Missing supporters will be healed Wednesday.

KUCHING, 4 Oct: The Taha Ariffin Stadium will once again be the focal point when Kuching City FC will make it an international action arena against Tampines Rovers FC in the ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup 2026/2027 competition on Wednesday.

The match on 7 October was significant enough for the Cats after more than a month of skipping the schedule at the opposing stadium, as well as marking the team's return in front of their own supporters for the ASEAN level rivalry.

The return was also in a different atmosphere as the stadium formerly known as Sarawak State Stadium underwent a series of upgrades to meet the needs of Asian and ASEAN-level matches.

Among the works carried out were installation of audience seating, improvement of host and visitor team dressing rooms, referee rooms and match officials facilities, as well as upgrades to the south and toilets.

The stadium now has a seating capacity of 17,584, while the lighting, hygiene and safety aspects have been improved.

As a result of an inspection by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and the Malaysia Football Association (FAM) on 23 September, Taha Ariffin Stadium was given conditional approval to host AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two) and ACC Shopee Cup matches.

Some needs remain to be completed, including the installation of flashlights and the preparation of broadcasting rooms, but these are being carried out in preparation for international action.

At the same time, Kuching City FC also made changes to the stadium's operations management to ensure the day-to-day schedule of matches, including seating arrangements, ticket system, safety and spectator movement.

Initial supporters will be directed to the designated blocks and sectors before seating numbering systems are fully introduced.

The friendly match against Sabah FC at the Taha Ariffin Stadium on October 1 was also used as a test session to test the new procedures, including admission rules, seating arrangements and audience management.

For the Shopee Cup competition, Kuching City FC will open a Group A campaign against Tampines Rovers, before continuing the challenge against other clubs including Ratchaburi FC, Ho Chi Minh City Police FC, Manila Digger FC, Borneo FC Samarinda and previous two edition champions, Buriram United FC.

The action against Tampines Rovers was not only the first test of The Cats on the ASEAN stage this season, but also an opportunity for Aidil Sharin Sahak's control squad to prove their ability after making history as Malaysia Super League runners-up last season and earning tickets to rival clubs in ASEAN.

More importantly, a return to the Taha Ariffin Stadium gave Kuching City an advantage of playing in front of their own fans, an atmosphere seen as being able to be an extra shot for players facing the Singapore side.

With the stadium currently undergoing an upgrading process and a renewed operating procedure, the Shopee Cup event was also an important test of venue readiness and competition management before Kuching City continued its international campaign.

Following the action against Tampines Rovers, The Cats were scheduled to receive a visit from Hong Kong club Kitchee SC on 15 October in ACL Two-TVS competition