Lionesses to regroup after challenging Women’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign

SINGAPORE – Four defeats in four games with 13 goals conceded against two scored – the numbers sum up Singapore’s tough campaign at the recent Women’s Asian Cup qualifying tournament.

In Amman, Jordan, the world No. 139 Lionesses finished bottom of Group A with zero points after losing to the hosts (5-0), Iran (4-0), Lebanon (1-0) and Bhutan (3-2).

Humbled on the Asian stage, the results have revealed the areas of improvement for Singapore to close the gap with their regional counterparts.

Head coach Karim Bencherifa said: “The team showed tremendous effort and resilience throughout the qualifiers. While the scorelines didn’t reflect the full picture, we had competitive moments, especially in the opening match against Bhutan and the final game against Lebanon.

“Despite the challenges, the players showed strong commitment and fought for every minute. These matches exposed areas we need to grow in, particularly physical conditioning and consistency, but also gave us important lessons to build on.”

Originally scheduled from June 23 to July 5, the competition was delayed due to the escalating Iran-Israel conflict, forcing the Asian Football Confederation to relocate and reschedule the tournament.

The games were subsequently held at the original venue at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman from July 7 to 19, after Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire.

But the qualifiers began on a challenging note against 171st-ranked Bhutan, as the Lionesses suffered multiple injuries.

Four of their five substitutions were due to injury, leaving the team with only 10 players for about 17 minutes of the match, which Bencherifa said was physically and mentally exhausting.

He added: “The disruptions and injuries had a real impact... That naturally affected our rhythm and limited how we could rotate or manage players in the following matches. Still, the team kept their heads up and stayed committed.

“These challenges exposed the importance of squad depth and physical preparedness, especially in high-level tournaments like this.”

As the tournament progressed, Singapore came up against tough opposition, including world No. 68 Iran, who secured a spot in the 2026 Asian Cup in Australia as group winners, and 75th-ranked Jordan. They wrapped up their campaign with a 1-0 loss to world No. 130 Lebanon.

Even though the results were not in their favour, captain Siti Rosnani Azman stressed that the team gave their best, while acknowledging that there is much room for improvement.

The defender said: “We tried not to dwell on it so much (on the tough matches and defeats) and pick ourselves up to go again.

“Of course, we do talk about it to clarify certain things but that doesn’t stop us from giving our best for the next game.”

Rosnani, who earned her 50th cap against Lebanon, said the team also had to adapt to other factors such as the weather, a different time zone and travel.

She said: “It shouldn’t be an excuse, but I think as players we need to be able to take good care of ourselves.

“The medical team had been doing their best to keep everyone on top. After getting through the early phase, we managed to handle it well. The ability to adapt is very important and it should start with the player mindset.”

Fitness is also a major concern, with Bencherifa noting that several goals were conceded in the final 25 minutes of the matches. Of the 13 goals Singapore let in, six were scored after the 65th minute.

The Moroccan said: “To move forward, we must find ways to better support players in committing to regular physical preparation, recovery and strength work – not just for performance, but for injury prevention.”

Raising the bar in fitness and conditioning is one area that will need to be addressed as Singapore look to catch up to their regional rivals, he said.

Gaining more exposure to high-level matches is also essential, he added, as well as creating an environment that allows players to train more consistently with support in nutrition and recovery.

Consistency and continuity remain a challenge as they often travel without their full squad due to players’ work commitments or other obligations, he noted.

For instance, the postponement of the qualifiers left the team without key players such as forward Danelle Tan, who had to attend to mandatory administrative requirements for her move to Japan’s Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza.

Despite these challenges, the team are looking ahead to their next major competition – the SEA Games in December.

Preparations for the biennial tournament in Thailand will begin after the Women’s Premier League ends in August.

Bencherifa shared that there are plans for a training camp and high-level international matches in the lead-up to the tournament.

He added: “The goal is to improve not only team cohesion and tactical readiness but also to prepare players holistically – physically, mentally, and emotionally – to compete at the SEA Games level.”