SINGAPORE: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will ban matches in several competitions from being played on artificial surfaces made entirely of synthetic fibres from August, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.

This comes after the AFC updated its field of play surface requirements.

The move will affect both national team and club competitions, including the final round of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, as well as the AFC Champions League Elite and the AFC Champions League Two.

CNA understands that AFC member associations were informed of the move on Wednesday (Jun 11), and member associations affected by the decision have been requested to nominate an alternative stadium for all home matches.

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This change could affect clubs such as the Lion City Sailors and BG Tampines Rovers, who will play in the AFC Champions League Two next season.

The men's national team is currently also in the final round of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, but played their opening home match against Hong Kong at the National Stadium. The Lions, who are top of their group, will next face India at home in October.

Last month, the AFC Champions League Two final between the Sailors and United Arab Emirates club Sharjah FC was played at the Bishan Stadium instead of the Jalan Besar Stadium, where previous home matches for the Sailors in the tournament had been played.

This came after the away side expressed reservations about the latter stadium. Sharjah said that it did not "meet the aspirations of the fans and stakeholders", taking issue with its size and artificial pitch.

CNA has reached out to the AFC, the Football Association of Singapore and the Sailors for comment.