Since the ASEAN Cup falls outside the official FIFA calendar, clubs have the right to refuse to release their players for the 10 participating national teams.
According to The Straits TimesSingapore will be without center-back Safuwan Baharudin and key striker Ikhsan Fandi. Both currently playing abroad, with Baharudin for Selangor in the Malaysia Super League and Fandi at Thespa Gunma in Japan’s J-League 3.
Safuwan, 35, has been a veteran defender with 133 appearances for Singapore. Fandi, 27, is currently sixth on the national team’s all-time scoring list, boasting 23 goals in 49 matches.
Singapore defender Irfan Fandi during the training camp in Okinawa, Japan, on July 7, 2026. Photo by FAS |
In addition to these absences, goalkeeper Rudy Khairullah and defender Irfan Najeeb are sidelined due to injury. Head coach Gavin Lee, the youngest head coach in the history of the Singapore national team at 35, has called up 39-year-old veteran goalkeeper Ridhuan Barudin and defender Akram Azman as replacements.
Among the 25 players on the current Singapore roster, 10 previously participated in the 2024 ASEAN Cup under Japanese coach Tsutomu Ogura. At that time, Lee served as an assistant coach.
The majority of the called-up squad plays domestically for the country’s two strongest clubs: Lion City Sailors and Tampines Rovers.
Two players are currently in Thailand: center-back Irfan Fandi plays for Port FC, while midfielder Harhys Stewart plays for Chiangrai United.
Fandi, 29, is the eldest son of Singaporean football legend Fandi Ahmad, who leads the national team’s scoring list with 55 goals between 1979 and 1997.
While his younger brother Ikhsan is absent from this tournament, the youngest brother, Ilhan, is ready to fill that position. The striker, born in 2002, has scored six goals in 25 appearances for the national team and is expected to partner with 35-year-old forward Shawal Anuar.
Harhys Stewart, a midfielder born in 2001 who is of Welsh descent, joins his older brother Ryhan, who plays right-back for the national team.
Singapore’s roster also feature two naturalized midfielders: Japanese-born Kyoga Nakamura and South Korean-born Song Ui-young.
Coach Lee has also given chances to three U20 players: defenders Raoul Suhaimi and Luth Harith, along with striker Nathan Mao.
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Midfielders Song Ui-yong, Hariss Harun (back row from left), and forward Ilhan Fandi at Singapore national team’s training camp in Okinawa, Japan, on July 7, 2026. Photo by FAS |
To prepare for the 2026 ASEAN Cup, Singapore underwent a training camp in Japan from July 6 to 17.
Coach Lee designed the camp to help his players get used to playing strong opponents, adapt to short breaks between matches and intense physical and mental pressure.
“Throughout the camp, we spoke about owning the discomfort rather than avoiding it,” Lee told The Straits Times. “Those experiences have helped prepare us for what’s ahead and, more importantly, allowed us to continue developing the behaviours and identity that we want this team to be known for.”
Singapore kicked off their 2026 ASEAN Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory against hosts Cambodia at Morodok Stadium on July 24.
Following their opener, the team will host Timor-Leste on July 27, travel to face defending champions Vietnam on Aug. 3 and conclude the group stage at home against Indonesia on Aug. 7.
Singapore’s main opponents in the group are Indonesia and Vietnam. Historically, Singapore have struggled against Vietnam, recording nine losses, nine draws and only four victories. Their most recent win against Vietnam was a 1-0 win in the 1998 Tiger Cup (now ASEAN Cup) final.
Singapore have won the ASEAN Cup four times, in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012. However, their recent tournament record has been less dominant, reaching the semifinals only twice in the last six editions.
In the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Singapore were eliminated in the semifinals by Vietnam, suffering 0-2 and 1-3 defeats over the two legs.
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