Lyari Football Academy Finish Runners-Up in SingaCup 2025 U16 Tournament

SINGAPORE: Pakistan’s Lyari Football Academy finished as runners-up in the SingaCup 2025 Under-16 tournament after losing the final to Thailand’s Benjamarachanusorn School at The Arena, Woodleigh, on Friday.

The championship final was a tense game. The title was won by Benjamarachanusorn School, who had not lost a match throughout the tournament, by 2-1. Even after the defeat, Lyari players were applauded for their fighting spirit and tactical maturity.

Kashif from Lyari Football Academy was rightfully named the most valuable player of the tournament, adding another highlight to Pakistan’s strong showing in Singapore.

Earlier, Lyari Football Academy booked their place in the final after edging out Indonesia’s Tapteng Sibolga Student Football Team 1-0 in a tense semi-final encounter. Their Thai opponents, meanwhile, stormed past Pakistan’s Kareem Kerai Academy with a dominant 5–0 win in the other semi-final.

In the third-place playoff, Kareem Kerai Academy displayed resilience and composure to claim a podium finish. Following a draw against the Tapteng Sibolga Student Football Team of Indonesia in the full game, Kareem Kerai Academy prevailed in the penalty shoot-out, winning 4-3 and ensuring that Pakistan had two representatives in the final three.

SingaCup has also gained a reputation as the best youth football competition in Asia since its inauguration in 2011. The 2025 edition featured nearly 160 teams from 13 nations, competing across five age brackets: Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, and Under-16. 

Lyari Football Academy’s performance in the under-16 stands out as one of Pakistan’s proudest international youth football achievements.