The Singapore Men’s National Team has concluded a 12-day training camp in Okinawa, Japan, with preparations continuing ahead of the ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup 2026.
Held from 6 to 17 July, the training camp exposed the Lions to high-quality opposition and the physical and mental demands of tournament football, providing the squad with an opportunity to test themselves against three Japanese sides in quick succession.
Head Coach Gavin Lee believes the experience has provided the group with invaluable lessons ahead of the tournament.
“This training camp enabled us to experience going up against opposition of this quality. Each match pushed us outside our comfort zones, especially given the quick turnaround between them. This is exactly what I was hoping to achieve from this camp.”
Singapore opened the camp with a 2-0 defeat to FC Ryukyu before narrowly going down 3-2 to Okinawa SV. The Lions also concluded the camp with a closed-door preparation match against Albirex Niigata.
“Despite the results, what pleased me most was seeing the group embrace that discomfort. They continued to compete, learn, and grow with every session and every match. Those are lessons we’ll carry with us into the tournament, and we leave Okinawa better prepared for what’s ahead,” Lee added.
The Lions will now return to Singapore to complete the final phase of preparations before opening their ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup campaign away to Cambodia on Friday, 24 July, with home fixtures against Timor-Leste (27 July) and Indonesia (7 August) sandwiching an away trip to defending champions Vietnam (31 July).
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