National Stadium, Singapore

Ownership and management

The stadium was developed as part of the Singapore Sports Hub under a public-private partnership between Sport Singapore and SportsHub Pte Ltd. Under the agreement, SportsHub Pte Ltd was engaged to design, build, finance and operate the wider Sports Hub, while Sport Singapore made annual payments after the facility opened.^[14] The partnership was originally due to expire in 2035, but in June 2022 the government announced that Sport Singapore would take over ownership and management of the Sports Hub early.^[14] The handover was completed on 9 December 2022, with Kallang Alive Sport Management Co Pte Ltd taking over management of the precinct.^[15]

The government said the takeover was intended to make the Sports Hub more accessible for community, sporting and entertainment use, while keeping it commercially sustainable.^[16] In November 2025, the wider Singapore Sports Hub precinct was renamed The Kallang, with management rebranded as The Kallang Group.^[17]

Architecture and climate response

The stadium was designed by Arup, DP Architects and AECOM as part of the wider 35-hectare Sports Hub masterplan.^[21] DP Architects described the project as a sports-driven urban precinct intended to remain active even when major events are not being held, combining elite sport with daily public use and waterfront activity.^[21] The stadium's roof and surrounding promenade provide shade and rain protection, while adjacent retail and community spaces link it to the other venues in the precinct.^[5][21]

A key engineering feature is the stadium's use of targeted spectator cooling rather than conventional whole-volume air-conditioning. Cool air is supplied to seating areas, creating localised comfort pockets around spectators and reducing energy use compared with overhead cooling systems for a venue of similar scale.^[5][22]

Playing surface

The stadium initially used Desso GrassMaster, which consists of natural grass interwoven with synthetic fibres, as its playing surface.^[23] After problems with the pitch's quality culminated in the New Zealand All Blacks cancelling a rugby match at the stadium during a November 2014 tour because of safety concerns,^[24] in May 2015 the GrassMaster surface was replaced by Eclipse Stabilised Turf—a similar hybrid surface produced by Australian company HG Turf.^[25]

Singapore Sports Hub CEO Oon Jin Teik stated that the stadium's unique microclimate had created additional challenges in maintaining the GrassMaster pitch.^[26]

Mass rapid transit

The stadium is located above the underground Stadium MRT station on the Circle Line. Trains arrive every five to six minutes during off-peak hours, and two to three minutes during peak hours and event days. Other nearby MRT stations are Kallang MRT station on the East–West Line, accessible by a sheltered walkway, and Tanjong Rhu MRT station on the Thomson–East Coast Line, across the Tanjong Rhu Footbridge.

Buses and taxis

Bus stops are located around the Sports Hub complex along Stadium Walk, Stadium Boulevard and Nicoll Highway, with buses serving nearby districts and the city. Taxi stands are also available near the National Stadium, Singapore Indoor Stadium and Leisure Park Kallang.

Sports

Football

The first football match held at the stadium was a friendly between Singapore Selection XI and Juventus in August 2014. The October 2014 friendly between Brazil and Japan drew the stadium's first sell-out crowd of 55,000.^[27] It also hosted the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup in November 2014. In 2015, it hosted the Premier League Asia Trophy, featuring Premier League clubs Arsenal, Everton, Stoke City, and Singapore Selection XI.^[28]

The stadium hosted International Champions Cup matches in 2017, when it staged the ICC Singapore tournament between Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, as well as three matches in 2018 and two in 2019.

During the 2018 AFF Championship, Singapore played two group-stage home matches at the stadium.

As part of the Brazil Global Tour, Brazil played a series of friendlies against Senegal on 10 October 2019 and Nigeria on 13 October 2019 respectively.

On 15 July 2022, the stadium hosted the Singapore Trophy, a preseason friendly between Premier League clubs Liverpool and Crystal Palace.^{[29][30][31][32]} In May 2023, it was announced that the stadium would host the "Festival of Football" in late-July, which would feature friendlies between Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma, Liverpool and Leicester City, and Liverpool and Bayern Munich.^[33] AS Roma were later replaced by Lion City Sailors of the Singapore Premier League, after the club was forced to pull out of the match after a pair of friendlies in South Korea were cancelled due to financial issues with their promoter.^[34][35]

On 16 April 2025, TEG Sport and the Singapore Tourism Board signed a five-year partnership to bring the Singapore Festival of Football to Singapore, with top-flight European football fixtures scheduled for alternate years: 2025, 2027 and 2029. The European clubs announced for the 2025 edition were English clubs Arsenal and Newcastle United, and Italian club AC Milan.

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Notable football matches held at the Singapore National Stadium

Date	Home	Result	Away	Tournament	Attendance	Notes
16 August 2014	Singapore Selection XI	0–5	Juventus	Friendly	27,338	First official match at the New National Stadium
14 October 2014	Japan	0–4	Brazil	Brazil Global Tour	51,577
15 July 2015 (18:00)	Everton	0–0 (Pen: 5–4)	Stoke City	2015 Premier League Asia Trophy	17,843
15 July 2015 (20:30)	Singapore Selection XI	0–4	Arsenal		29,867
18 July 2015 (18:00)	Stoke City	2–0	Singapore Selection XI		25,000
18 July 2015 (20:30)	Everton	1–3	Arsenal		52,107
12 November 2015	Japan	3–0	Singapore	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round	33,868
10 May 2016	Tampines Rovers	1–0	Selangor	2016 AFC Cup group stage	11,875
13 June 2017	Singapore	0–6	Argentina	FAS 125th Year (Friendly)	28,000
25 July 2017	Chelsea	2–3	Bayern Munich	2017 International Champions Cup	48,522
27 July 2017	Bayern Munich	0–2	Inter Milan		23,388
29 July 2017	Chelsea	1–2	Inter Milan		32,547	Inter Milan is the 2017 ICC Singapore Champions
31 March 2018	Albirex Niigata Singapore	2–1	Tampines Rovers	2018 Singapore Community Shield	18,942	It is the league's first season after rebranding from the S.League to the Singapore Premier League.
26 July 2018	Atletico Madrid	1–1 (Pen: 3–1)	Arsenal	2018 International Champions Cup	23,095
28 July 2018	Arsenal	5–1	Paris Saint-Germain		50,308
30 July 2018	Paris Saint-Germain	3–2	Atletico Madrid		50,038
20 July 2019	Manchester United	1–0	Inter Milan	2019 International Champions Cup	52,897	Record attendance match
21 July 2019	Juventus	2–3	Tottenham Hotspur		50,443
10 October 2019	Brazil	1–1	Senegal	Brazil Global Tour	20,621
13 October 2019	Brazil	1–1	Nigeria		20,385
29 December 2021	Indonesia	0–4	Thailand	2020 AFF Championship Final First leg	6,290	Thailand won 6–2 on aggregate.
1 January 2022	Thailand	2–2	Indonesia	2020 AFF Championship Final Second leg	7,429
15 July 2022	Liverpool	2–0	Crystal Palace	Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy (Friendly)	50,217
26 July 2023	Lion City Sailors	1–5	Tottenham Hotspur	Tiger Cup (Friendly)	25,095
30 July 2023	Liverpool	4–0	Leicester City	Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy (Friendly)	28,597
2 August 2023	Liverpool	3–4	Bayern Munich		49,983
21 March 2024	Singapore	2–2	China	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	28,414	Singapore made a historic comeback after going 2–0 down, with goalkeeper Hassan Sunny saving a penalty
6 June 2024	Singapore	0–7	South Korea		49,097	Record attendance for Singapore national football team game
11 December 2024	Singapore	2–1	Cambodia	2024 ASEAN Championship	12,391	Group stage
17 December 2024	Singapore	2–4	Thailand		22,611	Group stage
23 July 2025	Arsenal	1–0 (5–6 pen.)	AC Milan	Singapore Festival of Football	22,813
27 July 2025	Arsenal	3–2	Newcastle United		38,720

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Concerts

Concerts by artists based outside Asia are highlighted in light blue.

National Day Parade

On 9 August 2016, the new National Stadium hosted Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP). The event had frequently been held at the old National Stadium, and had temporarily moved to The Float at Marina Bay, a temporary venue on Marina Bay built to host outdoor sports and cultural events while the new National Stadium was under construction. The stadium's design required changes to the event, including the traditional military flypast and fireworks being obstructed by the dome, armoured military vehicles being unable to drive on the stadium's tracks,^[98][99] and the Red Lions being unable to parachute into the dome due to safety concerns.^[100] The parade therefore incorporated different features, such as light shows (including a segment featuring models of Singaporean landmarks illuminated with projection mapping effects), large "puppets", and other artistic presentations.^[100][101]

The event received mixed reactions because of its higher cost compared with the parade held at The Float.^[100] Under the contract between the Sports Hub and the Singapore Government, NDP organisers were allowed 45 days of free annual use of the venue. However, technicians and performers reported that the time frame needed to be extended to 80 days. The Sports Hub requested an additional $26 million, which was reportedly reduced to $10 million.^[102]

In October 2017, it was announced that The Float would be redeveloped as a permanent venue known as NS Square, and would serve as the primary venue for the NDP when the parade was not held at the Padang every five years. The decision raised questions over whether the costs of renting the stadium would diminish the legacy that the former National Stadium had as a site for community events. Conversely, it was argued that not hosting the NDP at the new National Stadium would free up its schedule for major international sporting events, especially during the summer months.^[103][104] Bids to host the Asia Masters Athletics Championships and the Merlion Cup at the stadium had also previously been stalled by costs demanded by the facility.^[105]

Organisers raised the possibility of hosting the NDP at the stadium again in 2024 due to the construction of NS Square,^[106] but ultimately chose to host the 2024 and 2025 parades at the Padang instead.^[107] In August 2025, it was announced that the 2026 parade would be hosted by the new National Stadium.^[108]

Religious gatherings

In May 2019, the National Stadium hosted the Celebration of Hope, a three-day evangelistic event led by Rennis Ponniah.^[109]

On 12 September 2024, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the National Stadium as part of a tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. The event was attended by around 50,000 visitors.^[110]