Sport is an important part of Solomon Islands culture dating back to the early colonial period. Cricket, Australian rules football, rugby union and horse racing are among the earliest organised sports in Solomon Islands. Sport has shaped the Solomon Islands national identity through events. Solomon Islands hosted the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara. [1]
The Solomon Islands national rugby union team has been playing internationals since 1969. It took part in the Oceania qualifying tournament for the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups, but failed to qualify on each occasion.
On 14 June 2008, the Solomon Islands national futsal team, the Kurukuru, won the Oceania Futsal Championship in Fiji to qualify them for the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup, which was held in Brazil from 30 September to 19 October 2008. Solomon Islands is the futsal defending champions in the Oceania region.
In 2008 and 2009 the Kurukuru won the Oceania Futsal Championship in Fiji. In 2009 they defeated the host nation Fiji, 8–0, to claim the title.
Rugby Union is played in Solomon Islands. National teams in association football and the related futsal and beach soccer have proved among the most successful in Oceania. The Solomon Islands national football team is part of the OFC confederation in FIFA.
They are currently ranked 184th out of 209 teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The team became the first team to beat New Zealand in qualifying for a play-off spot against Australia for qualification to the World Cup 2006. They were defeated 7–0 in Australia and 2–1 at home.
The Kurukuru currently hold the world record for the fastest ever goal scored in an official futsal match. It was set by Kurukuru captain Elliot Ragomo, who scored against New Caledonia three seconds into the game in July 2009. [2] They also, however, hold the less enviable record for the worst defeat in the history of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, when in 2008 they were beaten by Russia with two goals to thirty-one. [3]
The Solomon Islands national beach soccer team, the Bilikiki Boys, are statistically the most successful team in Oceania. They have won all three regional championships to date, thereby qualifying on each occasion for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The Bilikiki Boys are ranked fourteenth in the world as of 2010 [update] , higher than any other team from Oceania. [4]
The OFC Nations Cup is an international association football tournament held among the OFC member nations. It was held every two years from 1996 to 2004; before 1996 there were two other tournaments held at irregular intervals, under the name Oceania Nations Cup. No competition was held in 2006, but in the 2008 edition, which also acted as a qualification tournament for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and for a play-off for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the New Zealand men's national football team emerged as winners.
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football. The OFC has 13 members, 11 of which are full members and two which are associate members not affiliated with FIFA. It promotes the game in Oceania and allows the member nations to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
The Fiji men's national football team is Fiji's national men's team and is controlled by the governing body of football in Fiji, the Fiji Football Association. The team plays most of their home games at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
The Tahiti men's national football team represents French Polynesia and is controlled by the Fédération Tahitienne de Football. The team consists of a selection of players from French Polynesia, not just Tahiti, and has competed in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) since 1990.
The Cook Islands men's national football team is the men's football team that represents the Cook Islands in international competition since 1971. It is governed by the Cook Islands Football Association which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and FIFA.
The Papua New Guinea national rugby union team, nicknamed the Pukpuks,, played its first international in 1966, defeating Vanuatu 47–3. Papua New Guinea have not so far qualified for a Rugby World Cup. They participated in the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournaments for the 2007, 2011 and 2015 World Cups, but did not qualify.
The Papua New Guinea women's national soccer team is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA). Its nickname is the Lakatois, which is a Motuan sailing vessel. Their home ground is the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, located in Port Moresby and their current manager is Peter Gunemba. Deslyn Siniu is the team's most capped player and top scorer.
This article lists the results for the Fiji national football team from 2000 to present.
The OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup is the main championship for beach soccer in Oceania, contested between the senior men's national teams of the members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). It is the sport's version of the better known OFC Nations Cup in association football.
Moise Poida is a Vanuatuan football manager and former player. He manages the Vanuatu men's national team and has been a former manager of club side Tafea. Poida has also managed the Vanuatu men's under-20 national team and Vanuatu men's under-23 national team. As a player, Poida made 21 appearances for the national team and scored three goals as a winger and midfielder. At club level, he played for Tafea F.C. for his entire career. In 2008 Poida played for an Oceanian representative side against a team that included members of France's 1998 FIFA World Cup winning team. The game included players such as Zinedine Zidane, Christian Karembeu and Robert Pires.
The Solomon Islands national beach soccer team represents Solomon Islands in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by S.I.F.F, the governing body for football in Solomon Islands.
The Solomon Islands national futsal team, nicknamed Kurukuru, represents the Solomon Islands in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Solomon Islands Football Federation. It is one of the strongest teams in Oceania, but fares poorly in competitions outside the region.
The 2009 OFC Futsal Championship was the sixth edition of the main international futsal tournament of the Oceanian region. It took place from 7 July to 11 July 2009, and was hosted by Fiji, which had also hosted the previous edition. The number of participating teams dropped from seven to just four, as French Polynesia, New Zealand and Tuvalu failed to return from the previous year's competition. Previously, the Championship had been held every four years; the 2009 edition marked the beginning of an annual tournament.
Sport in Oceania varies from country to country. The most popular playing sport for men in Australia is Australian rules football, while for women is netball. Australian rules football is the most popular sport in terms of spectatorship and television ratings. Rugby union is the most popular sport among New Zealanders, while in Papua New Guinea rugby league is the most popular. While, Cricket is the most popular overall sport in Oceania.
The Tuvalu Islands Football Association is the governing body of football in Tuvalu. The association is responsible for the Tuvalu national football team and the Tuvalu national futsal team. Tuvalu is not a full member and is not affiliated with FIFA. It does not compete in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers because of its non-affiliation.
The 2011 Oceanian Futsal Championship (OFC) was the eighth edition of the main international futsal tournament of the Oceanian region. It took place from 16 May to 20 May 2011, and was hosted by Fiji, which had also hosted three previous editions.
Association football is one of the popular sports in Oceania, and 2 members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) have competed at the sport's biggest event – the men's FIFA World Cup.
Elliot Ragomo is a futsal player from the Solomon Islands. He plays as a defender for Brazilian club Minas Tênis Clube in the Liga Nacional de Futsal and the Solomon Islands national futsal team. Ragomo is the first futsal player from the Solomon Islands who plays professionally. Ragomo currently hold the title of the fastest ever goal scored in an official futsal match. He scored 3 seconds into the match between Kurukuru and New Caledonia in 2009.
The 2019 OFC Futsal Nations Cup was the 12th edition of the OFC Futsal Nations Cup, the international futsal championship organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for the men's national teams of Oceania.
Raphael Ohanua Lea'i Jr. is a Solomon Islands professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bosnian Premier League club Velež Mostar and the Solomon Islands national team. He is the first Solomon Islands player to have played in Europe.
