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Papua New Guinea national soccer team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Papua New Guinea women's national soccer team.

Papua New Guinea
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Kapuls (Cuscus)
AssociationPapua New Guinea Football Association
ConfederationOFC (Oceania)
Head coachFelipe Vega-Arango
CaptainRonald Warisan
Most capsEmmanuel Simon (38)
Top scorerRaymond Gunemba (14)
Home stadiumHubert Murray Stadium
FIFA codePNG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 172 Steady (19 December 2024)[1]
Highest153 (June 2017)
Lowest206 (October–November 2015)
First international
 Fiji 3–1 Papua and New Guinea
(Suva, Fiji; 29 August 1963)[2]
Biggest win
 Papua New Guinea 20–0 American Samoa 
(Nouméa, New Caledonia; 15 December 1987)
Biggest defeat
 Malaysia 10–0 Papua New Guinea 
(Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia; 20 June 2023)
OFC Nations Cup
Appearances5 (first in 1980)
Best resultRunners-up (2016)
Medal record
Pacific Games
Bronze medal – third place 1969 Port Moresby Team
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Nouméa Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Port Moresby Team

The Papua New Guinea national soccer team is the men's national soccer team of Papua New Guinea and is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association. Its nickname is the Kapuls,[4][5] which is Tok Pisin for Cuscus.

Papua New Guinea's highest ever FIFA ranking 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 the 2015 Pacific Games saw them return to the rankings, and they competed in the 2016 OFC Nations Cup in June 2016; they reached the final, but lost to New Zealand 4–2 on penalties after the score was tied at 0–0 after extra time.

History

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1963–1978

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The Papuan national team played its first match at the 1963 South Pacific Games, where it fell to Fiji 3-1 and was eliminated. At the 1966 South Pacific Games they reached the third place match but lost to the New Hebrides. Three years later they reached the same stage, and defeated the Fijian team 2-1 to win the bronze medal.

At 1971 South Pacific Games, after losing in the semi-finals to New Caledonia, they were beaten 8-1 by Tahiti 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.

1979–1995

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At the 1979 South Pacific Games they lost in the quarter-finals 3–2 against the Solomon Islands, and in the first phase of the consolation tournament they were beaten 2–0 at the hands of the New Hebrides. The following year they played in the 1980 Oceania Cup, the precursor to the OFC Nations Cup, where despite beating the New Hebrides team, their losses to Australia and New Caledonia left them out at the first phase.

At 1983 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 beating Vanuatu 3-1. Even so, in the two subsequent editions, 1991 and 1995, they were eliminated in the first phase.

1996–2012

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After an absence in three editions of the OFC Nations Cup, due to the poor results obtained in the Melanesia Cup, they qualified for the 2002 tournament. They were only able to salvage a point in a 0-0 draw against the Solomon Islands and bowed out in the first round. In 2003 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 the 2008 OFC Nations Cup, they were eliminated in the first phase at 2011 Pacific Games by having worse goal difference than Tahiti, with whom they tied on points. In the 2012 OFC Nations Cup they drew with Fiji and lost to the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, again being eliminated in the group stage.

2013–present

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In 2015, Papua New Guinea was designated to host the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. In the group stage, the Papuan team drew 1–1 with New Caledonia, 2–2 against Tahiti and beat Samoa 8–0. After achieving victory in the semi-finals, 2–1 against the Solomon Islands, they lost on penalties to New 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 to Malaysia 10–0 at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium.

FIFA Series tournament

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In 2024, Papua New Guinea played their first ever tournament outside Oceania where FIFA invited them to the 2024 FIFA Series matches on from 22 to 25 March 2024 held in Colombo where they would face Sri Lanka and Central African Republic.

Kit sponsorship

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Kit supplier Period
Spain Joma 1998–2000[7]
Germany Puma 2007–2010
United States Nike 2011–2012
Italy Lotto 2013–2015
Germany Adidas 2017–2023
Australia Veto 2024–

Results and fixtures

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Main article: Papua New Guinea national soccer team results

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

[edit]
27 November 2023 Pacific Games Cook Islands  0–3
(w/o)		  Papua New Guinea Honiara, Solomon Islands
19:00 Stadium: SIFF Academy Field
30 November 2023 Pacific Games Tahiti  2–0  Papua New Guinea Honiara, Solomon Islands
19:00 Stadium: SIFF Academy Field

2024

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22 March 2024 FIFA World Series Sri Lanka  0–0  Papua New Guinea Colombo, Sri Lanka
20:45 UTC+5:30 Report Stadium: Colombo Racecourse
Attendance: 5,089
Referee: Meshari Ali Al Shammari (Qatar)
25 March 2024 FIFA World Series Central African Republic  4–0  Papua New Guinea Colombo, Sri Lanka
15:00 UTC+5:30
Report Stadium: Colombo Racecourse
Attendance: 550
Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)
16 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup Papua New Guinea  1–5  Fiji Luganville, Vanuatu
Stadium: Luganville Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 1,700
Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand)
19 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup Papua New Guinea  1–1  Tahiti Luganville, Vanuatu
Stadium: Luganville Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 500
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand)
22 June 2024 OFC Nations Cup Samoa  1–2  Papua New Guinea Luganville, Vanuatu
Stadium: Luganville Soccer Stadium
10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification New Caledonia  3–1  Papua New Guinea Suva, Fiji
16:00 UTC+12
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)		 Semmy 78' Stadium: HFC Bank Stadium
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)
14 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Papua New Guinea  3–3  Fiji Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
16:00 UTC+10 Report Stadium: PNG Football Stadium
Attendance: 1,428
Referee: Matthew Conger (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
Attendance: 1,284
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)
12 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup Solomon Islands  v  Papua New Guinea Honiara, Solomon Islands
15:00 UTC+11 Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium
15 December 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup Papua New Guinea  v  Solomon Islands B Honiara, Solomon Islands
15:00 UTC+11 Stadium: Lawson Tama Stadium

Coaching history

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Players

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Current squad

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The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against  Fiji on 14 November 2024 and against  Solomon Islands on 17 November 2024.[8]

Caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2024, after the match against  Solomon Islands.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club


1GK Dave Tomare (1997-04-26) 26 April 1997 (age 27) 5 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
1GK Charles Lepani (1994-08-20) 20 August 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Papua New Guinea Lae City
1GK Christinus Biasu (1995-06-02) 2 June 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
2DF Daniel Joe (1990-05-29) 29 May 1990 (age 34) 37 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
2DF Alwin Komolong (1994-11-02) 2 November 1994 (age 30) 30 2 Australia Queensland Lions
2DF Kolu Kepo (1993-07-15) 15 July 1993 (age 31) 24 3 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
2DF Joshua Talau (1996-04-19) 19 April 1996 (age 28) 9 0 Papua New Guinea Lae City
2DF Nathaniel Eddie unknown 3 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
2DF Arol Tateng (1997-04-05) 5 April 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Papua New Guinea Southern Strikers
2DF Derek Kimai unknown 2 0
3MF Rex Naime (2003-10-23) 23 October 2003 (age 21) 11 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
3MF Simon Oberth (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 23) 10 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
3MF Joseph Joe (2002-06-14) 14 June 2002 (age 22) 7 1 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
3MF Solomon Rani (2002-05-22) 22 May 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
3MF Shane Sakael (1992-12-31) 31 December 1992 (age 31) 3 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
3MF Juduh Asar unknown 2 0
3MF Ritzoki Tamgol unknown 2 0 Papua New Guinea Port Moresby
3MF Chappy Upaiga unknown 0 0
3MF Ethan Mom unknown 0 0
4FW Raymond Gunemba (1986-06-04) 4 June 1986 (age 38) 34 15 Papua New Guinea Lae City
4FW Tommy Semmy (1994-09-30) 30 September 1994 (age 30) 28 11 Australia Melbourne Knights
4FW Ati Kepo (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 28) 24 8 Papua New Guinea Hekari United
4FW Logan Biwa unknown 1 0

Recent call-ups

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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 35) 34 0 Papua New Guinea Lae City v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
GK Vagi Koniel (1996-10-26) 26 October 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Papua New Guinea Southern Strikers 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF Godfrey Haro (1998-06-30) 30 June 1998 (age 26) 12 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
DF Felix Komolong (1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 27) 25 0 Papua New Guinea Lae City 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF Lennard Atterwell (2005-11-21) 21 November 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Australia Brisbane Roar 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF Raymon Diho (2007-01-01) 1 January 2007 (age 17) 3 0 Australia North Geelong Warriors 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF Philip Steven (1995-01-19) 19 January 1995 (age 29) 3 0 Papua New Guinea Port Moresby 2024 FIFA Series
DF Joseph Waiwai (2001-03-07) 7 March 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Strikers 2024 FIFA Series
MF Emmanuel Simon (1992-12-25) 25 December 1992 (age 31) 38 4 Papua New Guinea Lae City v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF Yagi Yasasa (2000-08-17) 17 August 2000 (age 24) 17 0 Papua New Guinea Hekari United v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF Kenneth Arah (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 28) 5 0 Papua New Guinea Gulf Komara v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF Bruce Tiampo (2002-07-25) 25 July 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Papua New Guinea Lae City v.  New Caledonia, 10 October 2024
MF Pala Paul (1999-07-25) 25 July 1999 (age 25) 8 1 Papua New Guinea Southern Strikers 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF Troy Dobbin (2001-09-24) 24 September 2001 (age 23) 6 0 Australia Queensland Lions 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF Lee-Navu Faunt (2003-05-04) 4 May 2003 (age 21) 5 0 Australia Redlands United 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF Jethro Yumange (2002-03-10) 10 March 2002 (age 22) 3 0 United States River Light 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF Nigel Dabinyaba (1992-10-26) 26 October 1992 (age 32) 19 11 Papua New Guinea Hekari United 2024 FIFA Series
FW Matu Ben (2004-01-31) 31 January 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Papua New Guinea Lae City 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup

Player records

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As of 14 November 2024[9]
Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
Players in bold are still active with Papua New Guinea.

Most appearances

[edit]
Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Emmanuel Simon[a] 38 4 2014–present
2 Daniel Joe[b] 36 1 2012–present
3 Ronald Warisan[c] 34 0 2014–present
4 Raymond Gunemba[d] 33 14 2012–present
5 Michael Foster 31 7 2003–2022
6 Alwin Komolong[e] 27 1 2016–present
7 Tommy Semmy 25 9 2014–present
8 Ati Kepo 24 8 2019–present
9 Felix Komolong 23 0 2016–present
10 Koriak Upaiga 22 2 2011–2023

Top goalscorers

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Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Raymond Gunemba[f] 14 33 0.42 2012–present
2 Reggie Davani 13 17 0.76 2002–2012
3 Nigel Dabinyaba[g] 9 21 0.43 2014–present
Tommy Semmy 9 25 0.36 2014–present
5 Ati Kepo 8 24 0.33 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

  1. ^ Simon also played twice against Vanuatu B, matches that are not considered official by FIFA.
  2. ^ Joe also played twice against Vanuatu B, matches that are not considered official by FIFA.
  3. ^ Warisan also played twice against Vanuatu B, matches that are not considered official by FIFA.
  4. ^ Gunemba also played twice against Vanuatu B, scoring once, matches and goals that are not considered official by FIFA.
  5. ^ Komolong also played once against Vanuatu B, a match that is not considered official by FIFA.
  6. ^ Gunemba also played twice against Vanuatu B, scoring once, matches and goals that are not considered official by FIFA.
  7. ^ Dabinyaba also played once against Vanuatu B, scoring twice, a match and goals that are not considered official by FIFA.

Competitive record

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FIFA World Cup

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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 to 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1970 to 1994 Did not enter Did not enter
France 1998 Did not qualify 3rd 6 2 1 3 5 13
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not enter Did not enter
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 3rd 4 2 1 1 17 6
South Africa 2010 Disqualified Disqualified
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify 4th 3 0 1 2 2 4
Russia 2018 3rd 9 3 3 3 19 13
Qatar 2022 3rd 4 2 0 2 5 5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 7th 3 0 1 2 5 8
MoroccoPortugalSpain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 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 the football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games, which was used as the preliminary round of the Oceanian zone qualification tournament.

OFC Nations Cup

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Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
New Zealand 1973 Did not enter No qualification
New Caledonia 1980 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 6 22 —
Pacific Community 1996 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 2 4
Australia 1998 4 1 1 2 3 6
French Polynesia 2000 4 0 0 4 4 19
New Zealand 2002 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 2 12 Squad 4 4 0 0 20 2
Australia 2004 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 17 6
Pacific Community 2008 Disqualified Disqualified
Solomon Islands 2012 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 2 4 Squad Qualified automatically
Papua New Guinea 2016 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 3 0 13 4 Squad
Fiji Vanuatu 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
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Pacific Games

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Pacific Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Fiji 1963 1st round 5th 1 0 0 1 1 3
New Caledonia 1966 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 14 14
Papua New Guinea 1969 Third place 3rd 6 3 1 2 11 10
French Polynesia 1971 Fourth place 4th 3 1 1 1 19 11
Guam 1975 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 3 9
Fiji 1979 Quarter-finals 5th 3 1 1 1 15 3
Samoa 1983 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 22 10
New Caledonia 1987 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 26 4
Papua New Guinea 1991 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 3 2
French Polynesia 1995 Group stage 6th 3 1 1 1 11 5
Fiji 2003 Group stage 6th 4 1 1 2 12 7
Samoa 2007 Disqualified
New Caledonia 2011 Group stage 6th 4 2 1 1 22 4
Papua New Guinea 2015 See Papua New Guinea national under-23 team
Samoa 2019 Fourth place 4th 5 3 1 1 17 3
Solomon Islands 2023 5th-8th placement 6th 4 2 1 1 7 3
Total Third place 14/16 52 20 11 30 183 88

MSG Prime Minister's Cup

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MSG Prime Minister's Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Solomon Islands 1988 Did not enter
Fiji 1989 Fourth place 4th 4 1 1 2 5 4
Vanuatu 1990 Fifth place 5th 4 0 0 4 1 5
Vanuatu 1992 Did not enter
Solomon Islands 1994 Third place 3rd 4 1 1 2 2 4
Vanuatu 1998 Fourth place 4th 4 1 1 2 3 6
Fiji 2000 Fifth place 5th 4 0 0 4 4 19
Vanuatu 2022 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 7 5
New Caledonia 2023 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 7
Total Winner 7/9 27 6 4 17 24 50

Honours

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Major competitions

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Regional

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Head-to-head record

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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
 China 2 0 1 1 2 5 −3 0.00
 Chinese Taipei 2 0 2 0 3 3 0 0.00
 Cook Islands 2 2 0 0 20 1 +19 100.00
 Micronesia 1 1 0 0 10 0 +10 100.00
 Fiji 21 4 6 11 21 38 −17 19.05
 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
 New Caledonia 18 4 2 12 16 50 −34 22.22
 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 1 0 0 5 0 +5 100.00
 Samoa[a] 5 5 0 0 26 3 +23 100.00
 Singapore 3 0 1 2 7 11 −4 0.00
 Solomon Islands 24 5 4 15 30 42 −12 20.83
 Tahiti 15 1 4 10 17 47 −30 6.67
 Thailand 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 100.00
 Tonga 4 3 1 0 20 2 +18 75.00
 Vanuatu[b] 22 9 4 9 28 33 −5 40.91
 Wallis and Futuna 3 3 0 0 16 1 +15 100.00
Total 148 50 26 72 336 316 +20 33.78
Source: Results
Notes:
  1. ^ Includes results as Western Samoa.
  2. ^ Includes results as New Hebrides.

Historical kits

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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

Sources:[10][11][12][13][14][15]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Papua New Guinea International Matches". Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Strikers To Play Papua New Guinea". Steve Pitman, Brisbane Strikers. 30 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  5. ^ "Farina's PNG aiming to defy odds". Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 18 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  6. ^ FIFA/Coca-Cola-World-Rankings, FIFA/Coca-Cola-World-Rankings. "FIFA/Coca-Cola-World-Rankings". Men's Ranking. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Fake & Counterfeit Shirts from all over camisa de futebol 1998 - 2000". 12 August 2019. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Squad Announcement". Facebook. Papua New Guinea Football Association. 8 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Papua New Guinea". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  10. ^ "FOOTBALL IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA". 2023.
  11. ^ "2014". YouTube. 6 September 2014.
  12. ^ "2017". YouTube. 29 March 2017.
  13. ^ "2022".
  14. ^ "2024". 22 March 2024.
  15. ^ "2024". 26 March 2024.
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