Solomon Islands national football team
| 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 | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 149 2 (3 April 2025)[1] | ||
| Highest | 120 (October 2007, April 2008) | ||
| Lowest | 200 (January–March 2016) | ||
| First international | |||
| 6–3 New Hebrides (Suva, Fiji; 30 August 1963) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| 16–0 Cook Islands (Papeete, Tahiti; 21 August 1995) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Tahiti 18–0 (Suva, Fiji; 8 December 1963) | |||
| OFC Nations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1980) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (2004) | ||
| Melanesia Cup/MSG Prime Minister's Cup | |||
| Appearances | 9 (first in 1988) | ||
| Best result | Melanesia Cup: Champions (1994) MSG Prime Minister's Cup: Champions (2023) | ||
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 | 2004–2013 |
| Bocini | 2014 |
| OFC | 2015 |
| None | 2016 |
| Veto | 2017 |
| UCAN | 2019–2022 |
| SUNAIS | 2022–2024 |
| Veto | 2024– |
Sponsors
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
2024
| 15 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup | 0–1 | Vanuatu | Port Vila, Vanuatu | |
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Report |
|
Stadium: Freshwater Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Veer Singh (Fiji) |
| 18 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup | New Zealand | 3–0 | Port Vila, Vanuatu | |
| 12:00 UTC+11 |
|
Report | Stadium: Freshwater Stadium Attendance: 3,000 Referee: David Yareboinen (Papua New Guinea) |
| 21 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup | New Caledonia | Cancelled | 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 | Suva, Fiji | |
| 19:00 UTC+12 |
|
Stadium: HFC Bank Stadium |
| 5 September Friendly | 0–3 | Hong Kong | Suva, Fiji | |
| 19:00 UTC+12 | Stadium: HFC Bank Stadium Referee: Torika Delai (Fiji) |
| 10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | 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 | 2–3 | New Caledonia | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | |
| 13:00 UTC+10 |
|
Report | Stadium: PNG Football Stadium Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand) |
| 17 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Papua New Guinea | 1–2 | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | |
| 16:00 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium: PNG Football Stadium |
| 9 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | 4–1 | Vanuatu | Honiara, Solomon Islands | |
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Nicolas King 52' | Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium |
| 12 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | 2–0 | Honiara, Solomon Islands | ||
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium |
| 18 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | Papua New Guinea | 3–2 | Honiara, Solomon Islands | |
| 16:00 UTC+11 | Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium |
| 21 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | 1–3 | Fiji | Honiara, Solomon Islands | |
| 18:00 UTC+11 | Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium |
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Josh Smith[8] |
| Assistant coach | Moses Toata[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)[11]
- Jacob Moli (2024)[11]
- Moses Toata (2024)[8]
- Josh Smith (2024–)[8]
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Fiji on 10 October 2024.[12]
Caps and goals correct as of 10 October 2024, after the match against Fiji.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Philip Mango | August 28, 1995 | 45 | 0 | Central Coast | |
| GK | Michael Laulae | May 20, 2002 | 4 | 0 | Henderson Eels | |
| GK | Harold Nauania | October 10, 1997 | 2 | 0 | Real Kakamora | |
| DF | Javin Wae | November 17, 2002 | 20 | 0 | Campbelltown City | |
| DF | Leon Kofana | June 22, 2002 | 21 | 0 | Rewa | |
| DF | David Supa | December 21, 2000 | 14 | 0 | Central Coast | |
| DF | Calvin Ohasio | April 5, 2000 | 12 | 0 | Central Coast | |
| DF | Junior David | September 22, 2001 | 10 | 0 | Central Coast | |
| DF | Alick Stanton | May 25, 1998 | 9 | 0 | Central Coast | |
| MF | Atkin Kaua | April 4, 1996 | 40 | 5 | Laugu United | |
| MF | William Komasi | June 10, 2000 | 21 | 1 | Adelaide Omonia Cobras | |
| MF | Don Keana | September 9, 2000 | 6 | 0 | Waneagu United | |
| MF | Carlos Liomasia | September 17, 1994 | 2 | 0 | Tailevu | |
| MF | Ben Fox | July 6, 2001 | 1 | 0 | Marist | |
| MF | Jared Rongosulia | November 6, 1995 | 0 | 0 | Navua | |
| MF | Paul Francis | September 5, 2004 | 0 | 0 | Real Kakamora | |
| FW | Micah Lea'alafa | June 1, 1991 | 28 | 8 | Vipers FC | |
| FW | Alvin Hou | September 18, 1996 | 25 | 7 | Solomon Warriors | |
| FW | Raphael Lea'i | September 9, 2003 | 22 | 11 | Wollongong Wolves | |
| FW | Bobby Leslie | March 3, 2000 | 12 | 2 | Central Coast | |
| FW | Mohammad Mekawir | July 27, 2000 | 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 | December 30, 2003 | 0 | 0 | Honiara City | v. Fiji, 20 March 2024 |
| GK | Timothy Mae'arasia | June 19, 1995 | 2 | 0 | Solomon Warriors | 2023 Pacific Games |
| DF | Prince Tahanipue | January 13, 1995 | 10 | 0 | Central Coast | v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024 |
| DF | Loea Taisara | June 2, 1989 | 3 | 0 | Solomon Warriors | v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024 |
| DF | Allen Peter | September 11, 1995 | 18 | 0 | Solomon Warriors | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| DF | Steven Koti | June 10, 2000 | 0 | 0 | Kossa | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| DF | Hadisi Aengari | October 23, 1988 | 44 | 0 | Solomon Warriors | v. Fiji, 20 March 2024 |
| MF | Tigi Molea | September 24, 1992 | 11 | 3 | Solomon Warriors | v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024 |
| MF | Marlon Tahioa | November 28, 1998 | 9 | 0 | Central Coast | v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024 |
| MF | Hudson Oreinima | July 24, 1988 | 2 | 0 | Central Coast | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| MF | Hadyn Irodao | October 29, 2002 | 0 | 0 | Central Coast | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| MF | Molis Gagame | September 21, 1989 | 14 | 0 | Kossa | v. Fiji, 20 March 2024 |
| FW | Joses Nawo | May 3, 1988 | 55 | 8 | Real Kakamora | v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024 |
| FW | Dalton Saeni | October 14, 2002 | 0 | 0 | Marist | v. Hong Kong, 5 September 2024 |
| FW | Gagame Feni | August 21, 1992 | 35 | 19 | Kossa | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| FW | Junior Fordney | November 26, 1999 | 1 | 0 | Central Coast | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| FW | Norman Ngafu | July 16, 1997 | 1 | 0 | Marist | 2023 Pacific GamesPRE |
Player records
- As of 21 December 2024[13]
- 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 | Atkin Kaua | 47 | 6 | 2016–present |
| 5 | Philip Mango | 45 | 0 | 2016–present |
| 6 | Hadisi Aengari | 44 | 0 | 2011–present |
| 7 | Nelson Sale Kilifa | 37 | 0 | 2004–2017 |
| 8 | Commins Menapi | 36 | 34 | 2000–2007 |
| 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 | 27 | 0.44 | 2022–present |
| 7 | Noel Berry | 10 | 15 | 0.67 | 1995–2000 |
| 8 | Micah Lea'alafa | 9 | 31 | 0.29 | 2016–present |
| 9 | John Orobulu | 8 | 16 | 0.5 | 2018–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 | 1st Round | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 13 | |||||||
| 1998 | France | 2nd Round | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 23 | ||||||||
| 2002 | South Korea Japan |
1st Round | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 10 | ||||||||
| 2006 | Germany | 2nd | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 16 | ||||||||
| 2010 | South Africa | SF | 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 |
2nd Round | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2030 | Morocco Portugal Spain |
To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| 2034 | Saudi Arabia | |||||||||||||||
| 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 | Bronze medal | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 |
| 1979 | Bronze medal | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 5 |
| 1983 | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 1987 | did not enter | |||||||
| 1991 | Silver medal | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 |
| 1995 | Silver medal | 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 | Silver medal | 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 21 December 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 | 44 | 8 | 16 | 20 | 47 | 79 | −32 | 18.18 |
| 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 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 60.00 |
| 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] | 36 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 81 | 38 | +43 | 63.89 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | +22 | 100.00 |
| Total | 217 | 93 | 37 | 87 | 474 | 411 | +63 | 42.86 |
Honours
Major competitions
Regional
Awards
Summary
| Competition | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OFC Nations Cup | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Historical kits
References
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "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 "New Head Coach Sets Ambitious Path Ahead". SFF. 1 September 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.
- ^ a b "MOLI APPOINTED FOR NATIONS CUP 2024". SIFF. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "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.
Further reading
- Sarkar, Uttiyo (4 June 2023). "Hero Intercontinental Cup Rival Watch: Vanuatu". khelnow.com. Khel Now India. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.