The Singapore Men’s National Team at the National Stadium, 6 June 2024
SINGAPORE, 4 NOVEMBER 2024 – Tsutomu Ogura’s Lions will kick off their 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup (ME Cup) Group A campaign at the 55,000-seater Singapore National Stadium on 11 December 2024 against Cambodia. They will also face defending champions Thailand on 17 December on home soil.
Group A comprises Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Timor Leste.
Head Coach Tsutomu Ogura and the Lions in Japan, 14 October 2024
Ogura’s charges have been hard at work in preparation for the ME Cup. They returned from a testing training tour of Japan three weeks ago, playing three matches against J1 League clubs. Singapore will next host Myanmar and Chinese Taipei at the National Stadium in two international ‘A’ friendlies on 14 and 18 November respectively.
“The players are fully committed to our cause, that much is clear from what I have seen from the team during our Japan training tour,” said Ogura who led the Lions against FC Tokyo, Tokyo Verdy, and Yokohama F. Marinos.
“We are getting closer to delivering the kind of football I want from the team. There is still more to do, but I am convinced that we are all pulling in the same direction.
“I hope Singapore fans continue to show the support that we have witnessed for all our national teams in recent times – that kind of energy from the stands will boost our drive for success at the ME Cup.”
Lions’ midfielder Glenn Kweh poses for a selfie with fans, 6 June 2024
The ME Cup will take place from 8 December 2024 to 5 January 2025. The Lions will play their home group-stage matches at the National Stadium. Should they qualify for the semi-finals and final, the matches will be played at an alternative venue.
Originally announced to run from 23 November 2024 to 21 December 2024, this late change in tournament schedule by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) on 27 August 2024 has impacted operational, logistical and scheduling plans, including players training, local league schedule and venue availability.
The National Stadium had been booked for the full duration of the tournament based on the original dates. Two other major events were confirmed for the final week of December 2024 and in early January 2025 before AFF announced the new dates in August (8 December 2024 – 5 January 2025). These events include Mayday’s concerts in January where tickets have been on sale since July 2024 and another major concert that will be announced this week.
After being made aware of the new ME Cup dates, venue partner Kallang Alive Sport Management made every effort to deconflict schedules at late notice but were not able to reschedule these major events as lead time is needed for pitch preparation and set-up between events.
ME Cup match details and ticketing information will be announced soon. For updates, please follow FAS’ social media platforms across Facebook, Instagram, and X.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
