Singapore’s national soccer team has a new face when it faces South Korea in a World Cup qualifier in June.
According to a report in the Straits Times on Thursday, Singapore, led by Japanese coach Tsutomu Ogura, has named a new name to its final 27-man roster for next month’s North and Central America 2026 World Cup Asia Second Qualifying Round matches 5 and 6.
One player who has garnered a lot of local attention is Jordan Emabiwe (23-Bailsteer Khalsa), a player of mixed African descent.
Emabiwe is Nigerian on his father’s side and Singaporean-Chinese on his mother’s side. Standing at 1.95 meters tall, he can play both midfield and center back. He idolizes “Nigeria’s back legend” John Obi Mikel, and is known for his powerful left-footed kick.
Born and raised in his native Singapore, Emabibwe has been with his current club, Singapore Club Bailsteer, since 2020, after spending his youth career in Singapore, Switzerland, and Italy. He has also played for the Singapore Under-23 national team from 2021 to the present.
“It’s a dream come true,” Emabiwe told local media. It is the culmination of all the hard work, dedication and support I have received from my family, coaches and teammates throughout my career,” he said excitedly. He added that he is ready to take on new challenges and is determined to be a trusted national player.
Ogura, who took charge of Singapore in February, said of the two matches against South Korea (home) on June 6 and Thailand (away) on June 11: “We have assembled our best squad for the two matches. We expect to give Korea and Thailand a hard time and continue the development of the national team after the China game.”
South Korean midfielder Song Eui-young (31-Lion City) has also been included in the squad. Song, who has scored four 카지노 goals in 24 A-Match appearances in Singapore’s colors, formed a master and pupil relationship with Kim Do-hoon when he was interim head coach of the Korea A team.
Singapore have effectively failed to qualify for the third round. They have not won a single game in their first four matches, drawing one, losing three, and securing just one point. They are fourth in Group C, behind South Korea (10 points), China (7 points), and Thailand (4 points). In November last year, Korea lost 0-5 to South Korea, thanks to relay goals from Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Hwang Eui-jo (Alanyaspor).
The top two teams from the second round of nine groups will advance to the third round of 18 teams. South Korea, which has been without a head coach since Jürgen Klinsmann’s departure for nearly 100 days, will be under an interim system in June as it was in March. The team will look to finish first in the group with an undefeated record against Singapore and China. South Korea will announce its A-Match roster on Nov. 27 and will convene at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 2 before traveling to Singapore.