Solomon Islands national football team

Solomon Islands
Nickname(s)	Bonitos
Association	Solomon Islands Football Federation
Confederation	OFC (Oceania)
Head coach	Josh Smith
Captain	Joses Nawo
Most caps	Henry Fa'arodo (64)
Top scorer	Commins Menapi (34)
Home stadium	National Stadium,; Lawson Tama Stadium
FIFA code	SOL
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	147 3 (24 October 2024)
Highest	120 (October 2007, April 2008)
Lowest	200 (January–March 2016)
First international
	Solomon Islands 6–3 New Hebrides ; (Suva, Fiji; 30 August 1963)
Biggest win
	Solomon Islands 16–0 Cook Islands ; (Papeete, Tahiti; 21 August 1995)
Biggest defeat
	Tahiti 18–0 Solomon Islands ; (Suva, Fiji; 8 December 1963)
OFC Nations Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1980)
Best result	Runners-up, 2004

The Solomon Islands men's national football team is the national football team of Solomon Islands, administered by the Solomon Islands Football Federation. The Solomon Islands national football team was founded in 1978. They were officially recognised by FIFA a decade later, in 1988.^[3]

History

During the 2004 Oceania World Cup qualification/Oceania Cup the team drew 2–2 with Australia and qualified for the second leg. In the second leg, the Solomon Islands national men's team were thrashed by Australia 5–1 and 6–0 in the two matches, with Australia qualifying for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.

The Solomons got a second chance against the Socceroos in a two-legged series in September 2005, this time with the winner advancing to a two-legged series against CONMEBOL's fifth-place finisher for a berth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and the team was thrashed by Australia 7–0 on the first leg and 2–1 in the second played at home.

The Solomons were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup – having got off to a good start winning every game in their qualifying group and comfortably progressing to the knockout rounds, defeats to New Caledonia and then to Vanuatu saw them knocked out of the competition.

In 2012, the Solomon Islands held the 2012 OFC Nations Cup which was also the second round of World Cup qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup where they finished in fourth place after qualifying through to the knockout stage by defeating Papua New Guinea and having draws against Fiji and New Zealand. They lost in the semi-final after they lost to the champions Tahiti after Jonathan Tehau scored the only goal. They later lost to New Zealand in the third-place playoff. The third round of World Cup qualifying saw the team finish bottom of the group after only taking one win against Tahiti.

After first taking charge of the team in 2017, Spaniard Felipe Vega-Arango was appointed for his second stint in June 2021.^[4]

In 2019, they went on a three-week training tour in Netherlands.^[5]

In June 2023, Solomon Islands played their friendly match against Southeast Asia countries, Singapore and Malaysia. Solomon Island won the 2023 MSG Prime Minister's Cup after winning against Papua New Guinea (3–1), Vanuatu (1–0) and New Caledonia (1–0) as Raphael Lea'i clinch the golden boots as the tournament top scorer with four goals.

Team image

Kit sponsorship

Kit lier	Period
Lotto	2004–2012
Pasifika	2013–2016
Veto	2016–2021
UCAN	2022–

Results and fixtures

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

2023

28 November 2023 Pacific Games SF	Fiji	0–2	Solomon Islands	Honiara, Solomon Islands
15:00		Report	Lea'i 39' (pen.) Lea'alafa 82'	Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

2 December 2023 Pacific Games Final	New Caledonia	2–2 (a.e.t.) (7–6 p)	Solomon Islands	Honiara, Solomon Islands
10:00	Waya 7' Wélépane 45+4'	Report	Orobulu 32', 72'	Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)
	Penalties
	Ranchain Bako Richard Waya Zeoula Iwa Waia Vakié		Lea'alafa Supa Kaua Ohasio Lea'i Peter Kofana Orobulu

2024

18 March Friendly	Solomon Islands	2–1	Fiji	Honiara, Solomon Islands
15:00 UTC+11	Molea 77' Hou 90'	Report	Raheem 14'	Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium

21 March Friendly	Solomon Islands	0–2	Fiji	Honiara, Solomon Islands
			Raheem 45' Krishna 64'	Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium

15 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup	Solomon Islands	0–1	Vanuatu	Port Vila, Vanuatu
15:00 UTC+11		Report	Tangis 72'	Stadium: Freshwater Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Veer Singh (Fiji)

18 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup	New Zealand	3–0	Solomon Islands	Port Vila, Vanuatu
12:00 UTC+11	Waine 6', 11' Barbarouses 45+4'	Report		Stadium: Freshwater Stadium Attendance: 3,000 Referee: David Yareboinen (Papua New Guinea)

21 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup	New Caledonia	Cancelled	Solomon Islands	Port Vila, Vanuatu
12:00 UTC+11				Stadium: Freshwater Stadium
Note: On 5 June 2024, New Caledonia withdrew from the 2024 OFC Nations Cup due to the serious crisis in the country.^[6]

2 September Friendly	Fiji	1–0	Solomon Islands	Suva, Fiji
19:00 UTC+12	Warainivalu 81' (pen.)			Stadium: HFC Bank Stadium

5 September Friendly	Solomon Islands	0–3	Hong Kong	Suva, Fiji
19:00 UTC+12			Juninho 22' Matt Orr 45+1' (pen.) Wong Wai 47' (pen.)	Stadium: HFC Bank Stadium Referee: Torika Delai (Fiji)

10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Solomon Islands	0–1	Fiji	Suva, Fiji
19:00 UTC+12		Report	Krishna 13'	Stadium: HFC Bank Stadium Attendance: 2,000^[7] Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

14 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Solomon Islands	2–3	New Caledonia	Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
13:00 UTC+10	Lea'i 9' Wae 39'	Report	Athale 6' (pen.), 59' (pen.) Waia 69'	Stadium: PNG Football Stadium Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand)

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

Coaching staff

Position
Head coach	Jacob Moli^[8]
Assistant coach	Stanley Waita^[8]
Goalkeeper coach	Tibon Oge
Kit Manager	Augustine Hou
Team Manager	Dixion Lauia Anga

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Edward Ngara (1995–1996)
Wilson Maelaua (1996)
George Cowie (2000–2003)
Alan Gillett (2004–2005)
Airton Andrioli (2006–2009)
Jacob Moli (2010–2014)^[9]
Moses Toata (2015–2016)^[10]
Felipe Vega-Arango (2017–2018)
Moses Toata (2018–2019)
Wim Rijsbergen (2019)
Stanley Waita (2020–2021)
Felipe Vega-Arango (2021–2024)
Eddie Marahare (2024)^[8]
Jacob Moli (2024–)^[8]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Fiji on 10 October 2024.^[11]

Caps and goals correct as of 10 October 2024, after the match against Fiji.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Philip Mango	(1995-08-28) August 28, 1995 (age 29)	45	0	Central Coast
1GK	Michael Laulae	(2002-05-20) May 20, 2002 (age 22)	4	0	Henderson Eels
1GK	Harold Nauania	(1997-10-10) October 10, 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Real Kakamora

2DF	Javin Wae	(2002-11-17) November 17, 2002 (age 22)	20	0	Central Coast
2DF	Leon Kofana	(2002-06-22) June 22, 2002 (age 22)	21	0	Rewa
2DF	David Supa	(2000-12-21) December 21, 2000 (age 23)	14	0	Central Coast
2DF	Calvin Ohasio	(2000-04-05) April 5, 2000 (age 24)	12	0	Central Coast
2DF	Junior David	(2001-09-22) September 22, 2001 (age 23)	10	0	Central Coast
2DF	Alick Stanton	(1998-05-25) May 25, 1998 (age 26)	9	0	Central Coast

3MF	Atkin Kaua	(1996-04-04) April 4, 1996 (age 28)	40	5	Laugu United
3MF	William Komasi	(2000-06-10) June 10, 2000 (age 24)	21	1	Nadroga
3MF	Don Keana	(2000-09-09) September 9, 2000 (age 24)	6	0	Waneagu United
3MF	Carlos Liomasia	(1994-09-17) September 17, 1994 (age 30)	2	0	Tailevu
3MF	Ben Fox	(2001-07-06) July 6, 2001 (age 23)	1	0	Marist
3MF	Jared Rongosulia	(1995-11-06) November 6, 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Navua
3MF	Paul Francis	(2004-09-05) September 5, 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Real Kakamora

4FW	Micah Lea'alafa	(1991-06-01) June 1, 1991 (age 33)	28	8	FK Beograd
4FW	Alvin Hou	(1996-09-18) September 18, 1996 (age 28)	25	7	Solomon Warriors
4FW	Raphael Lea'i	(2003-09-09) September 9, 2003 (age 21)	22	11	Adelaide City
4FW	John Orobulu	(2000-08-29) August 29, 2000 (age 24)	14	8	Henderson Eels
4FW	Bobby Leslie	(2000-03-03) March 3, 2000 (age 24)	12	2	Central Coast
4FW	Mohammad Mekawir	(2000-07-27) July 27, 2000 (age 24)	7	0	Navua

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Junior Petua	(2003-12-30) December 30, 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Honiara City	v. Fiji, 20 March 2024
GK	Timothy Mae'arasia	(1995-06-19) June 19, 1995 (age 29)	2	0	Solomon Warriors	2023 Pacific Games

DF	Prince Tahanipue	(1995-01-13) January 13, 1995 (age 29)	10	0	Central Coast	v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
DF	Loea Taisara	(1989-06-02) June 2, 1989 (age 35)	3	0	Solomon Warriors	v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
DF	Allen Peter	(1995-09-11) September 11, 1995 (age 29)	18	0	Solomon Warriors	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF	Steven Koti	(2000-06-10) June 10, 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Kossa	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF	Hadisi Aengari	(1988-10-23) October 23, 1988 (age 36)	44	0	Solomon Warriors	v. Fiji, 20 March 2024

MF	Tigi Molea	(1992-09-24) September 24, 1992 (age 32)	11	3	Solomon Warriors	v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
MF	Marlon Tahioa	(1998-11-28) November 28, 1998 (age 25)	9	0	Central Coast	v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
MF	Hudson Oreinima	(1988-07-24) July 24, 1988 (age 36)	2	0	Central Coast	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF	Hadyn Irodao	(2002-10-29) October 29, 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Central Coast	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF	Molis Gagame	(1989-09-21) September 21, 1989 (age 35)	14	0	Kossa	v. Fiji, 20 March 2024

FW	Joses Nawo	(1988-05-03) May 3, 1988 (age 36)	55	8	Real Kakamora	v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
FW	Dalton Saeni	(2002-10-14) October 14, 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Marist	v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
FW	Gagame Feni	(1992-08-21) August 21, 1992 (age 32)	35	19	Kossa	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
FW	Junior Fordney	(1999-11-26) November 26, 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Central Coast	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
FW	Norman Ngafu	(1997-07-16) July 16, 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Marist	2023 Pacific Games^PRE

Player records

As of 10 October 2024^[12]

Players in bold are still active with Solomon Islands.

Most appearances

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Henry Fa'arodo	64	20	2002–2017
2	Joses Nawo	56	8	2011–present
3	Benjamin Totori	52	29	2007–2019
4	Hadisi Aengari	44	0	2011–present
5	Philip Mango	43	0	2016–present
6	Atkin Kaua	41	5	2016–present
7	Nelson Sale Kilifa	37	0	2004–2017
8	Commins Menapi	36	34	2000–2007
8	Batram Suri	36	14	1995–2005
10	Gagame Feni	35	19	2012–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Commins Menapi	34	36	0.94	2000–2007
2	Benjamin Totori	29	52	0.56	2007–2019
3	Henry Fa'arodo	20	64	0.31	2002–2017
4	Gagame Feni	19	35	0.54	2012–present
5	Batram Suri	14	36	0.39	1995–2005
6	Raphael Lea'i	12	23	0.52	2022–present
7	Noel Berry	10	15	0.67	1995–2000
8	John Orobulu	8	14	0.57	2018–present
	Micah Lea'alafa	8	29	0.28	2016–present
	Joses Nawo	8	56	0.14	2011–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup									FIFA World Cup qualification
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1986		Not a FIFA member							Not a FIFA member
1990	Italy	Did not enter							Did not enter
1994	United States	Did not qualify							Group stage	4	0	1	3	5	13
1998	France								Group stage	8	3	3	2	22	23
2002	South Korea Japan								Group stage	4	2	0	2	17	10
2006	Germany								2nd	11	6	2	3	24	16
2010	South Africa								Knockout stage	6	4	0	2	23	6
2014	Brazil								4th	9	2	2	5	7	22
2018	Russia								2nd	9	4	1	4	10	16
2022	Qatar								2nd	3	2	0	1	6	8
2026	Canada Mexico United States								Group stage	3	1	0	2	4	5
2030	Morocco Portugal Spain	To be determined							To be determined
2034	Saudi Arabia	To be determined							To be determined
Total		—	–	–	–	–	–	–	0/9	60	24	9	27	122	126

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									Did not enter
1980	Group stage	8th	3	0	0	3	3	21	—	No qualification
1996	Semi-finals	3rd	2	0	0	2	1	3	Squad	4	4	0	0	10	1
1998	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	8	7
2000	Third place	3rd	4	2	0	2	7	10	Squad	4	2	1	1	10	9
2002	Group stage	6th	3	0	1	2	3	9	Squad	Qualified automatically
2004	Runners-up	2nd	7	3	1	3	10	17	Squad	4	3	1	0	14	1
2008	Did not qualify									6	4	0	2	23	6
2012	Fourth place	4th	5	1	2	2	5	6	Squad	Qualified automatically
2016	Semi-finals	3rd	4	1	0	3	2	4	Squad
2024	Group stage	6th	2	0	0	2	0	4	Squad
Total	Runners-up	8/11	30	7	4	19	31	74	—	22	15	3	4	65	24

Pacific Games

Pacific Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Fourth place	4th	3	1	0	2	6	26
1966	Group stage	6th	2	0	1	1	4	12
1969	Sixth place	6th	5	0	1	4	8	19
1971	did not enter
1975	Third place	3rd	4	2	1	1	9	8
1979	Third place	3rd	5	4	0	1	24	5
1983	Group stage	10th	3	1	0	2	0	11
1987	did not enter
1991	Runners-up	2nd	5	4	1	0	12	3
1995	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	0	2	34	10
2003	Group stage	5th	4	2	1	1	14	4
2007	Fourth place	4th	6	4	0	2	23	6
2011	Runners-up	2nd	7	5	0	2	21	6
2015	See Solomon Islands national under-23 football team
2019	Group stage	7th	5	2	1	2	30	9
Total	Runners-up	12/15	55	29	6	20	185	119

Wantok Cup

2008 (July, 1st edition) – First place

Head-to-head record

As of 17 November 2024

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	WPCT
American Samoa	4	4	0	0	40	1	+39	100.00
Australia	10	0	1	9	8	55	−47	0.00
Chinese Taipei	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Cook Islands	5	5	0	0	37	2	+35	100.00
Fiji	43	8	16	19	46	76	−30	18.60
Guam	3	3	0	0	24	2	+22	100.00
Hong Kong	1	0	0	1	0	3	−3	0.00
Kiribati	1	1	0	0	7	0	+7	100.00
Macau	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	100.00
Malaysia	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3	0.00
New Caledonia	29	11	3	15	35	58	−23	37.93
New Zealand	14	0	2	12	11	52	−41	0.00
Papua New Guinea	24	15	4	5	42	30	+12	62.50
Samoa^[a]	4	4	0	0	21	0	+21	100.00
Singapore	2	0	1	1	4	5	−1	0.00
Tahiti	24	5	3	16	26	76	−50	20.83
Tonga	5	5	0	0	31	0	+31	100.00
Tuvalu	4	4	0	0	29	1	+28	100.00
Vanuatu^[b]	35	22	7	6	77	37	+40	62.86
Wallis and Futuna	3	3	0	0	23	1	+22	100.00
Total	214	92	37	85	467	404	+63	42.99

Source: 1963–99 results and 2000–present results
Notes:

^ Includes results as Western Samoa.
^ Includes results as New Hebrides.

Honours

Continental

OFC Nations Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2004
- Third place (1): 2000
- Semi-finals (2): 1996, 2016

Regional

Pacific Games
- Silver medal (4): 1991, 1995, 2011, 2023
- Bronze medal (2): 1975, 1979
Melanesia Cup
- Champions (2): 1994, 2023
- Runners-up (2): 1988, 2000
- Third place (3): 1989, 1992, 1998

Historical kits

References

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
^ "Member Association – Solomon Islands". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
^ "Solomon Islands appoint new coach". 23 June 2021. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
^ "Historic training camp in Netherlands wrap-up". siff.com.sb. 5 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
^ "La Fédération se résout à la "NON-PARTICIPATION" des cagous". New Caledonian Football Federation. 5 June 2024.
^ "Solomon Islands vs Fiji". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "MOLI APPOINTED FOR NATIONS CUP 2024". SIFF. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
^ "FIFA.com". 23 June 2007. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007.
^ "Solomons search for new coach". Oceania Football Confederation. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
^ "Squad Announcement". Facebook. Solomon Islands Football Federation. 3 October 2024.
^ "Solomon Islands". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2021.

External links

[table_note_SAM0.69098557470878-13] Includes results as Western Samoa.

[table_note_VAN0.69098557470878-14] Includes results as New Hebrides.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-2] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.

[3] "Member Association – Solomon Islands". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

[4] "Solomon Islands appoint new coach". 23 June 2021. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.

[5] "Historic training camp in Netherlands wrap-up". siff.com.sb. 5 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.

[Withdrawal-6] "La Fédération se résout à la "NON-PARTICIPATION" des cagous". New Caledonian Football Federation. 5 June 2024.

[7] "Solomon Islands vs Fiji". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 10 October 2024.

[:0-8] "MOLI APPOINTED FOR NATIONS CUP 2024". SIFF. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

[9] "FIFA.com". 23 June 2007. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007.

[10] "Solomons search for new coach". Oceania Football Confederation. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.

[11] "Squad Announcement". Facebook. Solomon Islands Football Federation. 3 October 2024.

[12] "Solomon Islands". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2021.

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v t e National football teams of Oceania (OFC)
OFC Nations Cup
Active	American Samoa Cook Islands FS Micronesia² Fiji Kiribati¹ New Caledonia New Zealand Niue² Palau² Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tahiti Tonga Tuvalu¹ Vanuatu
Former	Australia (moved to AFC in 2006) Northern Mariana Islands³ (moved to AFC in 2009) Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)⁴ (returned to AFC in 1989)
¹ Associate member of OFC - Not a member of FIFA ² Not a member of OFC and consequently not a member of FIFA ³ Northern Mariana Islands was only an associate member of OFC between 1998 and 2009 - Not a member of FIFA ⁴ Although not geographically in Oceania, Chinese Taipei was a member of the OFC between 1976–1978 and 1982–1989 Although not geographically in Oceania Israel entered OFC World Cup qualification in 1986 and 1990 due to political reasons, though it never became a formal OFC member.