Korea, Hong Kong and Cambodia battle for honours in inaugural girls’ Lion City Cup tournament that will run alongside boys’ competition

SINGAPORE, 26 JUNE 2025 – The Lion City Cup, Asia’s most storied youth football tournament, returns from 8 to 13 July 2025, with a historic milestone — the launch of its first-ever Girls’ Under-16 tournament. The girls’ tournament will feature national youth teams from Cambodia, Korea Republic, as well as Hong Kong, China.  

The boys’ tournament will see Cambodia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and host nation Singapore compete for honours in a week of high-level youth football.  

Both tournaments will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium.  

Organised by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in collaboration with Seventy7 Sports, the 29th edition of the Lion City Cup marks an exciting evolution for the prestigious youth tournament, reflecting Singapore’s continued investment in developing both boys’ and girls’ football at the elite youth level.  

“This year’s edition marks an exciting new chapter in the Lion City Cup story. We are excited to have our girls involved in what is an important platform to showcase their ability to Singapore,” said FAS General Secretary Chew Chun-Liang. “Introducing the Girls’ tournament not only raises the profile of the women’s game here, it also ensures that the Lion City Cup remains at the forefront of regional youth development.”  

The Lion City Cup girls’ tournament is also supported by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Enhance Programme. 

A tournament that inspired the world  

First staged in 1977, the Lion City Cup was the world’s first international youth football tournament for national teams, widely recognised as the inspiration behind the FIFA Under-16 World Championship (now the FIFA Under-17 World Cup), which was introduced in 1985.  

Over the years, the Lion City Cup has welcomed youth teams from top global clubs including Juventus, Arsenal, Liverpool, Flamengo, and Ajax, offering a launchpad for players who would become football stars and a showcase of future talent. 

A Singapore legacy  

Singapore teams have produced many memorable moments throughout the history of a tournament that has provided a platform to launch many a storied career, including that of a young Fandi Ahmad who jumped from the youth team into the senior Lions’ side ahead of the famous 1980 Malaysia Cup win.  

In more recent times Lions stalwarts the likes of Hariss Harun, Safuwan Baharudin and Izwan Mahbud all played in the tournament before going on to don the Singapore jersey.  

Fixture details 

Ticketing details 

Ticket sales for the tournament will commence on Thursday, 26 June 2025 at 5pm, and will be available for purchase through Ticketek and the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) official website (http://fas.org.sg/tickets). 

Tickets are priced at $12 for adults and $6 for concession. Each matchday will feature two matches, and a single ticket will grant entry to both. 

Concession rates apply to students aged 16 and below with valid Student Concession Cards, as well as senior citizens aged 60 and above with valid Senior Citizen Concession Cards. 

These prices apply to both home and away fans. Away fans are advised to purchase tickets in their designated away zones, which are segmented by country. 

Fans planning to attend more than one matchday can take advantage of special bundles, with three adult tickets available for $28 (22% discount) when purchasing either the Boys or Girls Tournament Bundle, and six adult tickets available for $50 (31% discount) when purchasing the Full Tournament Bundle.  

All ticket prices exclude booking fees and each patron is allowed a maximum of 10 tickets per transaction. Fans may make multiple transactions if they wish to purchase more tickets. 

In addition to online sales, tickets may also be purchased on matchday at the stadium, but this is strictly subject to availability. The ticketing booth, located at the North Gate entrance, will operate on matchdays from 2pm to 9.15pm. Fans, however, are highly encouraged to purchase their tickets early and via the online sales channel to avoid queues – and possible disappointment – on matchday.