SINGAPORE, April 17 — Singapore Premier League side Lion City Sailors FC made national history yesterday by becoming the first local team to reach the final of a continental tournament, after qualifying for the AFC Champions League 2 final.
Despite a 0-1 defeat to Sydney FC in the second leg, the Sailors advanced 2-1 on aggregate thanks to a surprise 2-0 victory over the Australian club earlier this month.
With the East region team set to host the final on May 18, fans are now left wondering: where will the match with United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah FC be held?
Ordinarily, a match of this scale would be played at the 55,000-capacity National Stadium in Kallang. However, the venue has already been booked for the Asia stop of Lady Gaga’s The Mayhem Ball tour on May 18, 19, 21, and 24.
As a result, the Sailors may have to host the final at Jalan Besar Stadium (JBS), where they previously defeated Sydney FC. The venue, however, accommodates just over 7,000 spectators.
According to The Straits Times, Asian Football Confederation officials will meet with representatives from the Football Association of Singapore to assess whether JBS meets the tournament’s hosting requirements.
Bishan Stadium — the Sailors’ home ground since 2023 — is also under consideration, although it holds just over 6,000 fans.
Back in December 2024, Singaporean fans were already left frustrated when the national team had to play Vietnam in the Asean Football Championship semi-final at JBS, as the National Stadium was booked for local singer-songwriter JJ Lin’s two-night concert just days later.
Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong later explained in a written parliamentary reply that this was due to the competition’s original dates being set from November 23 to December 21, rather than starting on December 26.
Fans on Reddit community r/singapore have since floated suggestions, including playing the final at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium — the home ground of Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta’zim across the Causeway.
Located in Iskandar Puteri, Sultan Ibrahim Stadium has a capacity of 40,000.
JBS is currently the home ground of local development club Young Lions, but is also shared with three other Singapore Premier League clubs: Hougang United, BG Tampines Rovers, and Geylang International.
