'Would have meant the world': Fans disappointed, scalpers resell sold-out Singapore-Thailand football tickets
Tickets for the Lions' home match against Thailand were snapped up almost as soon as they became available.
Singapore national football team fans cheer on the team against Indonesia at Jalan Besar Stadium on Aug 7, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
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SINGAPORE: For 19-year-old Goh Zun Rey, being in the stands at the Jalan Besar stadium to support the Lions when they face Thailand in their ASEAN football championship semi-final on Saturday (Aug 15) would have been a special moment.
A regular at Singapore's matches, he had been hoping to snag tickets for the game not just for himself, but his younger cousins.
"It would have meant the world," Mr Goh told CNA. "I'm bringing my three younger cousins, and it would have been their first taste of watching football live."
But with tickets snapped up almost immediately after going on sale on Wednesday, many like Mr Goh have been left disappointed.
Sales of the tickets started at 11am exclusively through the online sales channel - Tickethotline, with no box office or on-site ticket sales.
Fans said that they had joined the online queue before 11am, but when they eventually managed to access the main ticketing page minutes after, none were available.
"You can see how desperate some fans are to get these tickets, and the fact that we weren't able to get these tickets, it's just disheartening," said Mr Goh.
"I waited until lunchtime and still could not get the tickets," added 22-year-old Ayhan Escandar.
"I'm definitely very disappointed."
Less than two hours later, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) confirmed on social media that tickets for the game were sold out.
The eagerly anticipated first-leg clash will take place on Aug 15 at the Jalan Besar Stadium at 9pm. The second leg will be on Aug 18 at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium.
The Lions are unbeaten in this year's tournament so far. Last Friday, they drew with Indonesia 1-1 to qualify for the semi-finals.
This year's matches have been held at Jalan Besar Stadium, which has about 6,000 seats. The 55,000-seater National Stadium is unavailable during the tournament as it was used for the Aug 9 National Day parade and the rehearsals before that.
HUGE MARK-UP ONLINE
When CNA checked online marketplace Carousell hours later on Wednesday, there were several listings offering to sell match tickets at much higher prices.
Prices for the first-leg match tickets are S$49 (US$38) for Category 1 and S$35 for Category 2. The prices do not include ticketing fees of S$1.20 per ticket and a 5 per cent transaction fee.
One Carousell user was selling their Category 1 match tickets at S$1,500 per ticket, about 30 times the retail price. The seller was offering a pair of these tickets.
Another was selling two Category 1 tickets for S$200 each.
"All you can do is just sigh," said Mr Goh. "If you're doing online ticketing, that's bound to happen. That's why I prefer physical ticketing."
"Everybody loses in this situation," added Mr Ayhan. "I'll be surprised if the stadium still has the same atmosphere as during the Indonesia game."
Lions fan group Singa Brigade called for people to "mass report" the resellers.
"After seeing scalpers selling tickets, we feel that this is simply not right," it wrote on social media.
"It takes away the chance for diehard fans, loyal fans and genuine fans who just want to watch their team play.
"For us, supporting Singapore is more than just watching a game. It's about pride, passion and standing behind our team."
In a post on X, Lions defender Irfan Fandi said that he felt for "genuine and loyal fans" who had hoped to attend the game. "This shouldn't be happening. #SayNoToScalpers."
Along with the listings for tickets to be sold were also various posts by users looking to buy tickets for the game.
Fans suggested alternative ways in which the tickets could have been sold, including for them to be purchased only on-site.
At the last edition of the tournament in 2024, home tickets for the semi-final game between Singapore and Vietnam were sold in person at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Fans formed snaking queues at the stadium well in advance of the noon start time, some having waited overnight.
"That's better than online ticketing because you know who's buying the tickets," said Mr Goh, who had waited in line for more than three hours.
Another Lions fan, who only wanted to be known as Mr Marcus, said that FAS could consider a centralised ticketing system where fans who regularly attend Singapore Premier League (SPL) games have some priority for national team matches, which are in high demand.
"Of course the flip side of it is that as long as people want to go, I'm very happy to have new fans watching football, and you might want to convert them," he added.
For now, fans who were unable to snag tickets will have to be content with attending and organising their own watch parties.
"My plan is to bring my cousins to Boon Lay Community Club. I know that it might not have the same atmosphere; we can't watch it live and nothing can recreate the atmosphere of a fully packed Jalan Besar Stadium," said Mr Goh.
"But even if I'm not going, or other fans are not going, I do hope the fans can pack out the stadium, and make it a cauldron."
CNA has contacted the FAS for more information, including the number of tickets released, as well as the Kallang Group about the time taken to relay the pitch at the National Stadium after the National Day Parade.
