SINGAPORE – The Lions will face 2026 World Cup bound Australia and Iraq, and Tajikistan in Group D at the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Singapore head coach Gavin Lee and his side discovered their opponents for the Jan 7-Feb 5, 2027 Asian Cup during the official draw which took place at the Salwa Palace in Riyadh on May 9 (May 10, Singapore time).

The winners and the runners-up of each group and the four best third-place teams will qualify for the knockout stage.

World No. 27 Australia and Iraq, ranked 57th in the world, are both former champions of the Asian Cup, having triumphed in the 2015 and 2007 editions respectively.

Australia have qualified for six consecutive editions of the World Cup since 2006, while Iraq ended a 40-year drought in March when they sealed qualification for the World Cup.

The Republic’s other group stage opponents, Tajikistan (103), will be formidable too, having reached the quarter-finals of the last edition of the Asian Cup in 2023.

Meanwhile, hosts Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Palestine are in Group A, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Bahrain and Jordan are in Group B, and Iran, China, Syria and Kyrgyzstan are in Group C.

South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Lebanon/Yemen are in Group E, while Japan, defending champions Qatar and South-east Asian sides Thailand and Indonesia are in Group F.

The continental showpiece will be held across Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar, in Saudi Arabia.

With 23 out of 24 participating nations having already confirmed their place, the final berth is to be decided with a Group B tie between Lebanon and Yemen on June 4.

Singapore - at 147th in the world, the lowest-ranked nation to have qualified for the tournament - was in pot four.

The Lions secured a historic qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup with a 2-1 win in Hong Kong in November 2025. They also ended their qualification campaign unbeaten, with four win...