The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS)
To date, the most significant successes of the team have come in the regional AFF Suzuki Cup (formerly known as the 'Tiger Cup'), which Singapore has won three times in 1998, 2005 and 2007. In 1998, Singapore beat Vietnam 1–0 in the final to capture the country's first major international football title. In the 2004-5 competition, Singapore defeated Indonesia in a two-leg final 5–2 on aggregate. Singapore successfully retained the trophy in 2007, beating Thailand 3–2 on aggregate in the final.
In the 2007 Asian Cup qualifiers, Singapore became the only team to beat Iraq en route to their Asian Cup winning campaign. Singapore also drew with China 0–0 and 1–1 at home in 2006 and 2009 respectively. In March 2008, Australia also failed to beat Singapore when the game ended in a goalless draw.
In the FIFA World Rankings, Singapore's highest standing was in the first release of the figures, in August 1993, at 73rd. Singapore was the Asian Football Confederation's 'Mover of the Year' in 2005.
In January 2007, Singapore achieved a national record 11–0 win against Laos in an ASEAN Football Championship match. Mohd Noh Alam Shah scored 7 goals in the match.
Singapore's main rival on the international stage is their geographical neighbour, Malaysia, and past matches between these two teams have produced much drama.
Over the years, Singapore has included several naturalised citizens in its team. Currently, the squad consists of Aleksandar Đurić and Mustafic Fahrudin from Yugoslavia, Daniel Bennett from England, Shi Jiayi and Qiu Li from China.
The most successful football club in Singapore is Singapore Armed Forces FC.
History
1892–1994
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 – this team included some foreign players – many Singapore football fans viewed the Malaysia Cup side as being the national team, and the team's exploits in the Malaysian competitions generally drew much more attention than Singapore's participation in other international tournaments. They either won or were runners up in the event every year until 1941, after which it was suspended because of World War II.
In all, Singapore won 24 Malaysia Cup titles and 2 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, and have not been involved since. 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.
1995–1999
Singapore won the bronze medal in the 1995 Southeast Asian Games, after losing 1–0 in the semi-finals to the hosts and eventual gold medalists, Thailand. Singapore hosted the 1996 Tiger Cup 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 1–0 in the third-place match.
However in the 1998 edition of the Tiger Cup, 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.
2000–2002
Jan B. Poulsen, who was part of the Danish backroom staff in the 1998 World Cup, was appointed the Technical Director of the Football Association of Singapore in 1999. However, due to poor results by Singapore in the 2000 Tiger Cup, coach Vincent Subramaniam was sacked and Poulsen took over as coach in 2001. Singapore hosted the 2002 Tiger Cup, but lost 4–0 to arch-rivals Malaysia in their first game.
Singapore went on to win 2–1 over Laos, but a 1–1 draw in the final group game against Thailand wasn't enough to reach the knock-out stages and so Poulsen was sacked.
2003–2004 (Tiger Cup)
Radojko Avramovic took over as coach of the flailing and deflated Singapore national football team in 2003. Singapore started the 2004 Tiger Cup 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 the qualify for the semi-finals.
Singapore were drawn with 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 Singapore went on to win 4–2 after extra time to clinch a win 8 -5 on aggregrate.
Singapore then won the first leg of the two-legged final against Indonesia 3–1 in Jakarta, before winning 2–1 (5–2 on aggregrate) in the second leg in front of a 55,000 home crowd.
2007 Asian Cup Qualifiers
In 2006, Avramovic then led Singapore into the 2007 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 4–2 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 fulfill the fixture.2007 AFF Suzuki Cup
In 2007, For the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship, Singapore hosted the group stage. After a 0–0 draw with Vietnam, Singapore then trashed 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, and then secured a 1–1 draw in Bangkok thanks to a late strike from Khairul Amri to retain the ASEAN Football Championship trophy.
2008 AFF Suzuki Cup
In 2008, For the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup held in Indonesia and Thailand, Singapore was drawn in Group A to meet co-hosts Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia. Singapore progressed from the group, topping the table. However, they lost out to eventual winners Vietnam, 1–0 on aggregate.2010 World Cup Qualifiers
Singapore met Palestine in first round of the FIFA World Cup 2010 Asian Qualifying. Singapore won the first leg 4–0 away in Doha, and the Palestinians again failed to fulfill 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 group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2010 Asian Qualifying 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 2–0 to the Saudis at home. Singapore finished third in the group with six points from six games after defeating Lebanon 2–1 in Beirut in their final game.
2011 Asian Cup Qualification
For the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Singapore was drawn in Group E, together with Iran, Thailand and Jordan. Singapore were beaten 6–0 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 3–1, and a 2–1 defeat against Jordan ended their hopes of Asian Cup football in 2011.2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
In 2010, Singapore drew with the Philippines 1–1, defeated Myanmar 2–1, then duly lost to Vietnam 1–0 in the knockout stage decider. As a result, the Singapore national footbal team was knocked out in group stage in Hanoi. The lions were criticised for their dismal performance in the Suzuki Cup, which they won in 1998, 2004, and 2007.2011 – present
In Jan 2011, The Football Association of Singapore decided to disband & revamp the national team. 6 months later, The Lions were back in action after the dismal performances in 2010 (in which The Lions was knocked out of the group stage in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup). In May 2011, National team coach Raddy Avramovic announced the new 33-strong (men) national provisional squad for the upcoming international friendlies and 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The Lions were scheduled to play international friendies against Maldives on 7 June 2011 and Laos on 18 July 2011.Few days after releasing the provisional 33-men squad, national team training started in preparation of the match against Maldives. Avramovic 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, a closed-door friendly match against Etoile FC (of the S.League) was played at the Jalan Besar Stadium, in which the Lions were triumphant, with goals from Aleksandar Duric and Qiu Li sealing the 2–1 win. Less than a week later before the World Cup qualifier, a last preparation friendly match was played against Chinese Taipei. Eventually, Singapore won the match 3-2 with goals from Aleksandar Duric, Shi Jiayi and Fazrul Nawaz.
2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier (Asian Qualifier)
Singapore received a bye to the second round by the football governing body due to them reaching the third round of the qualification process in 2007 (for the World Cup in South Africa). A causeway clash as Singapore met Malaysia national football team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification second round in the first leg. Singapore won Malaysia national football team 5–3 in the first leg of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (Asian Zone) second round goals from Singapore Aleksandar Duric, Qiu Li, Mustafic Fahrudin and Shi Jiayi . The 2nd leg was held at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil on 28 July 2011. The match ended 1–1 as Shi Jiayi scored the important goal in the second half to send Singapore through to the 3rd Round of Asian Zone World Cup 2014 Qualifying for the 2nd time in succession.This is the procedure/match report of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (Asian Qualifier) Round 2 :
| 23 July 2011 19:30 UTC+8 | Singapore  | 5 – 3 |  Malaysia | Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Đurić  7', 81'Qiu Li 22'Fahrudin 44'Shi Jiayi 45+1' | Report | Safee 1', 71' Abdul Hadi 70' |
| 28 July 2011 20:45 UTC+8 | Malaysia | 1 – 1 | Singapore | National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Hiroyoshi Takayama (Japan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safee 58' | Report | Shi Jiayi 73' |
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 qualifier. Group A includes Jordan, Iraq and China.
Singapore Under-23's team
After being drawn with Yemen for the Olympic football qualifiers, Coach Raddy Avramovic drew up a provisional squad and they played a friendly with the Malaysian U-23's at the Jalan Besar stadium, with the score ending 2–0 to Malaysia. They then faced Yemen, where they lost 3–0 in two legs. After the loss, The Singapore national under-23's team needed to focus on the upcoming 2011 SEA Games in November 2011. Thus, Coach Raddy Avramovic led the under-23 team to Sydney, Australia for a training stint.
The Singapore under-23's team lost to the Australia Olympic Team 6–0 on 14 June 2011. Singapore under-23 team were due to play another friendly against Australian club Central Coast Lightning, but the match was cancelled due to bad weather. On 27 July 2011, Singapore Under-23 team secured a 1–0 win over Myanmar Under-23 in an International Friendly match.
Singapore U15 and U16 team
Singapore has an U15 and U16 team, merged to form the Singapore national youth football team, and the team has won the bronze for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics football event, and got runners-up and second-runners up for the 2011 Lion City Cup.
Following that, the U15 team went to the ASEAN Football Federation U16 Tournament Champions 2011 and got fourth placing after a 2–0 defeat by Thailand U16 side in the semi-final.
Kits
2011 Singapore Home Jersey
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 ASEAN Football Championship, the national team's colours reverted back to blue as its home kit and white as the other kit.
Singapore Away Kit 2011–2012
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 ASEAN Football 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.
On 13 February 2008, a leaked photo from a photo shoot surfaced on the internet showing the unreleased kit showing national captain, Indra Sahdan Daud modelling the kit with Hariss Harun. The new kit was officially announced on 20 March 2008, featuring tight-fit jerseys 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.
In November 2010, Nike Singapore launched a new football kit for Singapore, specially made for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. 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.
Home stadium
From 1932, until the Kallang 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 Kallang National Stadium.
View from The Float at Marina Bay Grandstand
Since the start of 2004, Singapore has played its home matches in 5 different stadiums all over Singapore.
- Kallang National Stadium
- Jalan Besar Stadium
- Choa Chu Kang Stadium
- Jurong West Stadium
- Jurong East Stadium
FIFA World Cup
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1930 –  1974 | Did not enter | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 1978 –  2010 | Did not qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 2014 | [To be determined] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 2018 | [To be determined] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
 2022 | [To be determined] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Asian Cup record
- 1956 – Did not enter
- 1960 – Did not qualify
- 1964 – Did not enter
- 1968 – Did not qualify
- 1972 – Did Not qualify
- 1976 to 1980 – Did not qualify
- 1984 – Round 1
- 1988 – Did not enter
- 1992 to 2011 – Did not qualify
This competition was formerly known as the Tiger Cup / AFF Suzuki Cup
- 1996 – Group Stage
- 1998 – Champions
- 2000 – Group Stage
- 2002 – Group Stage
- 2004 – Champions
- 2007 – Champions
- 2008 – Semi Final
- 2010 – Group Stage
- 1951 – Did not enter
- 1954 – Group stage
- 1958 – Group stage
- 1962 – Did not enter
- 1966 – 4th
- 1970 to 1986 – Did not enter
- 1990 – Group stage
- 1994 to 1998 – Did not enter
- *Under-23 tournament since 2002
- 1959 to 1961 – Did not enter
- 1963 – Cancelled
- 1965 – Preliminary round
- 1967 to 1969 – Did not enter
- 1971 – Group stage
- 1973 – 4th
- 1975 – 3rd
- 1977 – Group Stage
- 1979 – Preliminary Round
- 1981 – 1st
- 1983 – 1st
- 1985 – 2nd
- 1987 – Group Stage
- 1989 – 2nd
- 1991 – 3rd
- 1993 – 3rd
- 1995 – 3rd
- 1997 – 1st
- 1999 – 1st
- *Under-23 tournament since 2001
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