SINGAPORE, 25 JUNE 2025 – Singapore football is set for a busy second half of 2025, with the senior Lions and Lionesses battling to qualify for continental competitions, and the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand this December rounding up the football calendar.
Young players in the various boys and girls age groups, are also gearing up for competitions, with some of these tournaments hosted locally.
Upcoming senior competitions
The Lions, led by captain Hariss Harun, are currently leading Group C of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers, with a double-header against India on 9 October (home) and 14 October (away), and an away game against Hong Kong, China on 18 November 2025 still to come in 2025.
The Republic’s Lionesses were originally scheduled to travel to the Jordanian capital of Amman last week for their AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Qualifiers from 23 June to 5 July, where they had been drawn into Group A alongside hosts Jordan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon and Bhutan.
However, due to the ongoing situation in the region and logistical concerns raised by several Participating Member Associations (PMAs), the AFC has announced that Group A matches will be postponed. The matches are now tentatively set for 7 to 19 July. The AFC has emphasised its intention to complete all qualification matches ahead of the final tournament draw on 29 July 2025.
The senior Lionesses – along with the Men’s Under-22 side – are also poised to fly the flag at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, in a packed 2025 international schedule for the Lionesses.
Commitment to AFC competitions
With a packed football calendar, this has seen a prioritisation of tournaments taking into consideration clashing tournament dates, team readiness, and a broader commitment to AFC competitions.
The Women’s senior, Under-19, and Under-16 National Teams will participate in their respective AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Additionally, the senior team will compete in the SEA Games, while the U16 team will take part in the ASEAN U16 Girls’ Championship.
The FAS had earlier announced that Women’s National Team will not participate in the ASEAN Women’s Championship, scheduled for 6-19 August in Vietnam as it overlaps directly with the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers (2-10 August). This decision was made following careful consideration of tournament priorities, player welfare, and preparations for key AFC competitions.
The Republic’s Under-22 Men’s team – most of whom ply their trade with the Young Lions in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) – will be returning to pre-season training after the 2024/25 Singapore Premier League season that ended in May and will sit out the ASEAN U23 Men’s Championships in July.
The players have endured an unusually long season – that kicked off with a pre-season tournament in February 2024 – with the SPL moving to the European calendar. Participation in July’s ASEAN U23 Championships will see an unsustainable situation of the players going without an extended break before the new SPL season kicks off in mid-August.
The team will instead participate in the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers from 1 to 9 September, and focus on gearing up towards the 2025 SEA Games.
Lion City Cup returns with inaugural girls’ tournament
While the seniors are representing the country on the continent, Singapore will for the first time host a girls’ edition of the Lion City Cup this year. This will run alongside the boys’ tournament, which will take place from 8 to 13 July, at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The Republic will be represented by the National Under-16 sides in both competitions, with ticketing details to be announced soon.
Coaching and staff appointments
Lion City Sailors’ coaches Ashraf Ariffin and Yeong Sheau Shyan will lead the U16 boys and the U16 girls’ teams respectively in the Lion City Cup. The teams will kick start preparations in the week ahead.
Ashraf has guided several youth teams on successful overseas training camps, playing a key role in the club’s development pathway. He is now the Sailors’ Academy Manager, overseeing the next phase of youth development at the club.
“I’m confident that with the right approach, preparation and discipline, Singapore’s own young footballers will be able to compete with the best in the region,” said Ashraf. “We have some exciting talent coming through the ranks and this tournament is a platform for them to showcase their abilities. Results are important of course, but what will be most important is the team growth and individual development during the tournament.”
Yeong, who won back to back Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles with the Sailors in 2022 and 2023, said: “We are making headway in improving the women’s game here, and I’m delighted that we are expanding the space to include our young girls, and provide them an opportunity to compete at this level, in front of their family and friends. I’m looking forward to putting in the work to prepare our girls to grab that opportunity with both hands.
“Despite their tender age, some of our players already have a couple of seasons’ experience in the WPL and I look forward to them displaying their quality in the Lion City Cup,” she added.
FAS Deputy President Desmond Ong outlined the thinking behind the move to tap on the Sailors’ coaching bullpen.
“They’re there because they’re the best in class here, and the Sailors had the resources to bring them to the club,” said the former BG Tampines Rovers Chairman. “If they can do with our national teams what they have done with their own teams, we should lean on them so we can get our teams up to a competitive level quickly, then build from there.”
Firdaus Kassim has joined the Football Association of Singapore as Head Coach of the Men’s U22 side, and is tasked to lead the team into the SPL where they will compete under the banner of the Young Lions – and the 2025 SEA Games in December.
He will be supported by Team Manager, Hafiz Sujad, a former Singapore International. He won the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia FA Cup with the now-defunct LionsXII.
“My current goal right now is to develop the players to a level where they can compete in every game,” explained Firdaus. “The vision from the management, from the current leadership to see beyond what is happening in the next six months or one or two years – I’m really confident that my coaching staff and I will be able to push Singapore football to a better level.”
