Singapore’s national soccer team, which will face South Korea in June’s World Cup qualifying round, has selected a new face.
According to a report by the Singaporean media Straits Times on the 24th (Korea time), Singapore, led by Japanese coach Tsutomu Ogura, has filled one of the 27 finalists for the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup with a new name.
The player who received a lot of attention locally was Jordan Emabiwe (23, Baylestier Kalsa), a mixed-race African player.
Emabiwe has a Nigerian father and a Singaporean Chinese mother. He is 1m95 tall and can play both midfielders and center backs. Having idolized “Nigerian legend” John Obi Mikel, he is considered to have a strong left foot kick as his main weapon.
Born and raised in his native Singapore, Emiabwe has been with his current club Valesteer since 2020 after experiencing Singapore, Switzerland and Italian leagues as a youth. He has played for Singapore’s under-23 national team since 2021.
“My dream has come true. The hard work, dedication, and support I received from my family, coaches, and colleagues during my career,” Emabiwe said in an interview with local media. He added that he is ready to accept new challenges and that he will become a trusted national team player.
On the two consecutive games against South Korea (home) on the 6th and Thailand (away) on the 11th, Ogura said, “We have formed the best squad for the two games. We expect to bring difficulties to South Korea and Thailand, and continue the development of the national team after the match against China.”
Korean midfielder Song Eui-young (31) was also on the roster this time. Song Eui-young, who scored four goals in 24 A matches in Singapore, had a relationship with his teacher and student when interim coach Kim Do-hoon of the Korean A team took charge of Ryan City.
Singapore effectively failed to advance to the third qualifying round. In the previous four games, the team failed to secure even a single win, and ended up with one draw and three losses and one point. The team ranks fourth in Group C, following Korea (10 points), China (7 points), and Thailand (4 points). In an away match against Korea in November last year, the team lost 0-5 to Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Cho Kyu-sung (Mitt Whelan), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Hwang Ui-jo (Alanjaspor). 스포츠토토
A total of 18 teams from the top two teams in nine groups will advance to the third qualifying round. After failing to appoint post-Jurgen Klinsmann as coach for about 100 days, Korea will continue to serve as interim coach in March and June. It aims to pass the group without losing through the match between Singapore and China. Korea will announce its A-match list on April 27 and convene at Incheon International Airport on April 2 to head to Singapore.