Singapore national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Singapore women's national football team.

Singapore

Nickname(s)	The Lions
Association	Football Association of Singapore (FAS)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	AFF (Southeast Asia)
Head coach	Tsutomu Ogura
Captain	Hariss Harun
Most caps	Daniel Bennett (146)
Top scorer	Fandi Ahmad (55)
Home stadium	National Stadium Jalan Besar Stadium
FIFA code	SGP
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	160 1 (19 December 2024)
Highest	73 (August 1993)
Lowest	173 (October 2017)
First international
Singapore 1–0 Republic of China (Singapore; 22 May 1948)
Biggest win
Singapore 11–0 Laos (Kallang, Singapore; 15 January 2007)
Biggest defeat
Singapore 0–9 Burma (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 6 November 1969)
Asian Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1984)
Best result	Group stage (1984)
ASEAN Championship
Appearances	14 (first in 1996)
Best result	Champions (1998, 2004, 2007, 2012)

The Singapore national football team 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. Singapore has one of the oldest national teams in Asia, with the FAS being the oldest football association in the continent itself.

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.

History

Early history (1892–1994)

Main article: Football Association of Singapore

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.

Rise of Singapore football (1995–2003)

Singapore won the bronze medal in the 1995 Southeast Asian Games, after losing 0–1 in the semi-finals to the hosts and eventual gold medalists, Thailand. Singapore hosted the inaugural AFF Championship (then known as Tiger Cup) in 1996 but were eliminated in the group stages.

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.

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. This was the country's first ever international title.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Singapore 2012 AFF Championship winning squad that won them their fourth trophy at the Supachalasai Stadium in Thailand.

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. 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. They then lost 0–1 to Indonesia before winning 4–3 in the knockout stage decider against Laos. 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 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. 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 German Bernd Stange as the new head coach of the national team. 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. 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. He also scored the first goal in the second friendly match against Laos, which saw Singapore with a 5–2 victory. Following the two wins, Singapore's FIFA World Rankings rose nine places to 156 in July 2013. 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. Following which, they travelled to Saitama Stadium in Japan where they held the hosts to a goalless draw. 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. 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. After a few months of Stange's departure, FAS announced the new caretaker coach was to be then Tampines Rovers head coach V. Sundramoorthy. 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. 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. 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.

Team image

Kits and crest

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.

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 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier home game against Lebanon on 26 March 2008.

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.

In 2020, Singapore revert back to using FAS logo on the national jersey for the first time since 1998. However, this earned backlash from fans demanding to retain the Singaporean flag on the national jersey. The 2022 jerseys were then included the Singaporean flag sitting on top of the FAS logo but still earned the negative outlash from fans stating that the flag deserve to be bigger. The national kit 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.

Kit supplier	Period
Admiral	1954–1973
Puma	1974–1990
Umbro	1991–1992
Puma	1993–1997
Grand Sport	1998–2000
Tiger (Collaboration with Diadora)	2001–2006
Nike	2007–present

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 two more 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 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.

Singapore national football team home stadiums
Image	Stadium	Capacity	Location	Last match
	National Stadium	55,000	Kallang	v  Thailand (17 December 2024; 2024 ASEAN Championship)
	Jalan Besar Stadium	6,000	Kallang	v  Vietnam (26 December 2024; 2024 ASEAN Championship)
	Bishan Stadium	6,254	Bishan	v  Chinese Taipei (12 September 2023; Friendly)
	Choa Chu Kang Stadium	4,268	Choa Chu Kang	v  India (16 October 2012; Friendly)
	Jurong West Stadium	4,600	Jurong West	v  Pakistan (19 November 2012; Friendly)
	Jurong East Stadium	2,700	Jurong East	v  Brunei (6 June 2015; Friendly)
	Hougang Stadium	3,800	Hougang	v  Hong Kong (9 September 2014; Friendly)
	Yishun Stadium	3,400	Yishun	v  Cambodia (17 November 2014; Friendly)

Supporters

"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.

Rivalries

Singapore has rivalries with Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and Myanmar. Their rivalries are rooted geographicial proximity.

Opponent	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Thailand	67	11	18	38	67	114	−47	016.42
Indonesia	60	18	13	29	76	114	−38	030.00
Vietnam	34	5	12	17	37	58	−21	014.71
Malaysia	80	26	22	32	97	121	−24	032.50
Myanmar	39	18	7	14	74	68	+6	046.15
Philippines	25	16	4	5	55	15	+40	064.00

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.

Results and fixtures

Further information: Singapore national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

Singapore v China

21 March 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Singapore	2–2	China	Kallang, Singapore
20:30 UTC+8	Faris 53' Mahler 82'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Wu Lei 10', 45+3'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 28,414 Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

China v Singapore

26 March 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	China	4–1	Singapore	Tianjin, China
20:00 UTC+8	Wu Lei 21', 84' Fernandinho 64' (pen.) Wei Shihao 90'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Faris 22'	Stadium: Tianjin Olympic Centre Attendance: 42,977 Referee: Omar Al Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Singapore v South Korea

6 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Singapore	0–7	South Korea	Kallang, Singapore
20:00 UTC+8		Report	Lee Kang-in 9', 54' Joo Min-kyu 20' Son Heung-min 53', 56' Bae Jun-ho 79' Hwang Hee-chan 82'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 49,097 Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)

Thailand v Singapore

11 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Thailand	3–1	Singapore	Bangkok, Thailand
19:30 UTC+7	Mueanta 37' Arjvirai 79' Wonggorn 88'	Report	Ikhsan 57'	Stadium: Rajamangala Stadium Attendance: 39,404 Referee: Mohanad Qasim Sarray (Iraq)

Singapore v Myanmar

14 November 2024 Friendly	Singapore	3–2	Myanmar	Kallang, Singapore
20:00 UTC+8	Farhan 5' Shawal 84' Naqiuddin 86'	Report	Ye Yint Aung 46' Thiha Zaw 51'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 6,061 Referee: Abdulla Al-Shehri (Saudi Arabia)

Singapore v Chinese Taipei

18 November 2024 Friendly	Singapore	2–3	Chinese Taipei	Kallang, Singapore
20:00 UTC+8	Irfan 86' Shawal 90+3'	Report	Tiao 22' Sandberg 79' Kouamé 90+1'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 6,764 Referee: Sami Ahmed Aljurays (Saudi Arabia)

Singapore v Cambodia

11 December 2024 2024 ASEAN Championship	Singapore	2–1	Cambodia	Kallang, Singapore
19:00 UTC+8	Faris 9' Shawal 16'	Report	Chanthea 59'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 12,391 Referee: Ahmed Faisal Al-Ali (Jordan)

East Timor v Singapore

14 December 2024 2024 ASEAN Championship	East Timor	0–3	Singapore	Hanoi, Vietnam
17:30 UTC+7		Report	Nakamura 76' (pen.) Shawal 84', 90'	Stadium: Hàng Đẫy Stadium Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

Singapore v Thailand

17 December 2024 2024 ASEAN Championship	Singapore	2–4	Thailand	Kallang, Singapore
20:30 UTC+8	Shawal 10' Faris 34'	Report	Gustavsson 45+3' Suphanat 52' Peeradon 90+3' Teerasak 90+15'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 22,611 Referee: Ismaeel Habib Ali (Bahrain)

Malaysia v Singapore

20 December 2024 2024 ASEAN Championship	Malaysia	0–0	Singapore	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
21:00 UTC+8		Report		Stadium: Bukit Jalil National Stadium Attendance: 31,127 Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

Singapore v Vietnam

26 December 2024 2024 ASEAN Championship SF 1st leg	Singapore	0–2	Vietnam	Jalan Besar, Singapore
21:00 UTC+8		Report	Nguyễn Tiến Linh 90+10' (pen.) Rafaelson 90+13'	Stadium: Jalan Besar Stadium Attendance: 5,233 Referee: Kim Woo-sung (South Korea)

Vietnam v Singapore

29 December 2024 2024 ASEAN Championship SF 2nd leg	Vietnam	3–1 (5–1 agg.)	Singapore	Việt Trì, Vietnam
20:00 UTC+7	Rafaelson 45' (pen.), 63' Nguyễn Tiến Linh 90+2' (pen.)	Report	Nakamura 74'	Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium Attendance: 15,583 Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

2025

Singapore v Hong Kong

25 March 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Singapore	v	Hong Kong	Kallang, Singapore
--:--				Stadium: National Stadium

Bangladesh v Singapore

10 June 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Bangladesh	v	Singapore	Dhaka, Bangladesh
--:--				Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena

India v Singapore

9 September 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	India	v	Singapore	Kolkata, India
--:--				Stadium: Salt Lake Stadium

Singapore v India

14 October 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Singapore	v	India	Kallang, Singapore
--:--				Stadium: National Stadium

Hong Kong v Singapore

18 November 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Hong Kong	v	Singapore	Kowloon, Hong Kong
--:--				Stadium: Kai Tak Sports Park

2026

Singapore v Bangladesh

31 March 2026 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Singapore	v	Bangladesh	Kallang, Singapore
--:--				Stadium: National Stadium

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Team Manager	Eric Ong
Head Coach	Tsutomu Ogura
Assistant Coach(es)	Kosei Nakamura
	Nazri Nasir
	Gavin Lee
	Fadzuhasny Juraimi
Goalkeeper Coach	Rameshpal Singh
Individual Coach	Yuki Fujimoto
Match Analyst	Daniel Lau
	Koichiro Iizuka
Head Football Science and Medicine	Firdaus Maasar
Fitness Coach	Dževad Šarić
Senior Sports Trainer	Nasruldin Baharuddin
Sports Trainer	Fazly Hasan Ryan Wang
Masseur	Gurnaya Singh
Sports Scientist	Faizal Khalid Abdul Aziz
Lead Physiotherapist	Nurhafizah Abu Sujad
Kit Manager	Omar Mohd
Media Officer	Chia Pui San

Coaching history

• Lim Yong Liang (1936–1941)
• Rahim Sattar (1960–1963)
• Harith Omar (1963–1965)
• Choo Seng Quee (1964–1967, 1971, 1976–1977)
• Lozan Korcev (1967–1968)
• Yap Boon Chuan (1968–1971)
• Mick Walker (1972–1974)
• Ibrahim Awang (1974–1975)
• Trevor Hartley (1975–1976)
• Sebastian Yap (1977–1978)
• Jita Singh (1979–1984, 1989)
• Hussein Aljunied (1984–1986)
• Seak Poh Leong (1987–1988)
• Robin Chan (1990–1992)
• Milouš Kvaček (1992)
• P.N. Sivaji (1992–1993)
• Ken Worden (1994)
• Douglas Moore (1994–1995)
• Barry Whitbread (1995–1998)
• Vincent Subramaniam (1998–2000)
• Jan B. Poulsen (2000–2003)
• Radojko Avramović (2003–2012)
• V. Sundramoorthy (2013, 2016–2018)
• Bernd Stange (2013–2016)
• Fandi Ahmad (2018)
• Nazri Nasir (interim) (2019, 2022)
• Tatsuma Yoshida (2019–2021)
• Takayuki Nishigaya (2022–2024)
• Tsutomu Ogura (2024–present)

Coaching statistics

The following table provides a summary of the Singapore national team under each coach. Includes both competitive and friendly matches.

As of 20 Dec 2024

Manager	Singapore career	Pld	W	D	L	Win %	Achievements
Milouš Kvaček	February 1992 – May 1992	0	0	0	0	!—
P.N. Sivaji	May 1992 – December 1993	0	0	0	0	!—	1993 Southeast Asian Games – bronze
Ken Worden	January 1994 – March 1994	0	0	0	0	!—
Douglas Moore	March 1994 – May 1995	0	0	0	0	!—
Barry Whitbread	June 1995 – November 1998	31	13	9	9	041.9	1995 Southeast Asian Games – bronze 1998 AFF Championship – champions
Vincent Subramaniam	December 1998 – December 2000	0	0	0	0	!—
Jan Poulsen	December 2000 – January 2003	0	0	0	0	!—
Radojko Avramović	July 2003 – December 2012	64	24	13	27	037.5	2004 AFF Championship – champions 2007 AFF Championship – champions 2012 AFF Championship – champions
V. Sundramoorthy	January 2013 – May 2013	1	0	0	1	000.0
Bernd Stange	May 2013 – April 2016	32	15	3	14	046.9
V. Sundramoorthy	May 2016 – April 2018	23	3	5	15	013.0
Fandi Ahmad	May 2018 – December 2018	8	5	1	2	062.5
Nazri Nasir	March 2019 – June 2019	2	1	1	0	050.0
Tatsuma Yoshida	June 2019 – December 2021	19	6	4	9	031.6
Nazri Nasir	March 2022 – April 2022	2	2	0	0	100.0
Takayuki Nishigaya	May 2022 – January 2024	21	8	5	8	038.1
Tsutomu Ogura	February 2024 –	10	3	2	5	030.0
Gavin Lee	June 2024	1	0	0	1	000.0

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2024 ASEAN Championship.

Caps and goals are correct as of 29 December 2024, after the match against Vietnam.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Izwan Mahbud	(1990-07-14) 14 July 1990	61	0	Lion City Sailors
12	1GK	Syazwan Buhari	(1992-09-22) 22 September 1992	3	0	BG Tampines Rovers
26	1GK	Rudy Khairullah	(1994-07-19) 19 July 1994	0	0	Geylang International
2	2DF	Irfan Najeeb	(1999-07-31) 31 July 1999	8	1	BG Tampines Rovers
3	2DF	Ryhan Stewart	(2000-02-15) 15 February 2000	23	0	Albirex Niigata (S)
4	2DF	Nazrul Nazari	(1991-02-11) 11 February 1991	68	0	Hougang United
5	2DF	Amirul Adli	(1996-01-13) 13 January 1996	33	0	BG Tampines Rovers
11	2DF	Shakir Hamzah	(1992-10-20) 20 October 1992	69	4	Geylang International
15	2DF	Lionel Tan	(1997-06-05) 5 June 1997	19	3	Lion City Sailors
17	2DF	Jordan Emaviwe	(2001-04-09) 9 April 2001	2	0	Chiangrai United
18	2DF	Ryaan Sanizal	(2002-05-31) 31 May 2002	3	0	Young Lions
19	2DF	Raoul Suhaimi	(2005-09-18) 18 September 2005	0	0	Young Lions
21	2DF	Safuwan Baharudin	(1991-09-22) 22 September 1991	120	14	Terengganu
22	2DF	Christopher van Huizen	(1992-11-28) 28 November 1992	26	1	Lion City Sailors
6	3MF	Shah Shahiran	(1999-11-14) 14 November 1999	31	1	BG Tampines Rovers
7	3MF	Kyoga Nakamura	(1996-04-25) 25 April 1996	7	2	BG Tampines Rovers
8	3MF	Shahdan Sulaiman	(1988-05-09) 9 May 1988	93	6	Hougang United
14	3MF	Hariss Harun (captain)	(1990-11-19) 19 November 1990	138	11	Lion City Sailors
16	3MF	Hami Syahin	(1998-12-16) 16 December 1998	31	0	Lion City Sailors
9	4FW	Glenn Kweh	(2000-03-26) 26 March 2000	20	0	BG Tampines Rovers
10	4FW	Faris Ramli	(1992-08-24) 24 August 1992	88	15	BG Tampines Rovers
13	4FW	Taufik Suparno	(1995-10-31) 31 October 1995	12	0	BG Tampines Rovers
20	4FW	Shawal Anuar	(1991-04-29) 29 April 1991	43	17	Nakhon Pathom United
23	4FW	Abdul Rasaq Akeem	(2001-06-16) 16 June 2001	5	0	Lion City Sailors
24	4FW	Naqiuddin Eunos	(1997-01-12) 12 January 1997	5	1	Geylang International
25	4FW	Farhan Zulkifli	(2002-11-10) 10 November 2002	5	1	Hougang United

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Singapore squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Aizil Yazid	(2004-12-24) 24 December 2004	0	0	Young Lions	October 2024 Training Camp
GK	Hairul Syirhan	(1995-08-21) 21 August 1995	0	0	Geylang International	September 2024 Training Camp
GK	Hassan Sunny	(1984-04-02) 2 April 1984	115	0	Albirex Niigata (S)	v. Thailand, 11 June 2024 RET
GK	Zharfan Rohaizad	(1997-02-21) 21 February 1997	0	0	Lion City Sailors	v. Thailand, 11 June 2024
DF	Nur Adam Abdullah	(2001-04-13) 13 April 2001	10	0	Young Lions	AFF Cup Preliminary Squad
DF	Irfan Fandi	(1997-08-13) 13 August 1997	48	2	Port	October 2024 Training Camp
DF	Fairuz Fazli	(2005-01-20) 20 January 2005	0	0	Young Lions	October 2024 Training Camp
DF	Ho Wai Loon	(1993-08-20) 20 August 1993	7	0	Albirex Niigata (S)	September 2024 Training Camp
DF	Darren Teh	(1996-08-19) 19 August 1996	0	0	Balestier Khalsa	September 2024 Training Camp
DF	Faizal Roslan	(1995-05-30) 30 May 1995	0	0	Tanjong Pagar United	September 2024 Training Camp
DF	Joshua Pereira	(1997-10-10) 10 October 1997	6	0	Geylang International	v. Thailand, 11 June 2024
DF	Zulqarnaen Suzliman	(1998-03-29) 29 March 1998	27	0	Lion City Sailors	v. China, 26 March 2024 INJ
DF	Jared Gallagher	(2002-01-18) 18 January 2002	0	0	BG Tampines Rovers	v. China, 26 March 2024
DF	Kieran Teo	(2004-04-06) 6 April 2004	0	0	Young Lions	v. China, 26 March 2024
MF	Anumanthan Kumar	(1994-07-14) 14 July 1994	41	0	Lion City Sailors	AFF Cup Preliminary Squad
MF	Joel Chew	(2000-02-09) 9 February 2000	6	0	BG Tampines Rovers	AFF Cup Preliminary Squad
MF	Syed Firdaus Hassan	(1998-05-30) 30 May 1998	1	0	Albirex Niigata (S)	AFF Cup Preliminary Squad
MF	Harhys Stewart	(2001-03-20) 20 March 2001	4	0	Chiangrai United	October 2024 Training Camp
MF	Jacob Mahler	(2000-04-10) 10 April 2000	12	3	Muangthong United	October 2024 Training Camp
MF	Ajay Robson	(2003-12-06) 6 December 2003	0	0	Hougang United	October 2024 Training Camp
MF	Rezza Rezky	(2000-11-08) 8 November 2000	0	0	Tanjong Pagar United	September 2024 Training Camp
MF	Song Ui-young	(1993-11-08) 8 November 1993	25	4	Lion City Sailors	v. Thailand, 11 June 2024
MF	Zulfahmi Arifin	(1991-10-05) 5 October 1991	65	1	Malut United	v. China, 26 March 2024
FW	Iqbal Hussain	(1993-06-06) 6 June 1993	9	0	Geylang International	AFF Cup Preliminary Squad
FW	Zikos Chua	(2002-04-15) 15 April 2002	0	0	Geylang International	October 2024 Training Camp
FW	Ilhan Fandi	(2002-11-08) 8 November 2002	15	2	BG Pathum United	October 2024 Training Camp
FW	Ikhsan Fandi	(1999-04-09) 9 April 1999	38	18	BG Pathum United	October 2024 Training Camp
FW	Daniel Goh	(1999-08-13) 13 August 1999	5	0	Albirex Niigata (S)	v. Thailand, 11 June 2024
FW	Hafiz Nor	(1988-08-22) 22 August 1988	29	2	Lion City Sailors	v. China, 26 March 2024
Notes: COV Player out due to COVID / COVID warning INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury PRE Preliminary squad STA Player on standby SUS Player suspended RET Retired from the national team WD Player withdrew from the squad

Player records

As of 11 June 2024

Players in bold are still active with Singapore.

Most appearances

Daniel Bennett is Singapore's most capped player with 146 appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Daniel Bennett	146	7	2002–2017
2	Shahril Ishak	144	15	2003–2018
3	Baihakki Khaizan	143	5	2003–2021
3	Hariss Harun	138	11	2007–present
4	Khairul Amri	135	32	2004–2019
6	Malek Awab	121	0	1980–1996
	Aide Iskandar		0	1995–2007
8	Safuwan Baharudin	120	14	2010–present
10	Shunmugham Subramani	115	0	1996–2007
	Hassan Sunny	115	0	2004–2024

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.

Youngest capped player

• Hariss Harun (16 years 7 months 5 days) vs North Korea, 24 June 2007

Oldest capped player

• Aleksandar Đurić (42 years 4 months 10 days) vs Thailand, 22 December 2012

Top goalscorers

Fandi Ahmad at a charity game in 2017. He is Singapore's top goalscorer, with 55 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Fandi Ahmad	55	101	0.54	1979–1997
2	Noh Alam Shah	34	82	0.41	2001–2010
3	Khairul Amri	32	135	0.24	2004–2019
4	Indra Sahdan Daud	30	113	0.27	1997–2013
5	Aleksandar Đurić	27	59	0.46	2007–2012
6	Varadaraju Sundramoorthy	20	48	0.42	1983–1995
7	Ikhsan Fandi	19	38	0.5	2017–present
8	Rafi Ali	17	76	0.22	1994–2004
	Shawal Anuar		41	0.43	2016–present
9	Agu Casmir	15	45	0.33	2004–2012
	Shahril Ishak		144	0.1	2003–2018
	Faris Ramli		86	0.18	2013–present

Youngest goalscorer

• Jacob Mahler (18 years 6 months 6 days) vs Cambodia, 16 October 2018

Oldest goalscorer

• Aleksandar Đurić (42 years 3 months 13 days) vs Malaysia, 25 November 2012

Most goals scored in a single match

• Noh Alam Shah (7 goals) vs Laos, 15 January 2007

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954	Did not enter										Did not enter
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978	Did not qualify										4	2	1	1	5	6
1982											3	0	1	2	1	3
1986											4	0	1	3	2	11
1990											6	2	1	3	12	9
1994											8	5	0	3	12	12
1998											4	0	1	3	2	8
2002											6	0	2	4	3	8
2006											6	1	0	5	3	13
2010											10	5	1	4	17	17
2014											8	1	1	6	8	24
2018											8	3	1	4	9	9
2022											8	2	1	5	7	22
2026											8	2	1	5	8	25
2030	To be determined										To be determined
2034
Total		0/19	–	–	–	–	–	–	—		83	23	12	48	89	167

AFC Asian Cup

Main article: Singapore at the AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956	Withdrew										Withdrew
1960	Did not qualify										2	0	0	2	3	9
1964	Withdrew										Withdrew
1968	Did not qualify										4	0	1	3	2	10
1972	Withdrew										Withdrew
1976	Did not qualify										3	1	0	2	7	3
1980											3	0	0	3	1	11
1984	Group stage	7th	4	1	1	2	3	4	Squad		Qualified as hosts
1988	Withdrew										Withdrew
1992	Did not qualify										3	0	1	2	2	4
1996											6	3	3	0	16	7
2000											3	2	0	1	2	3
2004											8	3	1	4	8	11
2007											5	1	1	3	4	6
2011											6	2	0	4	6	15
2015											6	1	0	5	4	17
2019											14	3	3	8	12	18
2023											11	3	1	7	14	27
2027	Qualification in progress										8	2	1	5	8	25
Total	Group stage	1/18	4	1	1	2	3	4	—		82	21	12	49	89	166

ASEAN Championship

ASEAN Championship record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1996	Group stage	5th	4	2	1	1	7	2	Squad
1998	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	9	2	Squad
2000	Group stage	5th	4	2	0	2	4	2	Squad
2002		6th	3	1	1	1	3	6	Squad
2004	Champions	1st	8	6	2	0	23	10	Squad
2007		1st	7	2	5	0	18	6	Squad
2008	Semi-finals	3rd	5	3	1	1	10	2	Squad
2010	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	3	3	Squad
2012	Champions	1st	7	4	1	2	11	6	Squad
2014	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	6	7	Squad
2016		7th	3	0	1	2	1	3	Squad
2018		6th	4	2	0	2	7	5	Squad
2020	Semi-finals	4th	6	3	1	2	10	8	Squad
2022	Group stage	5th	4	2	1	1	6	6	Squad
2024	Semi-finals	4th	6	2	1	3	8	10	Squad
Total	4 Titles	15/15	72	35	17	20	126	78	—

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1951	Did not enter
1954	Group stage	2	0	1	1	2	7	Squad
1958		2	0	0	2	2	4	Squad
1962	Did not enter
1966	Fourth place	7	2	1	4	11	15	Squad
1970	Did not enter
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990	Group stage	3	1	0	2	7	13	Squad
1994	Did not enter
1998
Since 2002	See Singapore national under-23 football team
Total	Fourth place	14	3	2	9	22	39	—

Southeast Asian Games

Southeast Asian Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1959	Did not enter
1961
1963	Cancelled
1965	Preliminary round	2	0	0	2	1	6
1967	Did not enter
1969
1971	Group stage	2	0	0	2	2	11
1973	Fourth place	4	1	2	1	2	4
1975	Bronze medalists	3	0	2	1	4	5
1977	Group stage	2	0	0	2	1	7
1979		4	1	1	2	4	8
1981	Fourth place	4	1	1	2	5	4
1983	Silver medalists	4	3	0	1	12	3
1985		4	2	1	1	6	4
1987	Group stage	2	0	2	0	0	0
1989	Silver medalists	4	2	1	1	7	4
1991	Bronze medalists	4	2	2	0	4	1
1993		5	3	2	0	16	5
1995		6	3	2	1	11	5
1997	Fourth place	6	2	2	2	6	6
1999		6	3	2	1	8	5
Since 2001	See Singapore national under-23 football team
Total	3 Silver medals	62	23	20	19	89	78

Head-to-head record

Main article: Singapore national football team results

  More wins   Wins equal losses   More losses

As of 18 December 2024 after match against Thailand

Opponent	First	Last	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Confederation
Afghanistan	2015	2021	4	1	1	2	4	5	–1	AFC
Argentina	2017	2017	1	0	0	1	0	6	–6	CONMEBOL
Australia	1967	2008	8	0	1	7	4	22	–22	AFC / OFC
Azerbaijan	2012	2012	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	UEFA
Bahrain	1981	2017	10	1	1	8	5	18	−13	AFC
Bangladesh	1973	2015	4	1	2	1	4	4	0	AFC
Brazil	2008	2008	1	0	0	1	0	3	−3	CONMEBOL
Brunei	1975	2015	24	19	4	1	71	11	60	AFC
Cambodia	1957	2024	20	15	2	3	41	15	26	AFC
Canada	1986	1986	2	0	0	2	0	2	−2	CONCACAF
China	1980	2024	19	3	6	12	17	45	−28	AFC
Chinese Taipei	2011	2024	5	2	0	3	9	9	0	AFC
Denmark	2010	2010	1	0	0	1	1	5	–4	UEFA
Fiji	2018	2018	1	1	0	0	2	0	2	OFC
Finland	1997	1997	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1	UEFA
Germany	1975	1975	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3	UEFA
Ghana	1982	1982	1	0	0	1	0	3	−3	CAF
Guam	2015	2023	3	2	1	0	2	5	1	AFC
Hong Kong	1958	2023	23	6	7	10	28	34	–6	AFC
India	1959	2022	13	7	2	4	19	12	7	AFC
Indonesia	1958	2021	60	18	13	29	76	114	−38	AFC
Iran	1984	2010	3	0	1	2	2	10	−8	AFC
Iraq	1978	2012	6	1	0	5	5	22	−15	AFC
Israel	1958	1958	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	UEFA
Japan	1959	2015	28	3	2	23	21	67	−46	AFC
Jordan	2002	2019	8	1	1	6	6	16	−10	AFC
Kazakhstan	2006	2006	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	UEFA
North Korea	1975	2010	11	2	1	8	10	20	–10	AFC
South Korea	1953	2024	38	2	3	33	22	117	–95	AFC
Kuwait	1973	2022	10	1	3	6	6	18	−12	AFC
Kyrgyzstan	2001	2022	4	0	1	3	3	6	–3	AFC
Laos	1970	2022	13	11	1	1	40	10	30	AFC
Lebanon	1997	2017	5	2	1	2	6	5	1	AFC
Macau	2000	2023	4	3	1	0	6	2	–4	AFC
Malaysia	1958	2023	80	26	22	32	97	121	–24	AFC
Maldives	1996	2022	6	6	0	0	20	4	16	AFC
Mauritius	2018	2018	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	CAF
Mongolia	2018	2018	1	1	0	0	2	0	2	AFC
Morocco	1970	1970	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	CAF
Myanmar	1985	2024	40	19	7	14	77	70	7	AFC
Nepal	1982	1989	3	3	0	0	12	0	12	AFC
Netherlands	1984	1984	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1	UEFA
New Zealand	1967	2001	7	1	1	5	6	13	−7	OFC
Norway	1992	2004	2	0	0	2	2	6	−4	UEFA
Oman	1988	2019	10	1	1	8	7	26	−19	AFC
Pakistan	1981	2012	4	3	0	1	13	2	11	AFC
Palestine	2003	2021	6	3	2	2	10	6	4	AFC
Papua New Guinea	2014	2023	3	2	1	0	6	4	2	OFC
Philippines	1962	2022	25	16	4	5	55	15	45	AFC
Poland	2010	2010	1	0	0	1	1	6	−5	UEFA
Qatar	1984	2019	13	1	1	11	5	30	−25	AFC
Saudi Arabia	1981	2021	11	0	2	9	3	26	−23	AFC
Solomon Islands	2019	2023	2	1	1	0	5	4	1	OFC
Sri Lanka	1972	1979	3	2	0	1	9	6	3	AFC
Sweden	1979	1979	1	0	0	1	0	5	–5	UEFA
Syria	1978	2016	6	2	0	4	7	11	–4	AFC
Tajikistan	2007	2023	4	1	1	2	3	4	-1	AFC
Thailand	1957	2024	69	11	18	40	70	121	−50	AFC
East Timor	2018	2024	3	3	0	0	11	1	10	AFC
Turkmenistan	2009	2017	3	2	1	0	6	4	2	AFC
United Arab Emirates	1982	2007	6	0	1	5	6	15	−11	AFC
Uruguay	2002	2002	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1	CONMEBOL
Soviet Union	1974	1974	2	0	0	2	0	4	−4	UEFA
Uzbekistan	2008	2021	4	0	0	4	4	16	–12	AFC
Vietnam	1954	2022	34	5	12	17	37	58	–21	AFC
Yemen	2019	2019	2	1	1	0	4	3	1	AFC
Yugoslavia	1985	1985	2	0	1	1	1	3	−2	UEFA

Opponent	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goals for	Goals against	Goal difference	% Won	Confederation
All	618	181	115	322	779	1092	–313	29.29%	AFC

Regional record

Last meet up against Southeast Asia countries

Opponents	Date	Score	Outcome	Match type
Brunei	6 June 2015	5−1	Won	Friendly
Cambodia	11 December 2024	2−1	Won	2024 ASEAN Championship
Indonesia	25 November 2021	2−4	Lost	2020 AFF Championship
Laos	27 December 2022	2−0	Won	2022 AFF Championship
Malaysia	20 December 2024	0−0	Draw	2024 ASEAN Championship
Myanmar	14 November 2024	3−2	Won	Friendly
Philippines	29 March 2022	2−0	Won	2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series
Thailand	17 December 2024	2−4	Lost	2024 ASEAN Championship
East Timor	14 December 2024	3−0	Won	2024 ASEAN Championship
Vietnam	26 December 2024	0−2	Lost	2024 ASEAN Championship

Honours

Regional

• ASEAN Championship
  • Champions (4): 1998, 2004, 2007, 2012
  • Third place (1): 2008
• Southeast Asian Games
  • Silver medal (3): 1983, 1985, 1989
  • Bronze medal (4): 1975, 1991, 1993, 1995

Friendly

• AYA Bank Cup
  • Runners-up: 2016
• AirMarine Cup
  • Runners-up: 2019
• Tri-Nation Series
  • Winners: 2022

See also

• Singapore national under-23 football team
• Singapore national youth football team
• Young Lions
• Singapore women's national football team

External links

• Football Association of Singapore (official website)
• Singapore at FIFA
• Singapore at AFC