SINGAPORE, 9 DECEMBER 2025 – The Jalan Besar Stadium hosted some of the region’s best clubs in the Shopee Cup when it reopened earlier this month following re-turfing works. And the stadium will start to hold domestic football matches later this month as the home stadium for Singapore Premier League (SPL) sides Lion City Sailors and Young Lions.
The Sailors will play the second leg of their Singapore Cup semi-final against Balestier Khalsa at Jalan Besar on Saturday, 20 December, with the Young Lions stepping out onto the stadium’s natural turf in January 2026.
As part of the move, Hougang United, who were originally slated to play at Jalan Besar in the SPL, will instead play their home matches at Bishan Stadium.
The switch of the Jalan Besar Stadium pitch to a natural playing surface – for the first time since 2005 – makes the stadium now compliant with latest Asian Football Confederation (AFC) requirements. The AFC announced earlier this year that to improve the quality of play at its competitions, it is implementing a natural surface-only policy for its major national team and club competitions.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) will utilise Jalan Besar to host all home games of SPL clubs participating in regional and continental club competitions such as the Shopee Cup and the AFC Champions League Two.
BG Tampines was the first team to play at Jalan Besar in a 3-2 win over Thai side BG Pathum United on 3 December.
The FAS will continue to work with all clubs, Sport Singapore, and the AFC to ensure a smooth transition and to uphold the standards expected of competition venues.
