Football at the Pacific Games

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|

Football tournament

Football at the Pacific Games

Founded| 1963
Current champions|  New Caledonia
Men (2023)
Papua New Guinea
Women (2023)
Most successful team(s)|  New Caledonia
Men (8 titles)
Papua New Guinea
Women (6 titles)
Football at the 2023 Pacific Games
Men's * Women's

Association football has been regularly included in the Pacific Games, the multi-sports event for Pacific nations, territories and dependencies, since 1963. Until 2011 the competition was known as the South Pacific Games.[1]

Since 1971 the men's tournament has been held every four years, but was not played in 1999 due to contractual issues. In 2007, the men's competition doubled as the Oceania Football Confederation's preliminary qualifying competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[2] The men's tournament also became the Olympic qualifier for Oceania for the 2015 edition.

The women's tournament was introduced in 2003, and has doubled up as the preliminary qualifying competition for the Olympic Games since 2007. Football was a compulsory inclusion at the Pacific Games for men's teams for many years but was made a core sport for both men's and women's teams in 2017.[3] Football has also been held at several editions of the Pacific Mini Games, starting with the first tournament in 1981.[4]

## Men's tournament

[edit]

The Tuvalu men's team at the 2007 South Pacific Games

### Participating nations

[edit]

Numbers refer to the final placing of each team at the respective Games. Host nation is shown in bold.– See also the §Key to symbols within this section below the two tables.

Games

Nation

|  | 63 | 66 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 79 | 83 | 87 | 91 | 95 | 99 | 03 | 07 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 23 |  Years
played

|
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|
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|
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American Samoa | – | – | – | – | – | –  | P | 6 | – | – | - | –  | P | P | – | P | 12 | 6
Cook Islands | – | – | – | 6 | – | –  | – | – | – | P | - | –  | P | P | – | – | 8 | 5
Fiji | 2 | – | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2  | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | - | 1  | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14
Guam | – | – | – | – | P | 6  | – | – | P | P | - | –  | – | P | – | – | – | 5
Kiribati | – | – | – | – | – | 9*  | – | – | – | – | - | P  | – | P | – | – | † | 3
Micronesia (F.S.) | – | – | – | – | – | –  | – | – | – | – | - | P  | – | – | P | – | – | 2
New Caledonia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4  | 3 | 1 | 3 | P | - | 2  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16
New Zealand U-23 | – | – | – | – | – | –  | – | – | – | – | - | –  | – | – | ‡ | 1 | – | 2
Niue | – | – | – | – | – | –  | P | – | – | – | - | –  | – | – | – | – | – | 1
Northern Marianas | – | – | – | – | – | –  | † | – | – | – | - | –  | – | – | – | – | 10 | 1
Papua New Guinea | P | 4 | 3 | 4 | P | 9*  | 4 | 3 | P | P | - | P  | – | P | 3 | 4 | 6 | 15
Samoa | – | – | – | – | – | 9*  | 5* | – | – | – | - | –  | P | – | – | P | 7 | 5
Solomon Islands | 4 | P | 6 | – | 3 | 3  | P | – | 2 | 2 | - | P  | 4 | 2 | P | P | 2 | 14
Tahiti | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1  | 1 | 2 | P | 1 | - | 4  | P | 3 | 2 | P | 5 | 16
Tonga | – | – | – | – | – | 7*  | P | – | – | – | - | P  | P | – | – | P | 11 | 6
Tuvalu | – | – | – | – | – | 7*  | – | – | – | – | - | P  | P | P | – | P | 9 | 6
Vanuatu | P | 3 | 5 | 2 | P | 5  | P | 4 | 4 | 4 | - | 3  | 3 | P | P | P | 4 | 16
Wallis and Futuna | – | P | – | – | – | 9*  | 5* | 5 | P | P | - | –  | – | – | – | – | – | 6
Number of teams
All-time total: 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 12  | 11 | 6 | 8 | 9 | – | 10  | 10 | 11 | 8# | 11 | 12 | 16
Editions

### Legend

[edit]

Key to symbols

1 | Gold medal for first place  | n | nth place (e.g. 5 is fifth place)
2 | Silver medal for second place  | P | Pool or group stage elimination
3 | Bronze medal for third place  | * | Asterisk for shared placing (e.g. 5* is equal fifth)
4 | Fourth place  | # | Contested by under-23 national teams only
– | Did not play  | † | Withdrew before competition (did not play)
‡ | Played in the tournament (FIFA qualification) but excluded from the Pacific Games placings

### Results

[edit]

The table below is a summary of the finals matches in men's football at the Pacific Games since 1963: [4]

|  |  |  |

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|
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Year  | Host city  |  | Final  |  | Third place match
Gold  | Score  | Silver  | Bronze  | Score  | Fourth place
1963 |
Suva |
New Caledonia | 8–2 |
Fiji |
Tahiti | 7–2 |
Solomon Islands
1966 |
Nouméa |
Tahiti | 2–0 |
New Caledonia |
New Hebrides | 5–2 |
Papua New Guinea
1969 |
Port Moresby |
New Caledonia | 2–1 |
Tahiti |
Papua New Guinea | 2–1 |
Fiji
1971 |
Papeete |
New Caledonia | 7–1 |
New Hebrides |
Tahiti | 8–1 |
Papua New Guinea
1975 |
Tumon |
Tahiti | 2–1 |
New Caledonia |
Solomon Islands | 3–2 |
Fiji
1979 |
Suva |
Tahiti | 3–0 |
Fiji |
Solomon Islands | 3–1 |
New Caledonia
1983 |
Apia |
Tahiti | 1–0 |
Fiji |
New Caledonia | 2–1 |
Papua New Guinea
1987 |
Nouméa |
New Caledonia | 1–0 |
Tahiti |
Papua New Guinea | 3–1 |
Vanuatu
1991 |
Port Moresby |
Fiji | 1–1
(5–4
.pen.) |
Solomon Islands |
New Caledonia | 3–1 |
Vanuatu
1995 |
Papeete |
Tahiti | 2–0 |
Solomon Islands |
Fiji | 3–0 |
Vanuatu
1999  | No football tournament in 1999
|  |  |  |
2003 |
Suva |
Fiji | 2–0 |
New Caledonia |
Vanuatu | 1–0 |
Tahiti
2007 |
Apia |
New Caledonia | 1–0 |
Fiji |
Vanuatu | 2–0 |
Solomon Islands
2011 |
Nouméa |
New Caledonia | 2–0 |
Solomon Islands |
Tahiti | 2–1 |
Fiji
2015 |
Port Moresby |
New Caledonia | 2–0 |
Tahiti |
Papua New Guinea | 2–1 |
Fiji
2019 |
Apia |
New Zealand U-23 | 2–1 |
New Caledonia |
Fiji | 1–1
(4–2
.pen.) |
Papua New Guinea
2023 |
Honiara |
New Caledonia | 2–2
(7–6
.pen.) |
Solomon Islands |
Fiji | 4–2 |
Vanuatu

### Performances by countries

[edit]

Below are the 7 nations that have reached at least the semi-final stage in the Pacific Games.

Team  | Winner  | Runner-up  | Third Place  | Fourth Place

|
|
|
|

New Caledonia | 8 ('63, '69, '71, '87, '07, '11, '15, '23) | 4 ('66, '75, '03, '19) | 2 ('83, '91) | 1 ('79)
Tahiti (French Polynesia) | 5 ('66, '75, '79, '83, '95) | 3 ('69, '87, '15) | 3 ('63, '71, '11) | 1 ('03)
Fiji | 2 ('91, '03) | 4 ('63, '79, '83, '07) | 3 ('95, '19, '23) | 4 ('69, '75, '11, '15)
New Zealand U-23 | 1 ('19) |  |  |
Solomon Islands |  | 4 ('91, '95, '11, '23) | 2 ('75, '79) | 2 ('63, '07)
Vanuatu (New Hebrides) |  | 1 ('71) | 3 ('66, '03, '07) | 4 ('87, '91, '95, '23)
Papua New Guinea |  |  | 3 ('69, '87, '15) | 4 ('66, '71, '83, '19)

### Golden boot awardees

[edit]

Year  | Player  | Goals

|
|

1963–1995  | Unknown | \-
2003  |  Esala Masi | 11
2007  |  Osea Vakatalesau | 10
2011  |  Bertrand Kaï | 10
2015  |  Jean Kaltack | 17
2019  |  Gagame Feni
Tony Kaltak
Jean-Philippe Saïko | 9

## Women's tournament

[edit]

### Participating nations

[edit]

Games

Nation

|  | 03 | 07 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 23 |  Years
played

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

American Samoa | –  | P | P | – | P | 9 | 4
Cook Islands | –  | P | P | 3 | 4 | 10 | 5
Fiji | 5 | 3 | 3 | P | 3 | 2 | 6
Guam | 2  | – | P | – | – | – | 2
Kiribati | 7  | – | – | – | – | – | 1
New Caledonia | –  | P | 2 | 2 | P | 3 | 5
Papua New Guinea | 1  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6
Samoa | –  | P | – | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4
Solomon Islands | –  | P | P | P | P | 6 | 5
Tahiti | 4  | 4 | P | – | P | 8 | 5
Tonga | 3  | 2 | 4 | P | P | 7 | 6
Vanuatu | 6  | – | – | – | P | 5 | 3
Number of teams
All-time total: 12 | 7  | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6
Editions

### Results

[edit]

The table below is a summary of the finals matches in the women's football competition at the Pacific Games since 2003.

Papua New Guinea won the first four tournament finals, including against hosts New Caledonia in 2011 [5] and as hosts against New Caledonia in 2015.[6]

|  |  |  |

|
|
|
|

Year  | Host city  |  | Final  |  | Third place match
Gold  | Score  | Silver  | Bronze  | Score  | Fourth place
2003 |  [7]
Suva |
Papua New Guinea | round-​robin |
Guam |
Tonga | round-​robin |
Tahiti
2007 |  [8]
Apia |
Papua New Guinea | 3–1 |
Tonga |
Fiji | 1–0 |
Tahiti
2011 |  [9]
Nouméa |
Papua New Guinea | 2–1 |
New Caledonia |
Fiji | 1–0 |
Tonga
2015 |
Port Moresby |
Papua New Guinea | 1–0 |
New Caledonia |
Cook Islands | 2–0 |
Samoa
2019 |
Apia |
Papua New Guinea | 3–1 |
Samoa |
Fiji | 3–1 |
Cook Islands
2023 |
Honiara |
Papua New Guinea | 4–1 |
Fiji |
New Caledonia | 3–1 |
Samoa

### Performances by countries

[edit]

Team  | Winner  | Runner-up  | Third Place  | Fourth Place

|
|
|
|

Papua New Guinea | 6 ('03, '07, '11, '15, '19, '23) |  |  |
New Caledonia |  | 2 ('11, '15) | 1 ('23) |
Fiji |  | 1 ('23) | 3 ('07, '11, '19) |
Tonga |  | 1 ('07) | 1 ('03) | 1 ('11)
Samoa |  | 1 ('19) |  | 1 ('15, '23)
Guam |  | 1 ('03) |  |
Cook Islands |  |  | 1 ('15) | 1 ('19)
Tahiti |  |  |  | 2 ('03, '07)

### Golden boot awardees

[edit]

Year  | Player  | Goals

|
|

2003  | Unknown | \-
2007  |  Penateti Feke  | 4
2011  |  Christelle Wahnawe  | 12
2015  |  Christelle Wahnawe  | 10
2019  |  Ramona Padio  | 9
2023  | 11

## All-time medal table

[edit]

* Total medals won (men's and women's)

Rank| Nation| Gold| Silver| Bronze| Total

|
|
|
|
|

1|  New Caledonia| 7| 6| 2| 15
2|  French Polynesia| 5| 3| 3| 11
3|  Papua New Guinea| 5| 0| 3| 8
4|  Fiji| 2| 4| 5| 11
5|  New Zealand| 1| 0| 0| 1
6|  Solomon Islands| 0| 3| 2| 5
7|  Vanuatu (includes New Hebrides)| 0| 1| 3| 4
8|  Tonga| 0| 1| 1| 2
9|  Guam| 0| 1| 0| 1
Samoa (includes Western Samoa)| 0| 1| 0| 1
11|  Cook Islands| 0| 0| 1| 1
Totals (11 entries)| 20| 20| 20| 60

## Pacific Mini Games

[edit]

### Men

[edit]

The table below is a summary of the medal matches played in the men's competition at the Pacific Mini Games:

|  |  |  |

|
|
|
|

Year  | Host city  |  | Final  |  | Third place match
Gold  | Score  | Silver  | Bronze  | Score  | Fourth place
1981 |
Honiara |
Tahiti | 1–0
(a.e.t.)  |
New Caledonia |
Papua New Guinea | 1–0 |
Vanuatu
1993 |
Port Vila |
Tahiti | 3–0 |
Fiji |
New Caledonia | 2–1 |
Vanuatu
2017 |
Port Vila |
Vanuatu | round-​robin |
Fiji |
Solomon Islands | round-​robin |
Tuvalu

### Women

[edit]

As of 2019[update], women's football has only been hosted once at the Pacific Mini Games – at Vanuatu in 2017. The table below is a summary of the medal matches played in the women's competition:

|  |  |  |

|
|
|
|

Year  | Host city  |  | Final  |  | Third place match
Gold  | Score  | Silver  | Bronze  | Score  | Fourth place
2017 |
Port Vila |
Vanuatu | 2–1 |
Fiji |
Tonga | 1–0 |
Solomon Islands

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Pacific Games". RSSSF.
2. ^ "OFC 2010 FIFA World Cup route via Asia". Oceania Football Confederation. 7 December 2006. Archived from the original on 28 April 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2006.
3. ^ Charter - Constitution, Code of Conduct, Protocols, and Regulations adopted Apia, Samoa 14 May 2006 - As amended most recently in Port Vila, Vanuatu, 10 December 2017 (PDF 0.3 MB) (Report). Pacific Games Council. 2018. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
4. ^ a b "(South) Pacific Games and Mini Games". RSSSF.
5. ^ "Womens Soccer to start preparations for Olympic Qualifiers (Nov 7, 2011)". PNG Football. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
6. ^ "Women's Soccer - Team PNG Defeats New Caledonia – XV Pacific Games Day #14". Youtube. EMTV Online. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
7. ^ "South Pacific Games 2003 (Fiji)". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
8. ^ "South Pacific Games 2007 (Samoa)". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
9. ^ "Pacific Games 2011 (New Caledonia)". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 March 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* OFC Official Website

* v
* t
* e

Pacific Games

* Known as the South Pacific Games prior to 2009

Pacific
Games|

* 1963 Suva
* 1966 Nouméa
* 1969 Port Moresby
* 1971 Papeete
* 1975 Guam
* 1979 Suva
* 1983 Apia
* 1987 Nouméa
* 1991 Port Moresby
* 1995 Papeete
* 1999 Guam
* 2003 Suva
* 2007 Apia
* 2011 Nouméa
* 2015 Port Moresby
* 2019 Apia
* 2023 Honiara
* 2027 Pirae

Mini
Games|

* 1981 Honiara
* 1985 Rarotonga
* 1989 Nuku'alofa
* 1993 Port Vila
* 1997 Pago Pago
* 2001 Kingston
* 2005 Koror
* 2009 Rarotonga
* 2013 Mata Utu
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Football at the Pacific Games

Pacific Games|

* Fiji 1963
* New Caledonia 1966
* Papua New Guinea 1969
* Tahiti 1971
* Guam 1975
* Fiji 1979
* Western Samoa 1983
* New Caledonia 1987
* Papua New Guinea 1991
* Tahiti 1995
* Fiji 2003
* men's
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* men's
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* Samoa 2019
* men's
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* Solomon Islands 2023
* men's
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Pacific Mini Games|

* Solomon Islands 1981
* Vanuatu 1993
* Vanuatu 2017
* men's
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Pacific Games male squads|

* 2003
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Pacific Games female squads|

* 2023

* Known as the South Pacific Games prior to 2009

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See also
Geography
Codes
Player/Club of the Century
Women's football

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National teams|

| Men's|

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|

Women's|

* OFC Women's Nations Cup
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