NO ASIAD FOR YOUNG LIONS AND LIONESSES

FAS will instead 'provide greater exposure' at international level for age-group teams

- Deepanraj Ganesan

The Singapore Under-22 men's football team and women's national team will not participate in the Sept 19-Oct 4 Asian Games in Japan, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has confirmed.

In a media statement on Feb 9 to announce the 2026 schedules of its age-group sides, the FAS said the Republic will not be represented at the Asiad “following the implementation of a qualification criteria by Games organisers that has been validated by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)”.

It added that the 16 men’s teams that competed in the U-23 Asian Cup 2026 in Saudi Arabia in January have automatically qualified for the Asiad, while the women’s tournament will comprise the 12 teams in the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia in March.

During the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in September 2025, the Young Lions finished bottom of their group after losing all three matches to Vietnam, Bangladesh and Yemen.