SOKA PNG

12/02/2025

Pacific Football news.

Fiji has reportedly lost around $17 million after failing to host the Oceania Football Confederation Men’s Champions League.
Fiji FA CEO Mohammed Yusuf explained that under FIFA regulations, hosting a tournament with two pools of four teams requires two available venues.

Due to conflicting events, Fiji FA was unable to secure both HFC Stadium in Suva and Churchill Park in Lautoka at the same time.

"We had to let go, and there was a $17 million loss. Eight teams would have come, and there would have been bookings for cars, buses, hotels, stadiums, stalls, and other facilities.”
The tournament will now be hosted by the Solomon Islands from March 30 to April 12.

However, Fiji is able to secure both stadiums in time to host the OFC Women’s Nations Cup, the biggest championship in the OFC women’s calendar, which will take place from July 4 to July 19.

12/01/2025

January , 15 2025

On Sunday Bulletin Newspaper sports page.

07/01/2025

The family of Papua New Guinea's former national men's soccer team captain Michael Foster are refusing to give up their search for him and his nephew, nearly two weeks after they went missing at sea between East and West New Britain.

Listen online:
https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/png-foster/104791082

30/12/2024

Lexii Foster

Former PNG Football star missing in the sea.

Dear families, friends and loved ones, I am appealing for your help to notify any of your families that are living along the coast of Bialla Bay and also in villages within West New Britain coastline and East New Britain to look out for my brother, Michael Foster (picutured) and his nephew who went missing when the boat they were travelling on capsized last week Monday.Although there was a rescue team sent out last week to find them, there wasn't any sighting of them.Both of them are wearing life jackets and we believe might be swept by the current somewhere within these areas or beyond.We the family need help in whatever way we can get to keep the rescue in Bialla going so my brother and his nephew can be found.We also need your support in your prayers during this difficult time.Please share this post so anyone out there who sees this can assist in whatever way they can. Thank you, and God bless.

30/12/2024

*Seasonal Greetings to you all*

The Management, online administration team and contributors of the SOKA PNG Magazine would like to send out our seasonal greetings to all our readers and partners nationwide.

2024 has been a really challenging year for us but we believe that 2025 will arrive with blessings, breakthroughs and open doors.

God Bless,

25/12/2024

25/12/2024

25/12/2024

Season's Greetings from PNGFA

22/12/2024

Congratulations PNG Kapuls

09/10/2024

Thursday 10th October 2024
OFC

It's match day in beautiful Suva!

Group A at the FIFA World Cup 26™ Oceania Qualifiers gets underway today, with Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands all in action.

🇫🇯 🇫🇷🇳🇨 🇵🇬 🇸🇧

Who are you backing?

Watch all the action LIVE and FREE on FIFA+
https://bit.ly/4dzTrwX

08/10/2024

PAPUA New Guinea Football Federation President, John Kapi Natto, has expressed concern over the lack of government support for the Papua New Guinea national football team, the Kapuls, as they departed for Fiji yesterday for the first leg of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Read more: https://thepngbulletin.com/sports/kapi-natto-raises-concern-over-lack-of-funding-for-national-team/

07/10/2024

7TH OCTOBER 2024
PNGFA

DEPARTURE | The 🇵🇬 National Team jets off this morning to Fiji for the FIFA World Cup 2026™️ Oceania Qualifiers.

Papua New Guinea will play New Caledonia on Thursday 10 October at 4:00 pm at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.

18/09/2024

PNGFA

Match Schedules for Oceania Qualifiers | FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

Hi All find below is the Schedule for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for Oceania Football Confederation that will take place in Fiji and Papua New Guinea

The Excitement is that winner of the OFC Qualifiers gets direct entry to the World Cup while the runner- up has to play continental playoffs to secure a spot.

Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 will host the 2nd Leg of the Qualifiers in November. Stay Tuned for more updates

14/08/2024

13th August, 2024
by Yewande Fasan
The Nation

Burna Boy launches football academy

Grammy-winning singer Burna Boy, has launched a football academy with training centres in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt in Nigeria.

The academy aims to create an environment where young players can learn the fundamentals of football, combined with education, discipline, and technique, to excel in life beyond the sport.

According to the academy’s website, the program is open to players aged 4-15 and 16-21, with training sessions three days a week, lasting two hours per session.

The academy has partnered with several top-tier football clubs, including Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspurs, Leicester City, and Brighton from the English Premier League, as well as Watford from the Championship and Scottish clubs Hearts and Hamilton.

According to the statement on their website, the academy’s vision is to engage parents in sports education, emphasising its importance alongside academic pursuits.

“We aim to create an environment where kids can learn the fundamentals of football, combined with education, discipline, and technique, to excel in life beyond the sport.

“We strive to engage parents in sports education, emphasising its importance alongside academic pursuits.”

With two centers in Lagos, Lekki and Surulere, as well as Abuja and Port Harcourt, the academy has already seen success, with results from seven friendly matches showing four wins, two defeats, and a draw.

Burna Boy’s football academy is a significant investment in the development of young football talent in Nigeria, providing a platform for players to hone their skills and potentially secure a future in the sport.

22/07/2024

FootballPlus

Spain's Head Coach, Luis de la Fuente becomes the First ever Coach to win the :

✅U19 Euros 🏆🇪🇦
✅U21 Euros 🏆🇪🇦
✅2023 Uefa Nations League 🏆🇪🇦
✅2024 European Championship 🏆🇪🇦

19/07/2024

🟢Champions Argentina Bagged $16 Million USD Prize Money For Winning The Copa America

Prize Money The Breakdown

All 16 Copa America Qualified Teams gets $72 million dollars for participating

Each Of The 16 Teams Gets $2 million for competing.

Fourth position | Canada get $4 million dollars

Third Position | Uruguay gets $5 million dollars

Runner -up | Colombia go away with $7 million dollars

Champion Argentina bagged $16 million dollars,.

How the prize money is being distributed-

The prize money given to each teams will be distributed among players, coaching staff, and of course, a good part goes to the coffers of the respective national federation.

18/07/2024

Oceania World Cup 2026 path revealed

Solomon Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea drawn in Group A

Group B comprises New Zealand, Tahiti, Vanuatu and the round one winner

Matches commence in September 2024

The path to the FIFA World Cup 26™ for Oceania’s 11 member associations has been laid out following the preliminary qualification draw, held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich.

For the first time, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has a direct slot for the FIFA World Cup, with an additional berth available via the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off Tournament.

The second round features two groups of four nations, with each nation facing each other once in matches played in October and November, 2024. The top two in each group then progress to the decisive third round, set to be played in March, 2025.

The third round winner progresses directly to the World Cup 26, while the runners-up secure an Intercontinental Play-off Tournament berth.

Of the region’s current members, only New Zealand has previously appeared at a World Cup, in 1982 and 2010. The All Whites were slotted into Group B, alongside Tahiti, Vanuatu and the winner of the first round.

The Solomon Islands were the other top seed for the draw and they headline Group A, which also features Fiji, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea.

Draw results

GROUP A: Solomon Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea

GROUP B: Aotearoa New Zealand, Tahiti, Vanuatu, Winner Round One (American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga)

Match schedule

Round One: September 2024

Round Two: October and November 2024

Round Three: March 2025