Twenty-five Lions embark on critical mission in first round of World Cup & Asian Cup Qualifiers

Winner over two-legged playoff will face China, South Korea and Thailand in Round Two

SINGAPORE, 2 OCTOBER 2023 – The Singapore Men’s National Team has been named ahead of the vital first round qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

The Lions will play Guam at the Singapore National Stadium on Thursday 12 October 2023 at 7.30pm (Singapore time). The return leg takes place five days later at the GFA National Training Center in Harmon, Guam.

National Team Head Coach Takayuki Nishigaya has elected to retain the bulk of the squad which were called up for the September international window. Farhan Zulkifli is back in the senior setup since earning his first and only cap so far against Malaysia in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 at the start of the year. Another boost to the squad is the return of Ilhan Fandi, who has been out of action for nine months out due to a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The forward has been undergoing rehabilitation programmes with his Belgium club KMSK Deinze during this time, and will be raring to go once match fit.

Ryhan Stewart is forced to miss out after sustaining a hamstring injury during BG Pathum’s opening AFC Champions League match on 19 September. The full back is expected to be on the sidelines for approximately four weeks. Fellow defender Irfan Fandi will join him after suffering a setback in his bid to fully recover from a calf injury which he initially sustained while on club duty back in August. His younger brother Ikhsan is still progressing with his rehabilitation from a knee injury.

Nishigaya called on the players to put everything on the line in their bid to qualify for the second round: “The players know that they have to treat these next two games as cup finals. Qualification to Round 2 will earn us a chance not just to play against some of the biggest teams in Asian football, but also gives us the opportunity to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. Against Guam, we are playing in Singapore first and have to utilise the home ground advantage with the support of all of our fans.”

The Lions will begin reporting for centralised training from 6 October as they begin preparations for the two legs.

Match Tickets on sale

Ticket sales for the first leg are currently ongoing and can be purchased via the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) website (https://www.fas.org.sg/tickets/) as well as Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg). The early bird promotion period has been extended till 8 October 2023, during which fans will have the opportunity to purchase adult tickets at a discounted price of S$15 each, while concession tickets will be available for only S$6 each, using the promo code ‘MAJULAH’ at checkout. Following the conclusion of this promotion, ticket prices will revert to S$20 for adults and S$10 for concessions. Each person is allowed to purchase a maximum of twelve tickets per transaction, across any category.

Match tickets may also be purchased onsite at the Singapore Sports Hub Box Office located at Kallang Wave Mall, on match day from 2:30 pm until 8:45 pm; however, this will be strictly subject to availability. Hence, fans are highly encouraged to purchase their tickets early and via the online sales channel to avoid the queues on match day.

National Team Jersey Promotion

Fans who have yet to get the official Singapore National Team jerseys now have double reason to make the purchase. As part of the buildup to the home match against Guam, fans will be able to buy the current jerseys as well as the previous 2020 jerseys at substantial discounts off the original retail price of S$115, from the official FAS e-Store (https://store.fas.org.sg/) by using the promo code “ROAR23” when making payment. Each jersey purchase between now and 8 October will entitle fans to two complimentary adult match tickets for the home game against Guam on 12 October 2023.

Singapore Men’s National Team Squad for October 2023

*Abovementioned ticket prices exclude $1 ticketing fee. 

** Concession tickets are only applicable to Students aged 16 and below with valid Student Concession
Cards and Senior Citizens aged 60 and above with valid Senior Citizen Concession Card.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

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