Papua New Guinea national soccer team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Papua New Guinea women's national soccer team.

The Papua New Guinea national soccer team is the men's national soccer team of Papua New Guinea and is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association. Its nickname is the Kapuls,^[3][4] which is Tok Pisin for Cuscus.

Papua New Guinea

Nickname(s)	Kapuls (Cuscus)
Association	Papua New Guinea Football Association
Confederation	OFC (Oceania)
Head coach	Felipe Vega-Arango
Captain	Ronald Warisan
Most caps	Emmanuel Simon (40)
Top scorer	Raymond Gunemba (16)
Home stadium	Hubert Murray Stadium
FIFA code	PNG
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	171 1 (3 April 2025)[1]
Highest	153 (June 2017)
Lowest	206 (October–November 2015)
First international
Fiji 3–1 Papua and New Guinea (Suva, Fiji; 29 August 1963)[2]
Biggest win
Papua New Guinea 20–0 American Samoa  (Nouméa, New Caledonia; 15 December 1987)
Biggest defeat
Malaysia 10–0 Papua New Guinea  (Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia; 20 June 2023)
OFC Nations Cup
Appearances	5 (first in 1980)
Best result	Runners-up (2016)
Melanesia Cup/MSG Prime Minister's Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1989)
Best result	Melanesia Cup: Third place (1994) MSG Prime Minister's Cup: Champions (2022, 2024)
Medal record Pacific Games 1969 Port Moresby Team 1987 Nouméa Team 2015 Port Moresby Team

Papua New Guinea's highest ever FIFA ranking was 153, in June 2017. As of April 2024, the country was ranked 166 out of 211 countries. This was a drop of 1 place from February 2024.^[5] Papua New Guinea had previously left the FIFA rankings, having not competed in a match between July 2007 and August 2011. Their matches at the 2015 Pacific Games saw them return to the rankings, and they competed in the 2016 OFC Nations Cup in June 2016; they reached the final, but lost to New Zealand 4–2 on penalties after the score was tied at 0–0 after extra time.

History

1963–1978

The Papuan national team played its first match at the 1963 South Pacific Games, where it fell to Fiji 3-1 and was eliminated. At the 1966 South Pacific Games they reached the third place match but lost to the New Hebrides. Three years later they reached the same stage, and defeated the Fijian team 2-1 to win the bronze medal.

At 1971 South Pacific Games, after losing in the semi-finals to New Caledonia, they were beaten 8-1 by Tahiti in the third place game. Four years later, at the 1975 Games, they were beaten in the group stage by Tahiti and New Caledonia and thus eliminated in the first round.

1979–1995

At the 1979 South Pacific Games they lost in the quarter-finals 3–2 against the Solomon Islands, and in the first phase of the consolation tournament they were beaten 2–0 at the hands of the New Hebrides. The following year they played in the 1980 Oceania Cup, the precursor to the OFC Nations Cup, where despite beating the New Hebrides team, their losses to Australia and New Caledonia left them out at the first phase.

At 1983 South Pacific Games they lost the match for third place against the New Caledonian team. In the 1987 edition they won the bronze medal again by beating Vanuatu 3-1. Even so, in the two subsequent editions, 1991 and 1995, they were eliminated in the first phase.

1996–2012

After an absence in three editions of the OFC Nations Cup, due to the poor results obtained in the Melanesia Cup, they qualified for the 2002 tournament. They were only able to salvage a point in a 0-0 draw against the Solomon Islands and bowed out in the first round. In 2003 South Pacific Games they had a poor performance and in five games only obtained four points.

After not participating in 2007, which served as qualification for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup, they were eliminated in the first phase at 2011 Pacific Games by having worse goal difference than Tahiti, with whom they tied on points. In the 2012 OFC Nations Cup they drew with Fiji and lost to the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, again being eliminated in the group stage.

2013–present

Alwin Komolong played numerous football matches for Papua New Guinea

In 2015, Papua New Guinea was designated to host the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. In the group stage, the Papuan team drew 1–1 with New Caledonia, 2–2 against Tahiti and beat Samoa 8–0. After achieving victory in the semi-finals, 2–1 against the Solomon Islands, they lost on penalties to New Zealand in the final after drawing 0–0 in regulation time. On 20 June 2023, Papua New Guinea suffered their worst defeat in their history losing to Malaysia 10–0 at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium.

FIFA Series tournament

In 2024, Papua New Guinea played their first ever tournament outside Oceania where FIFA invited them to the 2024 FIFA Series matches on from 22 to 25 March 2024 held in Colombo where they would face Sri Lanka and Central African Republic.

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier	Period
Joma	1998–2000[6]
Puma	2007–2010
Nike	2011–2012
Lotto	2013–2015
Adidas	2017–2023
Veto	2024–

Results and fixtures

Main article: Papua New Guinea national soccer team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

Sri Lanka  v  Papua New Guinea

22 March 2024 FIFA World Series	Sri Lanka	0–0	Papua New Guinea	Colombo, Sri Lanka
20:45 UTC+5:30		Report		Stadium: Colombo Racecourse Attendance: 5,089 Referee: Meshari Ali Al Shammari (Qatar)

Central African Republic  v  Papua New Guinea

25 March 2024 FIFA World Series	Central African Republic	4–0	Papua New Guinea	Colombo, Sri Lanka
15:00 UTC+5:30	Yawanendji-Malipangou 11' Godame 25', 43', 78'	Report		Stadium: Colombo Racecourse Attendance: 550 Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)

Papua New Guinea  v  Fiji

16 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup	Papua New Guinea	1–5	Fiji	Luganville, Vanuatu
	Semmy 88'		Begg 2' Dunn 43', 52' A. Komolong 55' (o.g.) Krishna 64'	Stadium: Luganville Soccer Stadium Attendance: 1,700 Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand)

Papua New Guinea  v  Tahiti

19 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup	Papua New Guinea	1–1	Tahiti	Luganville, Vanuatu
	Paul 25'		Degrumelle 15'	Stadium: Luganville Soccer Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand)

Samoa  v  Papua New Guinea

22 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup	Samoa	1–2	Papua New Guinea	Luganville, Vanuatu
	Trainor 67'		Semmy 26' Kepo 47'	Stadium: Luganville Soccer Stadium

New Caledonia  v  Papua New Guinea

10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	New Caledonia	3–1	Papua New Guinea	Suva, Fiji
16:00 UTC+12	Athale 20' (pen.) Gope-Fenepej 45' Haewegene 83'	Report (FIFA) Report (OFC)	Semmy 78'	Stadium: HFC Bank Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)

Papua New Guinea  v  Fiji

14 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Papua New Guinea	3–3	Fiji	Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
16:00 UTC+10		Report		Stadium: PNG Football Stadium Attendance: 1,428 Referee: Matthew Conger (New Zealand)

Papua New Guinea  v  Solomon Islands

17 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Papua New Guinea	1–2	Solomon Islands	Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
16:00 UTC+10		Report		Stadium: PNG Football Stadium Attendance: 1,284 Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)

Solomon Islands  v  Papua New Guinea

12 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup	Solomon Islands	2-3	Papua New Guinea	Honiara, Solomon Islands
15:00 UTC+11				Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium

Papua New Guinea  v  Solomon Islands B

15 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup	Papua New Guinea	1-0	Solomon Islands B	Honiara, Solomon Islands
15:00 UTC+11				Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium

Coaching history

• Richard Tamari Nagai (1996–1998)
• John Davani (2002)
• Steve Cain (2002)
• Ludwig Peka (2003–2004)
• Marcos Gusmão (2004–2011)
• Frank Farina (2011–2013)
• Mike Keeney (2013)
• Wynton Rufer (2014–2015)
• Flemming Serritslev (2015–2018)
• Bob Morris (2019–2021)
• Marcos Gusmão (2021–2022)
• Santiago Marina (2022–2023)
• Warren Moon (2023–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against  Fiji on 14 November 2024 and against  Solomon Islands on 17 November 2024.^[7]

Caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2024, after the match against  Solomon Islands.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Dave Tomare	(1997-04-26) 26 April 1997 (age 27)	5	0	Hekari United
	1GK	Charles Lepani	(1994-08-20) 20 August 1994 (age 30)	1	0	Lae City
	1GK	Christinus Biasu	(1995-06-02) 2 June 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Hekari United
	2DF	Daniel Joe	(1990-05-29) 29 May 1990 (age 34)	37	0	Hekari United
	2DF	Alwin Komolong	(1994-11-02) 2 November 1994 (age 30)	30	2	Queensland Lions
	2DF	Kolu Kepo	(1993-07-15) 15 July 1993 (age 31)	24	3	Hekari United
	2DF	Joshua Talau	(1996-04-19) 19 April 1996 (age 28)	9	0	Lae City
	2DF	Nathaniel Eddie	unknown	3	0	Hekari United
	2DF	Arol Tateng	(1997-04-05) 5 April 1997 (age 28)	2	0	Southern Strikers
	2DF	Derek Kimai	unknown	2	0
	3MF	Rex Naime	(2003-10-23) 23 October 2003 (age 21)	11	0	Hekari United
	3MF	Simon Oberth	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24)	10	0	Hekari United
	3MF	Joseph Joe	(2002-06-14) 14 June 2002 (age 22)	7	1	Hekari United
	3MF	Solomon Rani	(2002-05-22) 22 May 2002 (age 22)	5	0	Hekari United
	3MF	Shane Sakael	(1992-12-31) 31 December 1992 (age 32)	3	0	Hekari United
	3MF	Juduh Asar	unknown	2	0
	3MF	Ritzoki Tamgol	unknown	2	0	Port Moresby
	3MF	Chappy Upaiga	unknown	0	0
	3MF	Ethan Mom	unknown	0	0
	4FW	Raymond Gunemba	(1986-06-04) 4 June 1986 (age 38)	34	15	Lae City
	4FW	Tommy Semmy	(1994-09-30) 30 September 1994 (age 30)	28	11	Geelong
	4FW	Ati Kepo	(1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 29)	24	8	Hekari United
	4FW	Logan Biwa	unknown	1	0

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Papua New Guinea squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ronald Warisan	(1989-09-20) 20 September 1989 (age 35)	34	0	Lae City	v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
GK	Vagi Koniel	(1996-10-26) 26 October 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Southern Strikers	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF	Godfrey Haro	(1998-06-30) 30 June 1998 (age 26)	12	0	Hekari United	v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
DF	Felix Komolong	(1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 28)	25	0	Lae City	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF	Lennard Atterwell	(2005-11-21) 21 November 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Brisbane Roar	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF	Raymon Diho	(2007-01-01) 1 January 2007 (age 18)	3	0	North Geelong Warriors	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF	Philip Steven	(1995-01-19) 19 January 1995 (age 30)	3	0	Port Moresby	2024 FIFA Series
DF	Joseph Waiwai	(2001-03-07) 7 March 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Port Moresby Strikers	2024 FIFA Series
MF	Emmanuel Simon	(1992-12-25) 25 December 1992 (age 32)	38	4	Lae City	v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF	Yagi Yasasa	(2000-08-17) 17 August 2000 (age 24)	17	0	Hekari United	v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF	Kenneth Arah	(1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 29)	5	0	Gulf Komara	v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF	Bruce Tiampo	(2002-07-25) 25 July 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Lae City	v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF	Pala Paul	(1999-07-25) 25 July 1999 (age 25)	8	1	Southern Strikers	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF	Troy Dobbin	(2001-09-24) 24 September 2001 (age 23)	6	0	Queensland Lions	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF	Lee-Navu Faunt	(2003-05-04) 4 May 2003 (age 21)	5	0	Redlands United	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF	Jethro Yumange	(2002-03-10) 10 March 2002 (age 23)	3	0	River Light	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF	Nigel Dabinyaba	(1992-10-26) 26 October 1992 (age 32)	19	11	Hekari United	2024 FIFA Series
FW	Matu Ben	(2004-01-31) 31 January 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Lae City	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup

Player records

As of 21 December 2024^[8]

Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Players in bold are still active with Papua New Guinea.

Most appearances

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Emmanuel Simon[a]	40	4	2014–present
2	Daniel Joe[b]	39	1	2012–present
3	Ronald Warisan[c]	36	0	2014–present
	Raymond Gunemba[d]	36	16	2012–present
5	Michael Foster	31	7	2003–2022
6	Alwin Komolong[e]	30	3	2016–present
7	Tommy Semmy	26	10	2014–present
	Kolu Kepo	26	4	2016–present
9	Ati Kepo	25	9	2019–present
10	Felix Komolong	23	0	2016–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Raymond Gunemba[f]	16	36	0.44	2012–present
2	Reggie Davani	13	17	0.76	2002–2012
3	Tommy Semmy	10	26	0.38	2014–present
4	Nigel Dabinyaba[g]	9	21	0.43	2014–present
	Ati Kepo	9	25	0.36	2019–present
6	Michael Foster	7	31	0.23	2003–2022
7	Nathaniel Lepani	6	8	0.75	2004–2011
8	Neil Hans	5	8	0.63	2007–2014
	Andrew Lepani	5	12	0.42	2003–2011
	Mauri Wasi	5	14	0.36	2002–2014

Notes

1. Simon also played twice against Vanuatu B, matches that are not considered official by FIFA.
2. Joe also played twice against Vanuatu B, matches that are not considered official by FIFA.
3. Warisan also played twice against Vanuatu B, matches that are not considered official by FIFA.
4. Gunemba also played twice against Vanuatu B, scoring once, matches and goals that are not considered official by FIFA.
5. Komolong also played once against Vanuatu B, a match that is not considered official by FIFA.
6. Gunemba also played twice against Vanuatu B, scoring once, matches and goals that are not considered official by FIFA.
7. Dabinyaba also played once against Vanuatu B, scoring twice, a match and goals that are not considered official by FIFA.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1966	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1970 to 1994	Did not enter									Did not enter
1998	Did not qualify									3rd	6	2	1	3	5	13
2002	Did not enter									Did not enter
2006	Did not qualify									3rd	4	2	1	1	17	6
2010	Disqualified									Disqualified
2014	Did not qualify									4th	3	0	1	2	2	4
2018										3rd	9	3	3	3	19	13
2022										3rd	4	2	0	2	5	5
2026										7th	3	0	1	2	5	8
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total		0/14									29	9	7	13	53	49

* Although initially listed by FIFA as having entered the 2010 World Cup, PNG did not enter the football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games, which was used as the preliminary round of the Oceanian zone qualification tournament.

OFC Nations Cup

Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1973	Did not enter										No qualification
1980	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	6	22	—
1996	Did not qualify										4	1	1	2	2	4
1998											4	1	1	2	3	6
2000											4	0	0	4	4	19
2002	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	12	Squad		4	4	0	0	20	2
2004	Did not qualify										4	2	1	1	17	6
2008	Disqualified										Disqualified
2012	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	4	Squad		Qualified automatically
2016	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	3	0	13	4	Squad
2024	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	4	7	Squad
Total	Runners-up	5/11	17	4	6	7	27	49	—		20	8	3	9	46	37

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Pacific Games

Pacific Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	1st round	5th	1	0	0	1	1	3
1966	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	14	14
1969	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	11	10
1971	Fourth place	4th	3	1	1	1	19	11
1975	Group stage	6th	2	0	0	2	3	9
1979	Quarter-finals	5th	3	1	1	1	15	3
1983	Fourth place	4th	4	1	0	3	22	10
1987	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	26	4
1991	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	3	2
1995	Group stage	6th	3	1	1	1	11	5
2003	Group stage	6th	4	1	1	2	12	7
2007	Disqualified
2011	Group stage	6th	4	2	1	1	22	4
2015	See Papua New Guinea national under-23 team
2019	Fourth place	4th	5	3	1	1	17	3
2023	Group stage	6th	4	2	1	1	7	3
Total	Third place	14/16	52	20	11	30	183	88

MSG Prime Minister's Cup

MSG Prime Minister's Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1988	Did not enter
1989	Fourth place	4th	4	1	1	2	5	4
1990	Fifth place	5th	4	0	0	4	1	5
1992	Did not enter
1994	Third place	3rd	4	1	1	2	2	4
1998	Fourth place	4th	4	1	1	2	3	6
2000	Fifth place	5th	4	0	0	4	4	19
2022	Champions	1st	4	3	1	0	7	5
2023	Fourth place	4th	3	0	0	3	2	7
Total	Winner	7/9	27	6	4	17	24	50

Honours

Major competitions

• OFC Nations Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2016

Regional

• Pacific Games
  • Bronze medal (2): 1969, 1987
• Melanesia Cup
  • Champions (1): 2022
  • Third Place (1): 1994

Summary

Competition				Total
OFC Nations Cup	0	1	0	1
Total	0	1	0	1

Head-to-head record

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	WPCT
American Samoa	3	3	0	0	37	0	+37	100.00
Australia	1	0	0	1	2	11	−9	0.00
China	2	0	1	1	2	5	−3	0.00
Chinese Taipei	2	0	2	0	3	3	0	0.00
Cook Islands	2	2	0	0	20	1	+19	100.00
Micronesia	1	1	0	0	10	0	+10	100.00
Fiji	21	4	6	11	21	38	−17	19.05
Guam	1	1	0	0	9	0	+9	100.00
Indonesia	2	1	0	1	3	8	−5	50.00
Iran	1	0	0	1	1	8	−7	0.00
Kiribati	2	2	0	0	30	1	+29	100.00
Liberia	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100.00
Malaysia	5	1	0	4	5	27	−22	20.00
New Caledonia	18	4	2	12	16	50	−34	22.22
New Zealand	6	1	1	4	3	19	−16	16.67
Niue	1	1	0	0	19	0	+19	100.00
North Korea	1	0	0	1	0	4	−4	0.00
Philippines	1	1	0	0	5	0	+5	100.00
Samoa[a]	5	5	0	0	26	3	+23	100.00
Singapore	3	0	1	2	7	11	−4	0.00
Solomon Islands	24	5	4	15	30	42	−12	20.83
Tahiti	15	1	4	10	17	47	−30	6.67
Thailand	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	100.00
Tonga	4	3	1	0	20	2	+18	75.00
Vanuatu[b]	22	9	4	9	28	33	−5	40.91
Wallis and Futuna	3	3	0	0	16	1	+15	100.00
Total	148	50	26	72	336	316	+20	33.78

Source: Results
Notes:

1. Includes results as Western Samoa.
2. Includes results as New Hebrides.

Historical kits

1996 Home

2002 Home

2004

2011 Home

2014 Home

2014 Away

2015 Home

2015 Away

2017 Home

2017 Away

2022 Home

2022 Away

2022 Third

2024 Home

2024 Away

Sources:^{[9][10][11][12][13][14]}

See also

• Papua New Guinea women's national soccer team