Singapore advances to second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification after seeing off Guam
Singapore forward Shawal Anuar scores the winner against Guam in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match on Oct 17, 2023. (Photo: Football Association of Singapore)
SINGAPORE: Singapore sealed a winning start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign after beating Guam 1-0 on Tuesday (Oct 17) and advancing to the next stage 3-1 on aggregate.
The Lions did the double over their opponents with an 81st-minute goal from forward Shawal Anuar at the Guam's GFA Center Lower Field - they beat Guam at the National Stadium 2-1 in the first leg on Oct 12.
Having cleared the first round of Asian qualifiers, featuring the 20 teams ranked between 27th and 46th in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Singapore will now join the top 26 AFC teams in the second round. The two World Cup qualifying stages also serve as the first two rounds of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Singapore's opponents in Group C are heavyweights South Korea, skippered by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min, China and Thailand. The top two teams move on to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Lions kickstart their campaign away to South Korea on Nov 16.
TIGHT AFFAIR
Singapore and Guam nullifed each other going into the break and it remained a tight affair until a late winner from Shawal.
After being played into space by Shah Shahiran, Iqbal Hussain raced down the wing to put in a cross, which was duly converted by the Lion City Sailors striker.
Guam saw Dane Jacob Agustin sent off in the dying minutes of the game to cap off a disappointing result in front of their home fans.
The Lions are currently ranked 157th in the world, while Guam - a territory of the United States with a population of about 170,000 - are just six spots off the foot of FIFA's men's ranking in 201st place.
Other Southeast Asian sides will also play their second leg matches today. Indonesia and Myanmar are expected to qualify after hefty victories in the first leg, while Timor-Leste will have a mountain to climb after losing 0-4 to Chinese Taipei last week.
Meanwhile, Laos and Cambodia have everything to play for after drawing with Nepal and Pakistan respectively last week.
