Football in Singapore
Association football, known more popularly as football, is considered the national sport of Singapore. The country is home to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), the oldest football association in Asia with its roots coming from The Football Association in England. The national teams include the men's, women's and youth. Despite the country having a relatively small population pool, it has generally punched above its weight by successively producing squads that has fiercely competed with much larger and more populated countries in both club and international football.
| Football In Singapore | |
|---|---|
| 1st game | |
| British Engineers XI A vs British Engineers XI B (1889) | |
| Governing body | Football Association of Singapore |
| Top leagues (National Leagues) | Singapore Premier League FAS National Football League FAS Island Wide League FAS Women's Premier League FAS Women's National Football League |
| National Cup | Singapore Cup |
| FA Cup | Singapore FA Cup |
| Season starter | Singapore Community Shield |
| International | |
| 1st international | |
| Singapore 2–3 South Korea (Singapore; 12 April 1953) | |
| Men's team | Singapore |
| Women's team | Singapore ♀ |
| Boys' team (youth) | Singapore U15s & 16s |
| Stadium | National Stadium (Capacity: 55,000) Jalan Besar Stadium (Capacity: 6,000–8,000) |
| International honours | |
| Youth Olympics | Bronze (1) – 2010 (boys' U16) |
| AFF Championship | Gold (4) – 1998, 2004, 2007, 2012 (men's) |
| AFC Women's Cup | Bronze (2) – 1977, 1983 (women's) |
| Lion City Cup | Silver (1) – 2011 (boys' U16) Bronze (1) – 2011 (boys' u15) |
The sport reached one of its highest peaks during the 1980s and 1990s with the Singapore Lions' participation in the Malaysia Cup, whereby they dominated the competition. The Singapore Lions, the team which played in the Malaysia Cup, is not considered as a national team. The Singapore Lions left the Malaysia Cup in 1994, before rejoining the competition in 2012 as the LionsXII until 2015, winning a league title in 2013 and an FA Cup in 2015 in the process.
The men's senior team is one of the strongest national sides in Southeast Asia, being the second most successful team in the AFF Championship with 4 titles, winning in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012. It is also one of the only two national teams in history to have won consecutive titles in the competition. The current champions of Singaporean club football is Lion City Sailors, having won the Singapore Premier League title in the 2021 season.