The Kallang serves up football feast as Brazil, Japan and Paraguay bring stars to Singapore

[SINGAPORE] OF the 104 matches played at the Fifa World Cup in North America earlier this year, one of the games that stood out was the Round of 32 clash between five-time champions Brazil and Asia’s top-ranked team Japan.

Kaishu Sano gave the Blue Samurai a shock lead in the first half, but the South American powerhouses roared back after the interval as Casemiro headed in the equaliser before Gabriel Martinelli blasted in the winner deep in injury time with a classy left-footed finish.

This Saturday (Nov 14), fans in Singapore will get to witness a rematch between these two famous footballing nations at the National Stadium. This will be one of four friendly games as part of the inaugural Mizuho Blue Challenge – The Kallang Football Series, with Singapore and Paraguay the other two teams participating in this event.

Here, in order of their current Fifa rankings, is a closer look at each of the four nations and the players to watch out for:

Brazil (Fifa ranking: 6th)

Known as the Samba Kings, Brazil have named a powerful 26-man squad to make the long journey to Singapore. Coach Carlo Ancelotti will travel here with the likes of Arsenal pair Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes, Barcelona forward Raphina and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr.

Fans of the Selecao will also be eager to watch the likes of Chelsea teenager Estevao and Real Madrid’s Endrick, who is 20 years old. Also set to feature are Manchester United midfielder Andrey Santos and Aston Villa’s Joao Gomes.

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This won’t be the first time that Brazil have faced Japan right here in Singapore. Back in 2014, more than 51,500 spectators packed the National Stadium to witness a young Neymar score all the goals in a 4-0 trouncing of the Samurai Blue.

Brazil’s second game here, and their final international fixture of 2026, will see them play the Singapore Lions for the first time on Nov 17.

Japan (Fifa ranking: 17th)

Japan have won all four games they have played since they exited the World Cup at the end of June. Coach Hajime Moriyasu has guided his players to victory over a trio of South American opponents – Uruguay, Venezuela and Ecuador.

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Last month, Japan won the Kirin Cup after beating New Zealand in the final in Tokyo, which marked the 12th time they have claimed this trophy, thanks to goals from Ayase Ueda and captain Ritsu Doan.

Doan, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany’s top division, is part of the 28-man squad in the Lion City. Among the other well-known players are Monaco’s Takumi Minamino, Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo.

Fans will be on the lookout for Shio Fukuda, a 22-year-old who has earned his first senior call-up after impressing Moriyasu with a series of strong performances and goals for German second-division side Karlsruher.

Other than their high-profile game with Brazil on Saturday, the Japanese will play Paraguay in the final match of the Mizuho Blue Challenge on Nov 17.

Paraguay (Fifa ranking: 33rd)

Paraguay caused one of the shocks at this year’s World Cup when they ousted the mighty Germany on penalty kicks to reach the Round of 16. However, the South Americans put on an abject showing against France as Kylian Mbappe netted the decisive goal to send Paraguay home.

Paraguay have played just two friendlies since then, winning both their games against Bolivia (2-0) and Colombia (1-0).

Coach Gustavo Alfaro has been at the helm since 2024, after earlier stints in charge of the Ecuador and Costa Rica national teams.

He has announced a 27-man squad that includes Miguel Almiron, the former Newcastle United winger who now plays for Atlanta United in the US.

The 32-year-old made some unwanted history when he became the first player to be sent off under new mouth-covering regulations that were in place at this year’s World Cup. Almiron received a straight red card in the first half for covering his mouth with his hand in a confrontation with Turkey’s Mert Muldur.

Among the other fairly recognisable players are Ipswich Town forward Julio Enciso and Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Diego Gomez.

Singapore (Fifa ranking: 149th)

The Lions’ had planned to use these two upcoming games against Paraguay and Brazil as part of their final preparations for the next Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January. However, that tournament was recently postponed to the end of 2027 due to security concerns in the host country.

Singapore coach Gavin Lee remains unperturbed, however, as he wants his players to perform at their highest level against more established opponents.

His 24-man squad includes veterans like Hariss Harun, Safuwan Baharudin, Izwan Mahbud and Shawal Anuar. There’s also a slot for 21-year-old Woo Chun Wei, the midfielder from Balestier Khalsa who celebrates his first senior call-up.

Forward Ikhsan Fandi is out due to injury, while defender Perry Ng – who became a Singapore citizen in September this year – misses out as he is expecting the birth of his first child with his partner.

Tickets for all matches at the Mizuho Blue Challenge are available at Ticketmaster.