National Stadium, Singapore

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 75,000 m2 (810,000 sq ft), 83 m (272 ft)-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. 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. National Day Parade On 9 August 2016, the new National Stadium hosted Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP). The event had frequently been held at the old National Stadium, and had temporarily moved to 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 under construction. The stadium's design required changes to the event, including the traditional military flypast and fireworks being obstructed by the 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 therefore 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 received mixed reactions because of its higher cost compared with the parade held at The Float. Under the contract between the Sports Hub and the Singapore Government, NDP organisers were allowed 45 days of free annual use of the venue. However, technicians and performers reported that the time frame needed to be extended to 80 days. The Sports Hub requested an additional $26 million, which 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 would serve as the primary venue for the NDP when the parade was 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. Conversely, 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. Organisers 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 celebrated Mass at the National Stadium as part of a tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. The event was attended by around 50,000 visitors. Future development The stadium is part of the Kallang Alive precinct plan, a wider redevelopment intended to strengthen Kallang's role as Singapore's main sports and entertainment district. The plan includes new and upgraded public spaces around the precinct, the relocation of the Singapore Sports School to Kallang, and the development of a new indoor arena beside the existing Singapore Indoor Stadium. Although these projects concern the wider precinct rather than the stadium building itself, they are expected to affect the stadium's role as the anchor venue for major events at The Kallang. See also List of Southeast Asia stadiums by capacity List of stadiums in Singapore Sport in Singapore References External links Singapore Sports Council official website Singapore Sports Hub official website