Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong was among the 10,355 fans at the National Stadium on Thursday (Oct. 12) night.

Played the drums and cheered alongside fans

Rooting for the Lions as they faced Guam in the first leg of the 2026 Fifa World Cup first-round qualifier, Tong was seen in the front row of the stands.

He was standing alongside the SingaBrigade, the official fan club of Singapore's national football team.

Tong was dressed in the familiar red national jersey, with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) logo and Singapore flag on the top left.

At one point, Tong took over as drummer of SingaBrigade and cheered loudly with the fans.

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Singapore defeated Guam 2-1, with goals from left wing-back Christopher Van Huizen and centre-back Jacob Mahler.

Following the match, Tong took a selfie with those around him, saying: "Thank you to our fans for supporting the Lions!"

The people clad in purple t-shirts are members of Team Nila, a national volunteerism community spearheaded by Sport Singapore.

The "proverbial 12th man"

On Friday (Oct. 13) morning, Tong shared a Facebook post with pictures from the night before.

In his post, he said that the Singapore football fans acted as the "proverbial 12th man".

"I was thrilled to join these fans cheering our hearts out, and thanks for letting me try out your drums!"

Tong added that it was "special" for him to sing "Majulah Singapura" in the end-of-match salute to the Lions.

It has become a tradition for the Lions to gather in front of the SingaBrigade after each match. The fans will then sing the national anthem as a show of respect to the players.

"A win is a win"

In his post, Tong also said that the Lions "will be disappointed" with only a 2-1 win as they head into the second leg.

According to the latest FIFA rankings, Singapore is ranked 157th in the world, while Guam is 201st.

"Still, a win is a win, and credit to the team for subduing an energetic Guam lineup," Tong said.

He wished the Lions luck for their next match.

Singapore will face Guam again on Oct. 17 in the second leg at the GFA National Training Center in Harmon, Guam.

The Lions must bag a win to earn a place in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, where they will be grouped with South Korea, China and Thailand.

Top images via FAS/Instagram.