The Lions will be looking to end their hoodoo against rivals Thailand on Aug 15 and 18, when they go up against the record seven-time champions in the 2026 ASEAN Championship’s two-legged semi-finals.
The War Elephants secured top spot in Group B on Aug 8 with a 2-0 win over Myanmar, amassing a maximum 12 points with four wins in as many games – they have scored 10 goals, while conceding none.
The Lions will play at home on Aug 15 before the away match three days later at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.
The home fixture will be played at the 6,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium. The Kallang Group confirmed on Aug 9 that it would not be possible to stage the semi-final first leg at the 55,000-seater National Stadium as it requires 2½ weeks to dismantle the National Day Parade set-up and get the pitch ready.
Reacting to the match-up after the final standings of Group B were confirmed on Aug 8, Lions head coach Gavin Lee said: “It’s never easy against Thailand, they are always a team with quality. Not forgetting that they have a strong history in this competition. It will definitely be close and intense.
“Thailand have shown that they have a depth of quality. They have a squad composed of next-generation talent guided by experienced senior players, and they have shown that with positive results from all four group games.”
Singapore’s Causeway rivals Malaysia also booked a berth in the last four after a 1-0 victory over the Philippines in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 8. They will face Group A leaders Vietnam in the semi-finals on Aug 16 and 19.
The final will also be held over two legs on Aug 22 and 26.
On Aug 7, the Lions delivered an early birthday gift for Singapore ahead of the nation’s 61st National Day celebrations. The 1-1 draw with Indonesia saw an unbeaten Singapore side finish second in Group A and progress to the last four of the ASEAN Championship.
World No. 148 Singapore defeated Cambodia (2-1) and Timor-Leste (2-0), before holding Vietnam to a 0-0 draw at My Dinh National Stadium.
In the 2024 edition, Thailand and Singapore met at the group stage, with the Thais securing a 4-2 win at the National Stadium. The Thais advanced to the final before succumbing 5-3 over two legs to Vietnam.
The 94th-ranked Thais have dominated the head-to-head record against the Lions, winning all of the last 10 meetings. Their most recent victory came in November 2025, when they edged Singapore 3-2 in an international friendly in Thailand.
When asked about the head-to-head record, Mr Lee said: “That statistic just paints the context of the challenge ahead but it doesn’t change our approach and mentality. As a team, we recognise that the strength of our team is the team. We have grown in this competition, and the trust and belief definitely have deepened.”
The Lions’ last win over Thailand came in the first leg of the 2012 ASEAN Championship final when Singapore took a 3-1 advantage into the second leg.
Thailand won the return leg 1-0, but the Lions held on to claim their fourth and most recent regional title.
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