Singapore return to Asian Cup after 43 years

Before Matchday 5 in Group C of the final qualifying round, Singapore and Hong Kong were tied at the top with eight points each. Whichever team won at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong would secure early qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup. The decisive nature of the match helped nearly fill the 50,000-seat Kai Tak, with 47,762 spectators in attendance, including around 2,000 Singapore supporters.

Home fans had reason to celebrate early. In the 15th minute, Camargo crossed from the right and Matt Orr slipped between Hariss Harun and Harhys Stewart to head in the opener.

Hong Kong then dropped back to defend and counterattack, leaving Singapore struggling to find a breakthrough. But in adversity, the visitors pulled off a four-minute comeback between the 64th and 68th minutes.

From just outside the box, substitute striker Ilhan Fandi chipped the ball into the area, where Shawal Anuar seemingly appeared from nowhere to loft it over goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng from a tight left angle to equalize. Minutes later, Fandi himself struck with his left foot from near the edge of the box to seal a 2-1 win and send Singapore to Saudi Arabia in 2027.

After five matches, Singapore have 11 points, three ahead of Hong Kong and holding the head-to-head advantage (a 2-1 win and a 0-0 draw), with only one game remaining. Bangladesh and India are both eliminated, each with just two points.

Singapore's The Strait Times called the qualification the Lions' "biggest achievement in Singapore history" "after all the years of underachievement, unrealistic dreams, heartbreaks and false dawns."

Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam sent his congratulations and gratitude to the players for making history.

"After years of heartbreak, the Lions have qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time on performance," he wrote on Facebook. "Great recovery after Hong Kong took the lead in the first half, thanks to two goals in quick succession by Shawal Anuar and Ilhan Fandi. And thanks to all the Lions for skillful team play and guts in front of an overwhelming home crowd at Kai Tak Stadium."

A photo shared by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Facebook shows Ilhan Fandi (number 19) celebrating after scoring for Singapore against Hong Kong at the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, Nov. 18, 2025. Photo by Sean Kok/Grandstand Singapore

The last time Singapore played in the Asian Cup was in 1984 as hosts, bowing out in the group stage. They have not qualified for any major continental or global tournament since. They came close to reaching the 1996 and 2011 Asian Cups but missed out in the final match on both occasions.

Singaporean football has stagnated since winning the AFF Cup (now the ASEAN Cup) in 2012. Since then, they have reached the Southeast Asian championship semifinals just twice, in 2020 and 2024, and earned a SEA Games bronze in 2013.

Singapore is now the second Southeast Asian country, after Indonesia, to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. Other regional teams still in contention include the Philippines (Group A), Thailand (Group D), Malaysia, and Vietnam (Group F). History has never seen five Southeast Asian teams at the Asian Cup. In 2007 and 2023, the region had four representatives: Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

With an area of 728 square kilometers, Singapore will be the smallest country by land area at the 2027 Asian Cup. Meanwhile, Bahrain will be the least populous nation at the tournament, with roughly 1.4 million people.