was not the national team per se – this team included some foreign players as it is more of a club side – many Singapore football fans viewed the Singapore Lions club side as being almost synonymous to the national team as well. They either won or were runners up in the event every year until 1941, after which it was suspended because of World War II.
Overall, Singapore won 24 Malaysia Cup titles and two Malaysian League titles. After winning the Malaysia Cup and league double in 1994, the Football Association of Singapore withdrew from the Malaysian competitions following a dispute with the Football Association of Malaysia over gate receipts. Singapore subsequently launched its own professional league, the S.League, in 1996, and also began to put much more focus on the performance of its national team in international competitions.
At that time, Singapore hosted their first and so far, its only international competition, the 1984 AFC Asian Cup. The team was eliminated from the group stage with four points, a 2–0 win over India and a 1–1 draw to giant Iran. In the FIFA World Rankings, Singapore's highest standing was in the first release of the figures, in August 1993, at 73rd.[9]
Rise of Singapore football (1995–2003)
Singapore won the bronze medal in the 1995 Southeast Asian Games,[10] after losing 0–1 in the semi-finals to the hosts and eventual gold medalists, Thailand.[11] Singapore hosted the inaugural AFF Championship (then known as Tiger Cup) in 1996 but were eliminated in the group stages.[12][13]
The national team again reached the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian Games in 1997, losing to Indonesia, and lost to Vietnam 0–1 in the third-place match.[14][15]
However, in the 1998 edition of the AFF Championship, Singapore's team led by coach Barry Whitbread won the group stage with victories over Malaysia and the Philippines. In the semi-finals, they beat Indonesia and subsequently edged out hosts Vietnam 1–0 in the final.[16] This was the country's first ever international title.[17]
Jan B. Poulsen, who was part of Denmark's backroom staff at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, was appointed the Technical Director of the Football Association of Singapore in 1999.[17] Due to poor results by Singapore in the 2000 AFF Championship, coach Vincent Subramaniam was sacked and Poulsen took over as coach in December 2000.[17] Singapore hosted the 2002 AFF Championship, but lost 0–4 to arch-rivals Malaysia in their first game. Before the game, local newspaper The New Paper was encouraging fans to turn up in numbers.[18] After the game, the Lions attributed their heavy defeat to the unexpected large crowd. Singapore went on to win 2–1 over Laos, but a 1–1 draw in the final group game against Thailand was not enough for them to reach the knock-out stages. Poulsen was sacked after the tournament.[17]
AFF Championship triumph (2004–2012)
Radojko Avramović, nicknamed 'Raddy' by Singaporeans, is Singapore's most decorated and longest serving coach from 2003 to 2012, winning the AFF Championship three times.
Radojko Avramović took over as coach of the flailing and deflated Singapore national football team in July 2003.[17] Singapore started the 2004 AFF Championship as underdogs but a 1–1 draw in their first game against hosts Vietnam, another draw against Indonesia, and wins against Cambodia and Laos saw them qualify for the semi-finals.
Singapore were drawn against Myanmar in the two-legged semi-finals. Singapore took a 4–3 away lead back home for the second leg. In the ill-tempered second leg, three Myanmar players were sent off and a reserve Myanmar goalkeeper even threw a water bottle at defender S. Subramani. Singapore went on to win 4–2 after extra time for an 8–5 aggregate victory.
Singapore then won the first leg of the two-legged final against Indonesia 3–1 in Jakarta, before winning 2–1 (5–2 on aggregate) in the second leg in front of a strong 55,000 home crowd at the former National Stadium.
Singapore 2-0 Lebanon on 26 March 2008 at the Old Kallang National Stadium.
In 2006, Avramović then led Singapore into the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers with a 2–0 victory at home over Iraq, but Singapore failed to build on this victory and then lost away to Palestine. The Singapore team then took on China away in Tianjin and lost to an injury time penalty. China travelled to Singapore for the second meeting and the Singapore defence held out for a 0–0 draw. A subsequent 2–4 loss to Iraq dashed Singapore's hopes of qualifying for the Asian Cup. The Asian Cup qualifying campaign ended with a default 3–0 victory over Palestine, who were unable to fulfil the fixture.
Singapore hosted the group stages of the 2007 AFF Championship. After a 0–0 draw with Vietnam, Singapore then thrashed Laos 11–0 to record their largest-ever win. In the final group match, Singapore knocked Indonesia out of the tournament in a 2–2 draw. Singapore met Malaysia in the semi-final. The first leg saw a 1–1 draw in Shah Alam, while in the second leg at Singapore's National Stadium, following another 1–1 draw, Singapore beat Malaysia in a penalty shoot-out 5–4, goalkeeper Lionel Lewis saving the final Malaysian spot kick from Mohd Khyril Muhymeen Zambri. In the final against Thailand, Singapore won a controversial first leg at home 2–1, then secured a 1–1 draw in Bangkok thanks to a late strike from Khairul Amri to retain the AFF Championship trophy.[19] In the 2008 AFF Championship co-hosted by Indonesia and Thailand, Singapore was drawn in Group A to against Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia. Singapore progressed from the group as winners. However, they lost out to eventual winners Vietnam 0–1 on aggregate.
Singapore met Palestine in the first round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification. Singapore won the first leg 4–0 away in Doha, and the Palestinians again failed to fulfil the away fixture, so FIFA awarded Singapore a 3–0 win. Singapore was drawn with Tajikistan in the second round: Singapore won the home match 2–0 and drew the return leg 1–1 on 18 November to progress to the third round of the Asian Qualifying Tournament for the first time, where they were drawn against Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Uzbekistan. Singapore's group stage campaign began with a loss to Saudi Arabia, but the Lions then beat Lebanon 2–0 at home. Successive losses to Uzbekistan, 3–7 and 0–1, left Singapore with little chance of getting into the next round. Singapore were finally eliminated when they lost 0–2 to the Saudis at home. FIFA later awarded Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan both a 3–0 win, where they won 2–0 and 1–0 respectively, due to Singapore fielding Qiu Li, who is not eligible to represent Singapore.[20] Singapore finished third in the group with six points from six games after defeating Lebanon 2–1 in Beirut in their final game. With the elimination, Goal 2010 was ended.[21]
For the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Singapore was drawn in Group E, together with Iran, Thailand and Jordan. Singapore were beaten 0–6 by Iran in the first match, and then defeated Jordan 2–1. In November 2009, Singapore hosted Thailand at the National Stadium and lost 3–1, but won the return fixture 1–0 a few days later, earning Singapore their first victory on Thai soil in 48 years. Singapore next hosted Iran, losing 1–3, and the 1–2 defeat against Jordan which followed ended their hopes of Asian Cup football in 2011. The players reported some teammates were smoking during halftime in the match against Jordan.[citation needed] In 2010, Singapore drew with the Philippines 1–1, defeated Myanmar 2–1, then duly lost to Vietnam 0–1 in the knockout stage decider. As a result, the Singapore national football team was knocked out of the group stage in Hanoi. The Lions were criticised for their dismal performances in the AFF Championship, which they won in 1998, 2004, and 2007. In January 2011, the FAS decided to disband and revamp the national team. Six months later, The Lions were back in action after the dismal performances in 2010.
In May 2011, national team coach Avramović announced the new 33-strong national provisional squad for the upcoming international friendlies and 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. The Lions were scheduled to play international friendlies against Maldives on 7 June 2011 and Laos on 18 July 2011. Few days after releasing the provisional 33-man squad, national team training started in preparation of the match against Maldives. Avramović led the new-look Lions in a game where Singapore won Maldives 4–0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore in a friendly match. (Note. The match was not an 'A' international because unlimited substitutions were allowed.) After the 4–0 win against Maldives, less than a week later before the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier, a final friendly was played against Chinese Taipei. Singapore won the match 3–2 with goals from Aleksandar Đurić, Shi Jiayi and Fazrul Nawaz. In preparation for the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers, the Lions played a friendly non-'A' match against Thailand before their opening qualifier against China. The friendly finished 0–0.
Singapore received a bye to the second round of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification in 2011 because of their accession to the third round of the qualifying in the previous World Cup. Their second round opponents were regional rivals Malaysia, whom they beat 5–3 in the first leg with goals from Aleksandar Đurić, Qiu Li, Mustafic Fahrudin and Shi Jiayi. The second leg was held at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil on 28 July 2011. A 1–1 draw thanks to a key Shi Jiayi goal in the second half was enough to put Singapore through to the third round of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In the preliminary draw in Brazil on 30 July 2011 by the football governing body FIFA, Singapore was drawn into Group A for their Round 3 of the Asian qualifiers with Jordan, Iraq and China. Singapore kicked off the third round with a 1–2 loss to China in Kunming. They then succumbed to a second defeat, 0–2, against Iraq. The next match was slated to be held at Jalan Besar Stadium on 11 October against Jordan which Singapore lost 0–3. A 0–2 defeat to Jordan in Amman killed off the Lions' chances of progress. Singapore ended the year with a 0–4 defeat at home to China PR, their 5th consecutive loss. Iraq then dealt the Singapore team a heavy 1–7 lost in Doha with Singapore bowing out with no wins. Singapore then played a friendly match against UEFA nation Azerbaijan which resulted in a 2–2 draw where Singapore was down with two goals before Shahril Ishak breaks the deadlock in the 70th minute. Shahdan Sulaiman would then score an equaliser at the last kick of the game in the 90+3th minute stoppage time.
In the 2012 AFF Championship, Singapore started their tournament with a 3–0 win over close rivals Malaysia.[22] They then lost 0–1 to Indonesia before winning 4–3 in the knockout stage decider against Laos.[23] to top the group and qualify for the semi-finals which sees them face against the Philippines in the semi-finals, Singapore won 1–0 on aggregate with a solitary goal from Khairul Amri during the home leg of the semi-finals[24] was enough to set up a meeting with Thailand in the finals. The Lions won the first leg of the finals 3–1 in Singapore. Despite losing the away leg 0–1, Singapore was able to pick up the 2012 AFF Championship, their fourth championship. Singapore holds the record for the highest number of AFF Championship titles at that point of time.[25]Radojko Avramović ended his tenure as Singapore coach after the tournament.
Falling performances and drought (2013–2018)
FAS then hired the former legendary Singapore footballer, V. Sundramoorthy as head coach in 2013 ahead of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Singapore was drawn in Group A, together with Jordan, Syria and Oman. Singapore were beaten 0–4 by Jordan in the first match, and then loss to Jordan with a scoreline of 0–2. In October 2013, Singapore hosted Syria at the Jalan Besar Stadium and with their first win of the campaign with a 2–1 victory thanks to Gabriel Quak's late winner which was also his first international goal. But a month later, Syria beat Singapore in the return fixture 0–4. Singapore next hosted Jordan, losing 1–3, and the 1–3 defeat against Oman which followed ended their hopes of Asian Cup football in 2015.
The FAS announced on 15 May 2013 that they had appointed GermanBernd Stange as the new head coach of the national team.[26] On 27 May 2013, Stange announced his choice of 23 players for the friendlies against Myanmar and Laos on 4 June 2013 and 7 June 2013 respectively. The squad featured several new players who were called up to the national squad for the first time, including 17-year-old Adam Swandi. LionsXII midfielders Gabriel Quak and Faris Ramli and Tanjong Pagar United's winger Hafiz Nor also received their first national call-ups.[27] Veteran forward Indra Sahdan was also recalled to the national team. He took the captain's armband on 4 June 2013 for coach Stange's first game against Myanmar which Singapore won 2–0.[28] He also scored the first goal in the second friendly match against Laos, which saw Singapore with a 5–2 victory.[29] Following the two wins, Singapore's FIFA World Rankings rose nine places to 156 in July 2013.[9] On 15 October 2013, Stange registered his first international competition win in a 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against Syria with Gabriel Quak scoring a late goal to win the match 2–1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Stange had been trying to inculcate the one-touch, quick-tempo style of play for into the Singapore team, and gear the team up for the 2014 AFF Championship and try to retain the AFF Championship. Singapore entered the 2014 AFF Championship as the defending champions trying to defend the cup on home soil, but their title defence was spoiled with a 1–2 defeat over Thailand, which they also faced back in 2012. Then, they beat Myanmar 4–2 before bowing out after suffering a 1–3 defeat to rivals Malaysia. The Lions finished with 3 points and 3rd in Group B, and are the first team in the history of the AFF Championship to bow out from the group stage as the defending champions.
Singapore then started their campaign with an away game against Cambodia on 11 June 2015 which ended 4–0 in favour of Singapore.[30] Following which, they travelled to Saitama Stadium in Japan where they held the hosts to a goalless draw.[31] However, they were defeated by Syria 0–1, at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman, marking their first loss in the group stages of the tournament.[32] The Lions then beat Afghanistan by a scoreline of 1–0 and their 2nd consecutive win against Cambodia, winning the game 2–1. However, the winning streak ended when they faced Japan at home, and were defeated 0–3. They then went on to face Syria, which was a tight game. Khribin of Syria scored on the 20th minute and were 0-1 up. Safuwan of Singapore scored a late equaliser on the 89th minute but Singapore could not hold on to the draw which ended Khribin again scoring on the 3rd minute of added time after the 90th minute, this resulted in a 1–2 loss to Singapore. Singapore played their final game against Afghanistan and were defeated 1–2. Singapore finished in third place in the table with a total points of 10.
In April 2016, a month after the match against Afghanistan, the FAS announced that Bernd Stange contract would not be renewed and he left the Singapore national football team.[33] After a few months of Stange's departure, FAS announced the new caretaker coach was to be then Tampines Rovers head coach V. Sundramoorthy.[34] Sundram's first major tournament was the 2016 AYA Bank Cup in June where the team won host Myanmar and went on to the finals against Vietnam. In that match, the two teams drew after 90 mins and went on to extra time where Singapore conceded 3 goals to clinch second. After a few months, Sundram and FAS arranged the long-awaited Causeway Challenge against Singapore's rival, Malaysia. In that match, Singapore created a lot of chances and dominated the game but was unfortunate to end the game with a 0–0 draw.
In 2016, Sundram also called up a few uncapped players like Syazwan Buhari, Khairulhin Khalid, Irfan Fandi, Abdil Qaiyyim, Shawal Anuar, Azhar Sairudin and Amy Recha. Many of which has at least one cap to their name. Although Hami Syahin was not called up for any matches, he was registered in the 40 man provisional squad for the 2016 AFF Championship. Sundram also recalled several players like Daniel Bennett, Mustafic Fahrudin, Zulfadli Zainal and Hafiz Nor. Ridhuan Muhammad was not recalled for any matches but was registered in the 40-man provisional squad for the 2016 AFF Championship. Sundram also gave chances to the two players, Shahfiq Ghani and Shahdan Sulaiman who both just recovered from long-term injuries to prove themselves. For the 2016 AFF Championship, Singapore was grouped with ASEAN giants, Thailand together with Indonesia and Philippines and was grouped in the "Group of Death" as the teams in this group were tough. Singapore then started their tournament with a 0–0 draw over Philippines. They then lost 0–1 to Thailand where Thailand's Sarawut Masuk scored a late winner in the 89th minute. Singapore actually needed at least a draw with Indonesia and Thailand have to beat Philippines to qualify for the semi-finals. It was great news in the first half as Singapore was leading 1–0 but Singapore's defence went to sleep and conceded 2 late goals for Indonesia to qualify for the semi-finals. Singapore ended their 2016 AFF Championship at the bottom of the table.
Singapore started their 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round campaign against Bahrain on 28 March 2017. Singapore drew with Bahrain with a score-line of 0–0. In Singapore's next game, they went on to play against Chinese Taipei where they lost 1–2 at home with Singapore's vice-captain Hariss Harun scoring and Xavier Chen and Chen Chao-an scoring for the visitors. Singapore's head coach V. Sundramoorthy introduced a National Team Day where Mondays are for players who are called up for a short meeting and tactical training session in the pitch. In this call up, Sundram recalled players like Raihan Rahman.[35] Sundram also called up the uncapped Ho Wai Loon tas a standby player for matches against Afghanistan and Bahrain. Sundram also called up uncapped Muhaimin Suhaimi for the friendly against Myanmar, the 2019 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Chinese Taipei and the friendly against Argentina.[36] They made history for not winning any match in a year, reaching the lowest FIFA ranking ever of 173rd placing. Singapore finished bottom of the group with 2 points, losing the final match 1–0 to secure home-and-away losses against Chinese Taipei on 26 March 2018.
Rebuilding (2019–2021)
On 30 May 2019, former Jurong FC player, Tatsuma Yoshida was unveiled as the head coach of the national team. Yoshida's first game in charge for the national team ended in a 4-3 victory against the Solomon Islands at the National Stadium. Singapore started off their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign at the Jalan Besar Stadium drawing 2–2 to Yemen and winning Palestine 2–1 on 5 September 2019 and 10 September 2019 respectively. The national team than travelled to Riyadh to face Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium. Singapore managed to grip on to their defence and prevented Saudi Arabia from scoring until Salem Al-Dawsari breaks the dreadlock in the 83' minute into the match and to make thing worst, they conceded 2 more with goals coming from Fahad Al-Muwallad and Saleh Al-Shehri to punished Singapore with their poor communications and defensive errors. The Lions then finished in fourth place just above Yemen but see them qualified through to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifying third round.
Yoshida then extended his contract in early 2021 to focus on the 2020 AFF Championship which the tournament was postponed and rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Singapore later was chosen for host this tournament in a centralized venue. Singapore started off their group stage campaign with a winning streak by beating Myanmar 3–0, Philippines 1–2 and Timor-Leste 2–0 before losing to eventual cup winners, Thailand 2–0 in the last group stage fixtures. With 3 wins means Singapore qualified to the 2020 AFF Championship semi-finals as runners-up which see them face Indonesia. On 21 December 2021 in the first leg, Singapore and Indonesia contested in a 1–1 draw. On the reverse fixtures on 25 December 2021, Singapore was in a 2–1 lead after a freekick goal from Shahdan Sulaiman but all hope seems lost where Pratama Arhan ties the deficit for Indonesia which see the match going into extra time. With 2 players being red carded and a controversial that spark off where Indonesia captain, Asnawi Mangkualam was seen mocking Faris Ramli for his penalty missed incident, Singapore are forced to go through to extra time with 9 players but its get even worse when Hassan Sunny who have been brilliant the entire match making countless numbers of saves ended up picking up a red card for a last man challenge on Irfan Jaya which then see Singapore having three red card in one match being the first and only country in the AFF Championship tournament history to do so. Ikhsan Fandi was then forced to play as the goalkeeper in the dying minutes in the game as all of the substitution is being used up. As the whistle blows for a 4–2 win (5–3 on aggregate) for Indonesia, Oman referee, Qasim Al-Hatmi was being hurled with vulgarities and angry reaction from the Singaporean fans in which he received a death threat and fans flocking to the hotel lobby the referee is staying at after the game to find a reason for the referee awful officiating in which he seem as a favoritism to Indonesia and decision making controversy that caused Singapore the contentious red cards, penalty and offside goal being disallowed. Hassan Sunny received praised from both Singaporean and Indonesian fans for his heroic World class performances that keep Singapore in the match. Both Singaporean and Indonesian fans even respected one another nation for giving out a good solid fight. On 28 December 2021, Yoshida ended his stint as a head coach by mutual agreement citing family reasons after the Singapore team reached the semi-finals.
Stagnation (2022–present)
Nazri Nasri was the interim coach overseeing Singapore's participation in the 2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series consisting of Malaysia and Philippines at the National Stadium. In his first game on 26 March 2022, Ikhsan Fandi scored two goals which saw Singapore winning against, Malaysia 2–1 and three days later, a 2–0 victory against the Philippines.
On 25 April 2022, FAS announced the appointment of Takayuki Nishigaya as the new head coach of Singapore. Nishigaya took charge of his first game playing in a friendly match against Kuwait in a 2–0 loss at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Singapore started off their 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifying third round playing in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan losing to Kyrgyzstan 2–1 after Song Ui-young scored the first goal for Singapore but gave away a penalty minutes later. Singapore then went on to narrowly lose to Tajikistan 0–1 and despite winning their last group fixture against Myanmar 6-2, they were eliminated from Asian Cup qualification.
In October 2023, Singapore started off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification in the first round against Guam on 13 October. The first leg took place at the National Stadium, which saw a total number of 10,355 spectators in attendance as Singapore gained the upper hand with a 2–1 victory with goals from Christopher van Huizen and Jacob Mahler. However, the fans weren’t too satisfied with the performances as Singapore missed a lot of scoring opportunities sorely, lacking the composure in front of goal with the advantages of playing at home. The team then travelled to Dededo facing Guam in the second leg on 17 October at the GFA National Training Center where Shawal Anuar scored the only goal in the match securing the win. Singapore then advance to the second round being grouped with Asian powerhouse South Korea, China and Southeast Asia rivals, Thailand.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 21 March 2024, Singapore played at home to China, where they trailed 2–0 with Wu Lei scoring both goals, before Faris Ramli and Jacob Mahler secured the comeback to upset the visitors and hold them to a 2–2 draw. In the away fixture in Tianjin, immediately after conceding a goal to China, Hariss Harun punted a long ball to Ryhan Stewart, who then crossed the ball into the opponent box, providing it to Faris Ramli, who scored the header, equalising the match 8 seconds after kick-off. However, Singapore ultimately fell to a 4–1 defeat to China. On 6 June 2024, Singapore suffered one of their worst ever defeats in history after being hammered 7–0 by South Korea at the Singapore National Stadium, which saw global superstar, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in scoring a brace, with Hwang Hee-chan also scoring a goal in the match. Five days later, Singapore ended their World Cup qualification campaign with a 3–1 away loss to Thailand to end their run in bottom, but it was notable as Singapore's valiant performance, notably with goalkeeper Hassan Sunny making 13 saves and Ikhsan Fandi's equaliser, proved to have made the difference as Thailand's victory was not enough to seize the second place from China, which progressed via superior head-to-head record.
There have been different suppliers for the jerseys, from Admiral, Puma, Umbro, Grand Sport to Tiger. Since 2008, Nike has been the supplier for the national team.
Singapore had initially worn blue shirts and shorts as their home kit. However, in the late 1980s, The Lions adopted the national colours of red and white for their home kit while they kept blue as the colour for the away kit. This tradition stayed on through the 1990s. For the 2007 AFF Championship, the national team's colours reverted to blue as its home kit and white as the other kit.[37]
Before 2006, Singapore had been using the same kit for nearly 5 years, supplied by Tiger who had a tie-in with Diadora. The kit used during the 2007 AFF Championship made its final appearance on 4 February 2007 against Thailand. The next kit was first used on 24 June 2007 against DPR Korea. The jersey has white trims at the edge of the sleeves and around the neck. Unlike most national teams which use the country's footballing association as a logo on the kit, the national flag of Singapore takes up the spot on the left chest instead while a white Nike logo is on the right chest and this symmetry also applies to the away jersey. The numbering and lettering font and colour is the same as the previous two home jerseys.
In 2008, tight-fit jerseys were revealed in the two traditional team colours: red for the home games and blue for the away matches. The kit was worn for the first time by the national team in the international friendly against Australia in preparation for the World Cup 2010 qualifier home game against Lebanon on 26 March 2008.[38]
In November 2010, Nike launched a new football kit for Singapore, specially made for the 2010 AFF Championship. The home kit's design was of half dark red and light red. The away kit features half navy blue and light blue that was once worn by Singapore football team in 1970's era. In recent years, the national team kits would often also include the FAS logo, either exclusively or along with the Singapore flag.
The 2022 to 2024 jerseys were worn for the first time during the team's friendly against Maldives on 17 December 2022, which they won 3–1. This is also the team's jersey for the 2022 AFF Championship.[39]
Home stadium
From 1932 until the National Stadium was opened in 1973, Jalan Besar Stadium hosted all home games of Singapore's representative sides which participated in the Malaysia Cup. Since then, all of Singapore's home games in the Malaysia Cup and the national team home matches were played at the National Stadium.
However, the National Stadium was slated for demolishment in 2010 to make way for the new Singapore Sports Hub which was completed in 2014. Singapore played Australia in what was planned to be the last game ever to be played at that stadium. However, due to some delays caused by the addition of new plans for the Singapore Sports Hub, the National Stadium continued to host 5 more matches, and it was also the venue for 2 more World Cup 2010 qualifier matches. While the stadium was being rebuilt as part of the new Sports Hub, the Singapore national team played its home games at the Jalan Besar Stadium, sharing it with the LionsXII and the Cubs (U15 and U16 teams).
Since the start of 2004, Singapore has played its home matches in 7 different stadiums all over Singapore.
"SingaBrigade" is the name of the major supporters for the national team in Singapore which consists of a die-hard Singapore football fan group. They are known for their high fanaticism and support towards the national team. In every international match the national team played, they are found in a group standing at the supporters area. The main colours for these supporter are usually in red with a scarf and banners just like the national team kits colours. These supporters always bring drums and large national flags to the stadiums. Since 2023, the numbers of home attendance rise up where it sold 29,644 tickets during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) match against Thailand in November.
Singapore has rivalries with Malaysia known as the "Causeway Derby" or mononymously "Lions against Tigers". The Singapore-Malaysia derby used to be the highlight of the football calendar on both sides of the Causeway. When football fever for these two national teams was at its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s, queueing overnight for tickets was not uncommon where the rivalry lays dormant for a number of years. A group of Malaysian Ultras burnt signs of Singapore currency, and booed when Singapore's national anthem was played in the second leg at the Shah Alam Stadium in 2012. The spiteful nature of the discussions, peppered with obscenities and racist remarks, prompted concern in the football fraternities of both countries. After Singapore advanced to the third round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, at the expense of Malaysia, beating them 6-4 on aggregate, an online war broke out among its supporters. Malaysian fans, incensed by what they felt was the Lions' time-wasting tactics during the second leg of the second-round qualifier in Kuala Lumpur, created a Facebook page mocking the Singapore national side. The spiteful nature of the discussions, peppered with obscenities and racist remarks, prompted concern in the football fraternities of both countries. Tensions ran high during the first leg in Singapore on 23 July 2011, when missiles from Malaysia's travelling fans rained down on the Jalan Besar Stadium field after the Lions' fourth goal. The return leg was even more ill-tempered. Water bottles were aimed at the Singapore players after the final whistle, while Lions goalkeeper, Izwan Mahbud was targeted by laser pointers during the game to distract him.[40]
NB The list is incomplete as Samad Allapitchay and Dollah Kassim each, reportedly, have over a hundred caps - however exact figures are still being researched.
The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in senior international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Thailand.
The Malaysia national football team represents Malaysia in international football and is governed by the Football Association of Malaysia. The national team is recognised by FIFA as the successor of the defunct Malaya national football team which was founded for the 1963 Merdeka Tournament one month before the institution of Malaysia. The team is officially nicknamed Harimau Malaya in reference to the Malayan Tiger. Former player Mokhtar Dahari is one of the top goal scorers in international history.
Fandi bin Ahmad is a Singaporean professional football manager and former player. He is the current technical advisor and head coach of Malaysia Super League club Sri Pahang. During his professional career, he played mainly as a striker, but also occasionally as a midfielder. Along with the Singapore FA, he also played for Malaysia Cup state sides Kuala Lumpur FA and Pahang FA, and won titles with all three, including two doubles in 1992 and 1994, as well as the Golden Boot in 1988. Fandi also played for Indonesia's Niac Mitra, Netherlands' Groningen as well as local Singaporean clubs Geylang United and SAFFC.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is the governing body responsible for the administration of football in Singapore. Established in 1892 as the Singapore Football Association (SFA), it is the oldest football association in all of Asia. The FAS is also one of the founding members of both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1952.
Shahril Ishak is a Singaporean retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. A former captain of the Singapore national team where he become the first Singaporean to win three AFF Championship title.
Indra Sahdan bin Daud is a former Singapore international footballer who played as a forward. He previously played for S.League clubs Geylang United, Home United, Sengkang Punggol and Singapore Armed Forces. He is known for his knack for scoring goals in big matches as well as being a pacy player in his earlier years.
Mohd Noh Alam Shah, known as Noh Alam Shah, is a Singaporean football coach and former professional football player. who is the head coach of Singapore Premier League club Tanjong Pagar United. Once regarded as one of the best forwards in South East Asia, Alam Shah was a member of the Singapore national football team when it won the AFF Championship in 2005 and 2007. At club level, he was a player of the Tampines Rovers team which won Singapore's S.League in 2004 and 2005.
Baihakki bin Khaizan is a Singaporean retired footballer who last played as a centre-back for Singapore Premier League club Tampines Rovers and the Singapore national team. Baihakki is known to be one of the best defenders in the Southeast Asia region during his time as a footballer. He had piled his career playing in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Varadaraju Sundramoorthy is a former Singaporean international footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, is widely touted as one of the country's most skillful and talented footballers ever. Sundramoorthy is the currently the technical director of the Laos national team.
Aide Iskandar bin Sahak is a former professional footballer. He was a member of the Singapore national team which won the AFF Championship in 1998, 2004 and 2007, captaining the team in the latter two editions.
Radojko "Raddy" Avramović is a Serbian retired football coach who played as a goalkeeper. Avramović most notably played for Croatian club Rijeka and English club Notts County as well as internationally for Yugoslavia. During his managerial career, Avramović was most notably a long-term manager of Singapore national team, being widely regarded as the most successful coach leading Singapore. He also briefly managed Myanmar and Kuwait national teams.
Nazri Nasir is a Singaporean professional football manager and former footballer. He was the captain of the Singapore national team from 1997 to 2003, and led the team to the 1998 AFF Championship title. He is the current coach of Young Lions and serves as an assistant coach of the senior Singapore national team.
The Singapore national under-23 football team is the national under-23 association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organisation of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).
The Singapore national youth football team, nicknamed the Cubs, can refer to either of the following teams: the Under-16 team that represented the nation in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games and the Lion City Cup, and the Under-15s, which also took part in the Lion City Cup, and also the AFF U16 Championship. The youth team's honours include bronze for the Youth Olympic Games in 2010 on home soil, as well as second and third places for the Lion City Cup.
Singapore FA was a representative team of footballers representing the Football Association of Singapore in domestic competitions run by the Football Association of Malaysia. This is separate from the Singapore national team. As it permits overseas players to play, it is a club side. Despite dissolving in 1994, it is still by far the second most successful team in Malaysia with 65 honours. Its derby with Selangor is known as the most North-South Rivalry.
Muhammad Safuwan bin Baharudin is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder for Malaysia Super League club Terengganu and the Singapore national team. He is known for his aerial ability, powerful headers and defensive prowess.
Muhammad Shakir bin Hamzah, better known as Shakir Hamzah or just Shakir, is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays either as a left-back for Singapore Premier League club Geylang International and the Singapore national team.
Muhammad Zulfahmi bin Mohd Arifin, better known as Zulfahmi Arifin or just Zulfahmi, is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays primarily as a defensive midfielder or a centre-back for Singapore Premier League club Hougang United and the Singapore national team. He is known for technical abilities with set-pieces, playmaking abilities and long range efforts.
Joseph Choo Seng Quee, popularly known as Uncle Choo, was a Singaporean footballer and football coach. He was coach of the Indonesia, Malaya/Malaysia and Singapore national teams. He is widely recognised as one of Singapore's best football coaches.
Muhammad Shawal bin Anuar is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays either as a winger or a forward for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Singapore national team.
↑ "National Team - The Lions". fas.org.sg. Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
↑ Aziz, Sazali Abdul (18 November 2016). "Lions, come out swinging". The New Paper. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
↑ "Singapore lure the Johor fans". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. 12 September 1996. p.44. ProQuest269101000.
↑ "SEA Games – 1997". AFF - The Official Website Of The Asean Football Federation. 25 November 2010. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
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1 (19 December 2024) [4] 
Singapore 1–0 Republic of China 
Singapore 11–0 Laos 
