The Singapore National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kallang, Singapore, and serves as the country's national stadium. Opened in 2014, it was built on the site of the former National Stadium, which stood from 1973 to 2010. The 55,000-seat facility is the centrepiece of The Kallang, a sports, entertainment and recreation district that also includes the nearby Singapore Indoor Stadium, OCBC Aquatic Centre, OCBC Arena, Kallang Wave Mall and other public sporting facilities.
One of the largest domed structures in the world, the stadium has a naturally ventilated design with a retractable roof and configurations for football, rugby, athletics and cricket. Its roof is made of insulated metal to reflect sunlight, and its bowl-cooling system was designed to provide comfort in Singapore's tropical climate while using less energy than a conventional fully air-conditioned stadium. The stadium is the home ground of the Singapore national football team, served as the main venue of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, and has hosted AFF Championship matches in 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2022. It has also hosted non-sporting events, including concerts, the Singapore National Day Parade and religious gatherings.
History In 2007, the Singapore government accepted bids for a project to build a new National Stadium and an accompanying sports and recreation district, including an aquatics centre. Alpine Mayreder proposed a design inspired by Munich's Allianz Arena, Singapore Gold proposed a design known as "Premier Park", which would have featured a retractable roof that could be used as a projection screen, while the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium (SSHC) proposed a design known as the "Cool Dome", a ventilated, horseshoe-inspired stadium with a retractable roof.
On 19 January 2008, the government named SSHC as its preferred bidder for the Sports Hub project and stadium, with construction slated to be completed by 2011. Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan stated that the SSHC proposal was the "strongest in offering a comprehensive sporting calendar", and "displayed significant strengths in programming, team culture and partnership, functionality and layout".
Construction of the stadium began in 2010, after delays caused by the 2008 financial crisis and rising construction costs. By September 2011, piling and foundation works had been completed, and construction of the steelwork for the stadium's fixed roof had begun. In July 2013, the final primary steel 'runway truss' for the roof was installed, marking the completion of steelwork on the National Stadium's fixed roof ahead of the retractable roof installation. The stadium was scheduled for completion in April 2014. In February 2014, Sports Hub CEO Philippe Collin Delavaud announced that it would miss the deadline and would not open until June 2014.
The stadium's first sporting event was the inaugural World Club 10s rugby tens tournament in June 2014.
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. 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. The handover was completed on 9 December 2022, with Kallang Alive Sport Management Co Pte Ltd taking over management of the precinct.
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. In November 2025, the wider Singapore Sports Hub precinct was renamed The Kallang, with management rebranded as The Kallang Group.
Design
The stadium features a , -tall steel dome with a retractable roof, which was described as the largest dome structure in the world. Because of Singapore's tropical climate, the roof is designed to reflect sunlight and insulate the interior, while natural airflow cools spectator areas with less energy than a venue of comparable size.
The stadium can be configured for football, rugby, athletics and cricket. In its football and rugby configuration, the lowest tier of seating can be moved closer to the pitch, covering the running track. It takes approximately 48 hours to reconfigure the seating for an event.
The retractable roof incorporates an LED lighting system that can function as a large screen visible from inside and outside the stadium.
Architecture and climate response The stadium was designed by Arup, DP Architects and AECOM as part of the wider 35-hectare Sports Hub masterplan. 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. 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.
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.
Playing surface The stadium initially used Desso GrassMaster, which consists of natural grass interwoven with synthetic fibres, as its playing surface. 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, in May 2015 the GrassMaster surface was replaced by Eclipse Stabilised Turf—a similar hybrid surface produced by Australian company HG Turf.
Singapore Sports Hub CEO Oon Jin Teik stated that the stadium's unique microclimate had created additional challenges in maintaining the GrassMaster pitch.
Transport 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.
Notable events
Sports
SEA Games The stadium was one of the venues for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics and football.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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.
+Notable football matches held at the Singapore National StadiumDateHomeResultAwayTournamentAttendanceNotes16 August 2014 Singapore Selection XI0–5 JuventusFriendly27,338First official match at the New National Stadium14 October 2014 Japan0–4 BrazilBrazil Global Tour51,57715 July 2015 (18:00) Everton0–0 (Pen: 5–4) Stoke City2015 Premier League Asia Trophy17,84315 July 2015 (20:30) Singapore Selection XI0–4 Arsenal29,86718 July 2015 (18:00) Stoke City2–0 Singapore Selection XI25,00018 July 2015 (20:30) Everton1–3 Arsenal52,10712 November 2015 Japan3–0 Singapore2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round33,86810 May 2016 Tampines Rovers1–0 Selangor2016 AFC Cup group stage11,87513 June 2017 Singapore0–6 ArgentinaFAS 125th Year (Friendly)28,00025 July 2017 Chelsea2–3 Bayern Munich2017 International Champions Cup48,52227 July 2017 Bayern Munich0–2 Inter Milan23,38829 July 2017 Chelsea1–2 Inter Milan32,547Inter Milan is the 2017 ICC Singapore Champions31 March 2018 Albirex Niigata Singapore2–1 Tampines Rovers2018 Singapore Community Shield18,942It is the league's first season after rebranding from the S.League to the Singapore Premier League.26 July 2018 Atletico Madrid1–1 (Pen: 3–1) Arsenal2018 International Champions Cup23,09528 July 2018 Arsenal5–1 Paris Saint-Germain50,30830 July 2018 Paris Saint-Germain3–2 Atletico Madrid50,03820 July 2019 Manchester United1–0 Inter Milan2019 International Champions Cup52,897Record attendance match21 July 2019 Juventus2–3 Tottenham Hotspur50,44310 October 2019 Brazil1–1 SenegalBrazil Global Tour20,62113 October 2019 Brazil1–1 Nigeria20,38529 December 2021 Indonesia0–4 Thailand2020 AFF Championship Final First leg6,290Thailand won 6–2 on aggregate.1 January 2022 Thailand2–2 Indonesia2020 AFF Championship Final Second leg7,42915 July 2022 Liverpool2–0 Crystal PalaceStandard Chartered Singapore Trophy (Friendly)50,21726 July 2023 Lion City Sailors1–5 Tottenham HotspurTiger Cup (Friendly)25,09530 July 2023 Liverpool4–0 Leicester CityStandard Chartered Singapore Trophy (Friendly)28,5972 August 2023 Liverpool3–4 Bayern Munich49,98321 March 2024 Singapore2–2 China2026 FIFA World Cup qualification28,414Singapore made a historic comeback after going 2–0 down, with goalkeeper Hassan Sunny saving a penalty6 June 2024 Singapore0–7 South Korea49,097Record attendance for Singapore national football team game11 December 2024 Singapore2–1 Cambodia2024 ASEAN Championship12,391Group stage17 December 2024 Singapore2–4 Thailand22,611Group stage23 July 2025 Arsenal1–0(5–6 pen.) AC MilanSingapore Festival of Football 22,81327 July 2025 Arsenal3–2 Newcastle United 38,72013 November 2026 Singapore– ParaguayFriendly14 November 2026 Japan– Brazil17 November 2026 Japan– Paraguay Singapore– Brazil
Rugby The stadium's first event was the inaugural World Club 10s tournament in June 2014.
The stadium hosts the Singapore Sevens, a stop on the SVNS series.
Concerts Concerts by artists based outside Asia are highlighted in light blue.