National Stadium, Singapore

History

In 2007, the Singapore government accepted bids for a project to build a new National Stadium and an accompanying sports and recreation district around the stadium (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 usable 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 due to the delays caused by the 2008 financial crisis and soaring construction costs. By September 2011, the piling and the foundation of the stadium was completed and construction on the steelworks of the stadium fixed roof started. In July 2013, the installation of the stadium final primary steel 'runway truss' for the roof was completed marking the completion of the steelworks on the National Stadium's fixed roof in preparation for installation of the retractable roof. The stadium was set to be completed in April 2014. In February 2014, Sports Hub CEO Philippe Collin Delavaud announced that it would miss the deadline, and not open until June 2014.

The stadium's first sporting event was the inaugural World Club 10s rugby tens tournament in June 2014.

Design

The stadium features a 75,000 m2, 83 m-tall steel dome with a retractable roof, which was stated to be the largest dome structure in the world. Due to Singapore's tropical climate, the stadium's roof is designed to reflect sunlight in order to insulate its interior, while natural airflow is used to cool spectator areas with less energy usage than a venue of comparable size.

The stadium has configurations 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 seating arrangements to suit an upcoming event.

Playing surface

The stadium initially used Desso GrassMaster—which consists of natural grass interwoven with synthetic fibres—as its playing surface. After experiencing issues with the pitch's quality (which culminated in the New Zealand All Blacks cancelling a rugby match at the stadium during a November 2014 tour due to 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 posed 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 MRT stations nearby are Kallang MRT station on the East–West Line which can be accessed using 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 conveniently available near the National Stadium, Singapore Indoor Stadium and Leisure Park Kallang.

Notable events

Sports

SEA Games

The stadium was one of the venues of 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 friendly match between Brazil and Japan in October 2014 was the first sell-out crowd of 55,000 at the stadium. It also hosted the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup in November 2014. In 2015, it hosted the Premier League Asia Trophy, between Premier League clubs Arsenal, Everton, Stoke City, and Singapore Selection XI.

The stadium hosted matches during the International Champions Cup in 2017 (hosting the ICC Singapore tournament between Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan), 2018 (three matches), and 2019 (two matches).

In 2018, as a participant in the 2018 AFF Championship, Singapore played two matches at the stadium for the group stages as the home team.

As part of the Brazil Global Tour, Brazil played as 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 have signed a five-year partnership to bring the Singapore Festival of Football with regular top-flight European football fixtures scheduled to play in Singapore in alternate years; 2025, 2027 and 2029. The European club announced to visit Singapore in 2025 is English team Arsenal and Newcastle United and Italian club AC Milan.

Rugby

The stadium's inaugural 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 from artists based outside Asia are highlighted in light blue.

National Day Parade

On 9 August 2016, the new National Stadium hosted Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP). The event had been frequently held at the old National Stadium in the past, and had been temporarily held at The Float at Marina Bay–a temporary venue on Marina Bay built to host outdoor sports and cultural events while the new National Stadium was being constructed. The design of the stadium resulted in limitations and modifications to the event, including the traditional military flypast and fireworks being obstructed by the stadium's dome, armoured military vehicles being unable to drive on the stadium's tracks, and the Red Lions being unable to parachute into the dome due to safety concerns. The parade thus incorporated different features, such as light shows (including a segment featuring models of Singaporean landmarks illuminated with projection mapping effects), large "puppets", and other artistic presentations.

The event faced mixed reception for its increased costs over the event held at The Float. Under the contract between the Sports Hub and Singapore Government, NDP organisers were allowed 45 days of free annual usage of the venue. However, technicians and performers reported that the time frame needed to be extended to 80 days, to which the Sports Hub requested an additional $26 million but was reportedly reduced to $10 million.

In October 2017, it was announced that The Float would be redeveloped as a permanent venue known as NS Square, and serve as the primary venue for the NDP when not held at the Padang every five years. The decision raised questions over whether the costs of renting the stadium would diminish the legacy that the former National Stadium had as a site for community events. Contrarily, it was argued that not hosting the NDP at the new National Stadium would free up its schedule for major international sporting events, especially during the summer months. Bids to host the Asia Masters Athletics Championships and the Merlion Cup at the stadium had also previously been stalled by costs demanded by the facility.

Organizers raised the possibility of hosting the NDP at the stadium again in 2024 due to the construction of NS Square, but ultimately chose to host the 2024 and 2025 parades at the Padang instead. In August 2025, it was announced that the 2026 parade would be hosted by the new National Stadium.

Religious gatherings

In May 2019, the National Stadium hosted the Celebration of Hope, a three-day evangelistic event led by Rennis Ponniah.

On 12 September 2024, Pope Francis held a mass at the National Stadium as part of a tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. It was attended by around 50,000 visitors.

References

References

1. Chinnuswamy, Yamini. (11 March 2024). "Bye, Taylor Swift: Show's over, but Singapore will keep looking at you". The Straits Times.
2. Mohan, Matthew. (2019-07-20). "Better the Devils they know: Manchester United thrill packed stadium with Inter win". [[CNA (news channel)]].
3. (2008-01-19). ""Cool Dome" design wins Singapore Sports Hub project". Mediacorp.
4. Cheney, Satish. (28 March 2007). "All 3 proposals for the new Sports Hub are 'truly spectacular': Vivian Balakrishnan". [[Mediacorp]].
5. "Sports Hub proposals promise to add buzz to Kallang".
6. (19 January 2008). "Singapore Sports Hub Consortium, Led By Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd, Selected as Preferred Bidder For Sports Hub Project". [[Singapore Sports Council]].
7. (19 July 2013). "Singapore's National Stadium fixed roof steelwork complete". Arup.
8. (16 September 2011). "Foundation laid for new National Stadium". Red Sports.
9. (14 February 2014). "National Stadium to miss April opening". Channel NewsAsia.
10. Chen, May. (2014-02-27). "Sports Hub: Rugby's World Club 10s to kick-off sporting events at new Sports Hub". The Straits Times.
11. "Singapore National Stadium: Breaking new ground".
12. "World Class Facilities". Singapore Sports Hub.
13. "Positive moves in boosting popularity of cricket".
14. (21 May 2014). "Sports Hub to use Desso GrassMaster for its National Stadium pitch". Channel NewsAsia.
15. "NZ Rugby Union cancel Maori All Blacks' match in Singapore".
16. (19 May 2015). "Singapore Sports Hub unveils new National Stadium pitch ahead of SEA Games". Channel NewsAsia.
17. Nair, Sanjay. (2014-10-13). "Grow grass grow: Spotlight on National Stadium's pitch ahead of Brazil-Japan clash". The Straits Times.
18. (13 October 2014). "Singapore's new National Stadium sells out Japan-Brazil clash".
19. (24 January 2016). "Sports Hub drops claims over $900k damage to National Stadium pitch". The Straits Times.
20. (26 April 2022). "Liverpool to play pre-season friendly with Crystal Palace in Singapore". CNA.
21. (26 April 2022). "Reds to face Crystal Palace in Singapore for second leg of pre-season".
22. (15 July 2022). "Football: Singaporean fans serenade Liverpool to make National Stadium 'like Anfield'". The Straits Times.
23. (16 July 2022). "'The magic never diminishes': A Liverpool match through the eyes of their Singapore fans". CNA.
24. Ang, Ervin. (2023-05-16). "Liverpool, Tottenham, Bayern to headline Singapore's inaugural Festival of Football". The Straits Times.
25. Wong, Ryan. (2023-07-12). "Roma out of Singapore Festival of Football, Tottenham will face Lion City Sailors instead". The Straits Times.
26. "Tottenham Hotspur to play Lion City Sailors on Jul 26 instead of Roma".
27. (2021-09-03). "World Rugby cancels Sevens events in Cape Town and Singapore".
28. Ganesan, Deepanraj. (2022-04-09). "Rugby: Fans, players praise atmosphere as Singapore Sevens returns to National Stadium". The Straits Times.
29. "5 JUL 2014 KEPLER WORLD TOUR Stefanie Sun 2014 Kepler World Tour". Singapore Sports Hub.
30. (2 April 2014). "Stefanie Sun to perform at new National Stadium in July".
31. Toh, Christopher. (6 July 2014). "Stefanie Sun 2014 Kepler World Tour". TODAY Online.
32. "24 OCT Mariah 'The Elusive Chanteuse Show'". Singapore Sports Hub.
33. Wong, Laetitia. (29 July 2014). "Mariah Carey back in Singapore". TODAY Online.
34. "Mariah Carey To Perform in Singapore on October 24 at the National Stadium".
35. Raguraman, Anjali. (29 July 2014). "Mariah Carey to serenade Singapore at new National Stadium". insing.com.
36. Ann Zachariah, Natasha. (25 October 2014). "Concert review: Mariah Carey finds her voice in Singapore, after all". The Straits Times.
37. (20 November 2014). "Mariah Carey hits all the right notes at Singapore concert". AsiaOne.
38. "27 DEC OPUS 2 JAY 2014 WORLD TOUR POSTPONED To 27 DECEMBER 2014, 8PM". Singapore Indoor Stadium.
39. Jing Yi, Hon. (28 December 2014). "Concert Review: Jay Chou Opus 2 World Tour". TODAY Online.
40. Ng, Gwendolyn. (17 October 2014). "Some Jay Chou fans lament at later concert date, say they have made travel plans". The Straits Times.
41. Xu, Terry. (28 December 2014). "Jay chou's concert met with complaints from fans about the venue provider". The Online Citizens.
42. "ONE DIRECTION 'ON THE ROAD AGAIN' TOUR 2015". Singapore Sports Hub.
43. (19 May 2014). "ONE DIRECTION on Their Road Again Tour Singapore". superadrianme.com.
44. "One Direction to play in Singapore in March 2015". insing.com.
45. (11 March 2015). "One Direction: Milestones, concerts and Singapore fans". The Straits Times.
46. Toh, Christopher. (12 March 2015). "Concert review: One Direction". TODAY Online.
47. (12 March 2015). "Reliving One Direction's Singapore concert". TODAY Online.
48. Roth, Madeline. (12 March 2015). "Woah…One Direction's Singapore Concert Broke A Huge Record". MTV.
49. (1 April 2015). "Current Boxscore".
50. Abdul Hadi, Eddino. (8 August 2015). "A tapestry of S'pore music". AsiaOne.
51. "9 JAN AMEI – AMIT UTOPIA WORLD TOUR 张惠妹乌托邦世界巡城演唱会". Singapore Sports Hub.
52. (9 September 2015). "AMei to perform in Singapore on Jan 9". AsiaOne.
53. Hong, Jing Yi. (10 January 2016). "Concert review: aMEI/AMIT UTOPIA World Tour". TODAY Online.
54. "MADONNA REBEL HEART TOUR 2016 – SINGAPORE Rated R18 (Sexual References)". Singapore Sports Hub.
55. Sherwell, Philip. (23 February 2016). "Singapore's archbishop urges boycott of 'blasphemous' Madonna". The Telegraph.
56. Chong, Alvin. (28 February 2016). "Madonna's Rebel Heart tamed in Singapore". Channel NewsAsia.
57. Abdul Hadi, Eddino. (28 February 2016). "Madonna works the crowd at her Rebel Heart concert in Singapore". The Straits Times.
58. Raguraman, Anjali. (29 February 2016). "Some fans elated, others disappointed with Madonna's first concert in Singapore". The Straits Times.
59. Abdul Hadi, Eddino. (29 February 2016). "Concert Review: Madonna softens her 'rebel heart' for Singapore show". The Straits Times.
60. ""THE INVINCIBLE" JAY CHOU CONCERT TOUR 2016 "地表最强"2016周杰伦世界巡回演唱会". Singapore Sports Hub.
61. "30,000 tickets to Jay Chou's Singapore concert sold in 2 hours". AsiaOne.
62. Tan, Audrey. (9 September 2016). "22-year-old man arrested in connection with Jay Chou ticket scam". The Straits Times.
63. Loh, Genevieve. (9 September 2016). "22-year-old arrested for selling fake tickets to Jay Chou concert". Channel NewsAsia.
64. Tan, Emilia. (2 September 2016). "Jay Chou in Singapore, says Nathan Hartono won't be performing at his concert". TODAY Online.
65. Twang, Lisa. (4 September 2016). "Jay Chou concert tour: Less than invincible Chou". AsiaOne.
66. Chan, Boon. (5 September 2016). "Jay Chou concert tour: Less than invincible Chou". The Straits Times.
67. Chan, Boon. (7 September 2016). "Jay Chou fans want refund over poor concert sound". The Straits Times.
68. Leow, Diane. (6 September 2016). "Speakers moved at Jay Chou concert to minimise obstruction of view: Organisers". Channel NewsAsia.
69. (20 October 2021). "Coldplay's Greener Pastures: With Music of the Spheres, One of the Most Successful Touring Bands Ever Kicks Off a New Era of Sustainable Touring".
70. (16 May 2017). "Foo Fighters back for Singapore concert on Aug 26, 20 years after they last played here". [[The Straits Times]].
71. (10 October 2018). "K-pop sensation BTS to hold concert in Singapore next year". [[The Straits Times]].
72. "五月天狮城演唱会 首场4万张门票一小时被抢空 {{!}} 联合早报".
73. (January 18, 2024). "Mayday takes fans down memory lane". The Business Times.
74. (20 June 2023). "Coldplay Announce Sixth Stadium Show in Singapore Due to Overwhelming Demand".
75. Allen, Bob. (16 February 2024). "Chart Scene: Coldplay Back To No. 1 On LIVE75". Pollstar.
76. (18 December 2024). "Singapore Sports Hub celebrates record year". Sports Hub Singapore.
77. Chinnuswamy, Yamini. (11 March 2024). "Bye, Taylor Swift: Show's over, but Singapore will keep looking at you". The Straits Times.
78. (9 July 2024). "Stray Kids announce 2024 to 2025 ‘dominATE’ world tour".
79. "Jay Chou Carnival World Tour 2024 – Singapore".
80. "JJ Lin "JJ20" Final Lap World Tour Singapore".
81. "Mayday #5525 Live Tour in Singapore".
82. (30 October 2024). "K-pop group Seventeen will return to Singapore for their World Tour in 2025". Time Out Singapore.
83. (26 February 2025). "Coldplay Dominates January Boxscore Recap With Shows in India & UAE". Billboard.
84. (October 15, 2024). "iMe Singapore 官方账号: 薛之谦 "天外來物" 海外体育场 返场 - 新加坡站".
85. (November 13, 2024). "Hong Kong singer GEM performing in Singapore in March 2025".
86. Frankenberg, Eric. (2025-06-27). "Beyoncé Dominates Monthly Boxscore Report With More Than $150 Million Gross in May".
87. Surej, Singh. (May 27, 2025). "BLACKPINK announce new Asia dates for ‘DEADLINE’ world tour".
88. (10 March 2016). "Futuristic concept for NDP 2016". The Straits Times.
89. (23 June 2016). "What price for NDP at Sports Hub?". The Straits Times.
90. (10 August 2016). "NDP 2016: Show a treat, but new venue gets mixed reviews". Today.
91. "NDP 2016: Lights, colour, action!".
92. (10 December 2015). "Talks to hold NDP 2016 at Sports Hub at an impasse". Today.
93. (October 30, 2017). "Marina Bay's floating platform to be 'primary venue' for future NDPs". TODAYonline.
94. (31 October 2017). "NDP loss a setback for National Stadium's bid to become a S'pore icon". Today.
95. (17 December 2015). "High costs 'a new reality' with new National Stadium". Today.
96. Auto, Hermes. (2022-07-09). "NDP 2023 to be held at the Padang: Ng Eng Hen".
97. Zachariah, Natasha Ann. (2023-09-29). "National Day Parade to be held at the Padang in 2024 and 2025". The Straits Times.
98. (2025-08-19). "NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans". The Straits Times.
99. (17 May 2019). "More than 30,000 stream in to National Stadium on Day One of Celebration of Hope [article]". saltandlight.sg.
100. "50,000 people gather at the National Stadium for papal mass".