Singapore coach Ogura unveils youthful first squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against China

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s new head coach Tsutomu Ogura announced on Friday (Mar 8) a relatively youthful squad for the Lions’ 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches against China later this month.

This is the first squad unveiled by Ogura since he took over the reins of the national team from compatriot Takayuki Nishigaya, who was sacked on the back of a string of dismal results.

Eleven members of Ogura’s 26-man squad are aged 24 and under, and 10 of them, including four uncapped players, have 10 caps or fewer.

The squad has no shortage of stalwarts, however, with captain Hariss Harun set to line up alongside Hassan Sunny and Safuwan Baharudin – the three each having played for the Lions more than 100 times.

Tampines Rovers’ Faris Ramli, meanwhile, will return to the national team fold after missing out on the last two call-ups. The 31-year-old winger has 77 caps to his name.

“Coach Ogura has gone with a mixture of experience and youth in the crucial matches at the National Stadium and Tianjin, China,” the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said in a media release on Friday, adding that he had spent several weeks meeting Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs and watching training and matches at the ongoing SPL Interim Tournament.

The match at the National Stadium will take place on Mar 21, while the return fixture in Tianjin will be played on Mar 26. The Lions are currently in 156th place in FIFA’s men’s ranking, while China are ranked 88th.

“The local-based players will join up with Ogura and his coaching team on Mar 11 while the overseas players will return to Singapore on different dates once they have completed their club commitments,” FAS said.

For two of the four uncapped players named in the squad –