 | |||
| Nickname | Kapuls (Cuscus) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA) | ||
| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) | ||
| Head coach | David Muta | ||
| Captain | Alwin Komolong | ||
| Mostcaps | Emmanuel Simon (41) | ||
| Top scorer | Raymond Gunemba (18) | ||
| Home stadium | Hubert Murray Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | PNG | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 170 (19 January 2026)[1] | ||
| Highest | 153 (June 2017) | ||
| Lowest | 206 (October–November 2015) | ||
| First international | |||
 Fiji 3–1Papua and New Guinea (Suva, Fiji; 29 August 1963)[2] | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Papua New Guinea 20–0American Samoa  (Nouméa, New Caledonia; 15 December 1987) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Malaysia 10–0Papua New Guinea (Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia; 20 June 2023) | |||
| OFC Nations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in1980) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (2016) | ||
| Melanesia Cup / MSG Prime Minister's Cup | |||
| Appearances | 9 (first in1989) | ||
| Best result | Melanesia Cup: Third place (1994) MSG Prime Minister's Cup:Champions (2022,2024) | ||
ThePapua New Guinea national soccer team is the men's nationalsoccer team ofPapua New Guinea and is controlled by thePapua New Guinea Football Association. Its nickname is theKapuls,[4][5] which isTok Pisin forCuscus.
Papua New Guinea's highest everFIFAranking was 153, in June 2017. As of April 2024, the country was ranked 166 out of 211 countries. This was a drop of 1 place from February 2024.[6] Papua New Guinea had previously left the FIFA rankings, having not competed in a match between July 2007 and August 2011. Their matches at the2015 Pacific Games saw them return to the rankings, and they competed in the2016 OFC Nations Cup in June 2016; they reachedthe final, but lost toNew Zealand 4–2 onpenalties after the score was tied at 0–0 afterextra time.
The Papuan national team played its first match at the1963 South Pacific Games, where it fell toFiji 3-1 and was eliminated. At the1966 South Pacific Games they reached the third place match but lost to theNew Hebrides. Three years later they reached the same stage, and defeated the Fijian team 2-1 to win the bronze medal.
At1971 South Pacific Games, after losing in the semi-finals toNew Caledonia, they were beaten 8-1 byTahiti in the third place game. Four years later, at the 1975 Games, they were beaten in the group stage by Tahiti and New Caledonia and thus eliminated in the first round.
At the1979 South Pacific Games they lost in the quarter-finals 3–2 against theSolomon Islands, and in the first phase of the consolation tournament they were beaten 2–0 at the hands of theNew Hebrides. The following year they played in the1980 Oceania Cup, the precursor to theOFC Nations Cup, where despite beating the New Hebrides team, their losses toAustralia andNew Caledonia left them out at the first phase.
At1983 South Pacific Games they lost the match for third place against the New Caledonian team. In the 1987 edition they won the bronze medal again by beatingVanuatu 3-1. Even so, in the two subsequent editions, 1991 and 1995, they were eliminated in the first phase.
After an absence in three editions of the OFC Nations Cup, due to the poor results obtained in theMelanesia Cup, they qualified for the2002 tournament. They were only able to salvage a point in a 0-0 draw against theSolomon Islands and bowed out in the first round. In2003 South Pacific Games they had a poor performance and in five games only obtained four points.
After not participating in 2007, which served as qualification for the2008 OFC Nations Cup, they were eliminated in the first phase at2011 Pacific Games by having worse goal difference thanTahiti, with whom they tied on points. In the2012 OFC Nations Cup they drew withFiji and lost to theSolomon Islands andNew Zealand, again being eliminated in the group stage.
In 2015, Papua New Guinea was designated to host the2016 OFC Nations Cup. In the group stage, the Papuan team drew 1–1 withNew Caledonia, 2–2 againstTahiti and beatSamoa 8–0. After achieving victory in the semi-finals, 2–1 against the Solomon Islands, they lost on penalties toNew Zealand in the final after drawing 0–0 in regulation time. On 20 June 2023, Papua New Guinea suffered their worst defeat in their history losing toMalaysia 10–0 at theSultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium.
In 2024, Papua New Guinea played their first ever tournament outside Oceania whereFIFA invited them to the2024 FIFA Series matches on from 22 to 25 March 2024 held inColombo where they would faceSri Lanka andCentral African Republic.
| Kit supplier | Period |
|---|---|
 Joma | 1998–2000[7] |
 Puma | 2007–2010 |
 Lotto | 2011 |
 Nike | 2012–2014 |
 OFC | 2014 |
 Kukuri | 2015 |
| None | 2016 |
| Adidas | 2017–2023 |
| Veto | 2024– |
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
v Papua New Guinea| 12 December2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | Solomon Islands | 2–3 | Papua New Guinea | Honiara, Solomon Islands |
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Stadium:Lawson Tama Stadium |
v Solomon Islands B| 15 December2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | Papua New Guinea | 1–0 | Solomon Islands B | Honiara, Solomon Islands |
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Stadium:Lawson Tama Stadium |
v Solomon Islands| 13 November2025 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | Papua New Guinea | 1–0 | Solomon Islands | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| 16:00 UTC+10 |
| Report | Stadium:PNG Football Stadium |
v
Fiji| 20 November2025 MSG Prime Minister's Cup semi-final | Papua New Guinea | 2–0 | Fiji | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| 16:00 UTC+10 |
| Report | Stadium:PNG Football Stadium |
v
Vanuatu| 23 November2025 MSG Prime Minister's Cup final | Papua New Guinea | 2–2 (4–5p) | Vanuatu | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| 15:00 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium:Sir John Guise Stadium |
Richard Tamari Nagai (1996–1998)John Davani (2002)
Steve Cain (2002)Ludwig Peka (2003–2004)
Marcos Gusmão (2004–2011)Frank Farina (2011–2013)Mike Keeney (2013)Wynton Rufer (2014–2015)
Flemming Serritslev (2015–2018)Bob Morris (2019–2021)Marcos Gusmão (2021–2022)
Santiago Marina (2022–2023)Warren Moon (2023–2024)Felipe Vega-Arango (2024–)The following players were called up for the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification againstFiji on 14 November 2024 and againstSolomon Islands on 17 November 2024.[8]
Caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2024, after the match againstSolomon Islands.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Dave Tomare | (1997-04-26)26 April 1997 (age 28) | 5 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 1GK | Charles Lepani | (1994-08-20)20 August 1994 (age 31) | 1 | 0 | Lae City | |
| 1GK | Christinus Biasu | (1995-06-02)2 June 1995 (age 30) | 0 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 2DF | Daniel Joe | (1990-05-29)29 May 1990 (age 35) | 37 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 2DF | Alwin Komolong | (1994-11-02)2 November 1994 (age 31) | 30 | 2 | Queensland Lions | |
| 2DF | Kolu Kepo | (1993-07-15)15 July 1993 (age 32) | 24 | 3 | Hekari United | |
| 2DF | Joshua Talau | (1996-04-19)19 April 1996 (age 29) | 9 | 0 | Lae City | |
| 2DF | Nathaniel Eddie | unknown | 3 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 2DF | Arol Tateng | (1997-04-05)5 April 1997 (age 28) | 2 | 0 | Southern Strikers | |
| 2DF | Derek Kimai | unknown | 2 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Rex Naime | (2003-10-23)23 October 2003 (age 22) | 11 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 3MF | Simon Oberth | (2001-01-01)1 January 2001 (age 25) | 10 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 3MF | Joseph Joe | (2002-06-14)14 June 2002 (age 23) | 7 | 1 | Hekari United | |
| 3MF | Solomon Rani | (2002-05-22)22 May 2002 (age 23) | 5 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 3MF | Shane Sakael | (1992-12-31)31 December 1992 (age 33) | 3 | 0 | Hekari United | |
| 3MF | Juduh Asar | unknown | 2 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Ritzoki Tamgol | unknown | 2 | 0 | Port Moresby | |
| 3MF | Chappy Upaiga | unknown | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Ethan Mom | unknown | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Raymond Gunemba | (1986-06-04)4 June 1986 (age 39) | 34 | 15 | Lae City | |
| 4FW | Tommy Semmy | (1994-09-30)30 September 1994 (age 31) | 28 | 11 | Melbourne Knights | |
| 4FW | Ati Kepo | (1996-01-15)15 January 1996 (age 30) | 24 | 8 | Hekari United | |
| 4FW | Logan Biwa | unknown | 1 | 0 | ||
The following players have also been called up to the Papua New Guinea squad within the last twelve months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ronald Warisan | (1989-09-20)20 September 1989 (age 36) | 34 | 0 | Lae City | v. New Caledonia, 10 October 2024 |
| GK | Vagi Koniel | (1996-10-26)26 October 1996 (age 29) | 0 | 0 | Southern Strikers | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| DF | Godfrey Haro | (1998-06-30)30 June 1998 (age 27) | 12 | 0 | Hekari United | v. New Caledonia, 10 October 2024 |
| DF | Felix Komolong | (1997-03-06)6 March 1997 (age 28) | 25 | 0 | Lae City | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| DF | Lennard Atterwell | (2005-11-21)21 November 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Brisbane Roar | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| DF | Raymon Diho | (2007-01-01)1 January 2007 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | North Geelong Warriors | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| DF | Philip Steven | (1995-01-19)19 January 1995 (age 31) | 3 | 0 | Port Moresby | 2024 FIFA Series |
| DF | Joseph Waiwai | (2001-03-07)7 March 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Port Moresby Strikers | 2024 FIFA Series |
| MF | Emmanuel Simon | (1992-12-25)25 December 1992 (age 33) | 38 | 4 | Lae City | v. New Caledonia, 10 October 2024 |
| MF | Yagi Yasasa | (2000-08-17)17 August 2000 (age 25) | 17 | 0 | Hekari United | v. New Caledonia, 10 October 2024 |
| MF | Kenneth Arah | (1996-01-15)15 January 1996 (age 30) | 5 | 0 | Gulf Komara | v. New Caledonia, 10 October 2024 |
| MF | Bruce Tiampo | (2002-07-25)25 July 2002 (age 23) | 3 | 0 | Lae City | v. New Caledonia, 10 October 2024 |
| MF | Pala Paul | (1999-07-25)25 July 1999 (age 26) | 8 | 1 | Southern Strikers | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| MF | Troy Dobbin | (2001-09-24)24 September 2001 (age 24) | 6 | 0 | Queensland Lions | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| MF | Lee-Navu Faunt | (2003-05-04)4 May 2003 (age 22) | 5 | 0 | Redlands United | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| MF | Jethro Yumange | (2002-03-10)10 March 2002 (age 23) | 3 | 0 | River Light | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| MF | Nigel Dabinyaba | (1992-10-26)26 October 1992 (age 33) | 19 | 11 | Hekari United | 2024 FIFA Series |
| FW | Matu Ben | (2004-01-31)31 January 2004 (age 22) | 2 | 0 | Lae City | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emmanuel Simon[a] | 41 | 4 | 2014–present |
| 2 | Daniel Joe[b] | 39 | 1 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Raymond Gunemba[c] | 37 | 18 | 2012–present |
| 4 | Ronald Warisan[d] | 36 | 0 | 2014–present |
| 5 | Michael Foster | 31 | 7 | 2003–2022 |
| 6 | Alwin Komolong[e] | 30 | 3 | 2016–present |
| 7 | Tommy Semmy | 27 | 10 | 2014–present |
| 8 | Kolu Kepo | 26 | 4 | 2016–present |
| 9 | Ati Kepo | 25 | 9 | 2019–present |
| 10 | Felix Komolong | 23 | 0 | 2016–present |
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raymond Gunemba[f] | 18 | 37 | 0.49 | 2012–present |
| 2 | Reggie Davani | 13 | 17 | 0.76 | 2002–2012 |
| 3 | Tommy Semmy | 10 | 27 | 0.37 | 2014–present |
| 4 | Nigel Dabinyaba[g] | 9 | 22 | 0.41 | 2014–present |
| Ati Kepo | 9 | 25 | 0.36 | 2019–present | |
| 6 | Michael Foster | 7 | 31 | 0.23 | 2003–2022 |
| 7 | Nathaniel Lepani | 6 | 8 | 0.75 | 2004–2011 |
| 8 | Neil Hans | 5 | 8 | 0.63 | 2007–2014 |
| Andrew Lepani | 5 | 12 | 0.42 | 2003–2011 | |
| Mauri Wasi | 5 | 14 | 0.36 | 2002–2014 |
Notes
| FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to1966 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 to1994 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
 1998 | Did not qualify | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 13 | ||||||||
  2002 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Did not qualify | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 6 | ||||||||
 2010 | Disqualified | Disqualified | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Did not qualify | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
 2018 | 3rd | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 13 | |||||||||
 2022 | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
  2026 | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | |||||||||
  2030 | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
 2034 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/14 | 29 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 53 | 49 | |||||||||
* Although initially listed by FIFA as having entered the 2010 World Cup, PNG did not enter thefootball tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games, which was used as the preliminary round of theOceanian zone qualification tournament.
| 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 | No qualification | ||||||||||||||
 1980 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 22 | N/a | |||||||
 1996 | Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| 1998 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||
 2000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 19 | ||||||||||
| 2002 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12 | Squad | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2008 | Disqualified | Disqualified | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Squad | Qualified automatically | ||||||
| 2016 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 4 | Squad | |||||||
| 2024 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | Squad | |||||||
| Total | Runners-up | 5/11 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 27 | 49 | — | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 46 | 37 | |
| Pacific Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1963 | 1st round | 5th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1966 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 |
 1969 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 10 |
| 1971 | Fourth place | 4th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 11 |
 1975 | Group stage | 6th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 1979 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3 |
 1983 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 10 |
| 1987 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 4 |
| 1991 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 1995 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 |
| 2003 | Group stage | 6th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 7 |
| 2007 | Disqualified | |||||||
| 2011 | Group stage | 6th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 4 |
| 2015 | SeePapua New Guinea national under-23 team | |||||||
| 2019 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 3 |
| 2023 | Group stage | 6th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| Total | Third place | 14/16 | 52 | 20 | 11 | 30 | 183 | 88 |
| MSG Prime Minister's Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1988 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 1989 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| 1990 | Fifth place | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 1992 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 1994 | Third place | 3rd | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1998 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2000 | Fifth place | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 19 |
| 2022 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| 2023 | Fourth place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 2024 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| 2025 | Second place | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Total | Participations | 9/11 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 36 | 55 |
Runners-up (1):2016| Competition |  | |  | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OFC Nations Cup | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | +37 | 100.00 |
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0.00 |
 Central African Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
 China | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0.00 |
 Chinese Taipei | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 |
 Cook Islands | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | +22 | 100.00 |
| Fiji | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 44 | −19 | 20.83 |
| Guam | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 | 100.00 |
 Indonesia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 50.00 |
 Iran | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0.00 |
 Kiribati | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | +29 | 100.00 |
 Liberia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Malaysia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 27 | −22 | 20.00 |
 Micronesia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 100.00 |
| New Caledonia | 19 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 17 | 53 | −36 | 21.05 |
| New Zealand | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 16.67 |
 Niue | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | +19 | 100.00 |
 North Korea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
 Philippines | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0.00 |
| Samoa[a] | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 | +24 | 100.00 |
 Singapore | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 0.00 |
| Solomon Islands | 26 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 34 | 44 | −10 | 26.92 |
 Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Tahiti | 17 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 50 | −31 | 5.88 |
 Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Tonga | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 75.00 |
 Tuvalu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 100.00 |
| Vanuatu[b] | 25 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 33 | 37 | −4 | 40.00 |
 Wallis and Futuna | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | +15 | 100.00 |
| Total | 164 | 56 | 31 | 77 | 355 | 344 | +11 | 34.15 |
          1996 Home |    2002 Home |      2004 |    2011 Home |  2014 Home |  2014 Away |     2015 Home |  2015 Away |
   2017 Home |     2017 Away |     2022 Home |     2022 Away |    2022 Third |  2024 Home | 2024 Away |
Links to related articles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
