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Solomon Islands national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Solomon Islands women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Solomon Islands
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 143 Increase 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 120 (October 2007, April 2008)
Lowest 200 (January–March 2016)
Elo ranking
Current 160 Increase 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest 109 (September 2005)
Lowest 177 (November 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 official football team for the Solomon Islands. They are managed by the Solomon Islands Football Federation. The team started in 1978 and was officially recognized by FIFA in 1988. They are often called the "Bonitos."

Team History

The Solomon Islands team has played in many important football tournaments. They have worked hard to compete against other teams in their region.

Early Years and World Cup Qualifiers

In 2004, the team played in the World Cup qualifiers for Oceania. They even managed a 2–2 draw against Australia. However, Australia won the next two matches, stopping the Solomon Islands from going further.

The Solomon Islands got another chance in 2005. They played Australia again to try and qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Australia won both games, 7–0 and 2–1.

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the Solomons started strong. They won all their group games. But they were later knocked out after losing to New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Hosting and Recent Tournaments

In 2012, the Solomon Islands hosted the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. This tournament was also a qualifier for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The team reached the semi-finals but lost to Tahiti. They then lost to New Zealand in the third-place playoff.

In 2019, the team went on a three-week training trip to the Netherlands. This helped them improve their skills.

In June 2023, the Solomon Islands played friendly matches against teams from Southeast Asia. They played against Singapore and Malaysia. They also won the 2023 MSG Prime Minister's Cup. They beat Papua New Guinea (3–1), Vanuatu (1–0), and New Caledonia (1–0). Raphael Lea'i was the top scorer in that tournament with four goals.

Team Look and Support

Kit Sponsors

The team's jerseys have been made by different companies over the years.

Kit Maker Years
Italy Lotto 2004–2012
New Zealand Pasifika 2013–2016
Australia Veto 2016–2021
China UCAN 2022–

Team Sponsors

The team also gets support from other companies.

  • Italy Lotto
  • Malaysia Telekom
  • Malaysia Capo Apparel

Coaching Staff

The coaching staff helps the players train and get ready for games.

Position
Head coach Solomon Islands Jacob Moli
Assistant coach Solomon Islands Stanley Waita
Goalkeeper coach Solomon Islands Tibon Oge
Kit Manager Solomon Islands Augustine Hou
Team Manager Solomon Islands Dixion Lauia Anga

Coaching History

Many coaches have led the Solomon Islands team over the years.

  • Solomon Islands Edward Ngara (1995–1996)
  • Solomon Islands Wilson Maelaua (1996)
  • Scotland George Cowie (2000–2003)
  • England Alan Gillett (2004–2005)
  • Brazil Airton Andrioli (2006–2009)
  • Solomon Islands Jacob Moli (2010–2014)
  • Solomon Islands Moses Toata (2015–2016)
  • Spain Felipe Vega-Arango (2017–2018)
  • Solomon Islands Moses Toata (2018–2019)
  • Netherlands Wim Rijsbergen (2019)
  • Solomon Islands Stanley Waita (2020–2021)
  • Spain Felipe Vega-Arango (2021–2024)
  • Solomon Islands Eddie Marahare (2024)
  • Solomon Islands Jacob Moli (2024–)

Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match on October 10, 2024.

The number of games played (Caps) and goals scored are correct as of October 10, 2024, after the match against  Fiji.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Philip Mango (1995-08-28) August 28, 1995 (age 29) 45 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast
1GK Michael Laulae (2002-05-20) May 20, 2002 (age 23) 4 0 Solomon Islands Henderson Eels
1GK Harold Nauania (1997-10-10) October 10, 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Solomon Islands Real Kakamora
2DF Javin Wae (2002-11-17) November 17, 2002 (age 22) 20 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast
2DF Leon Kofana (2002-06-22) June 22, 2002 (age 22) 21 0 Fiji Rewa
2DF David Supa (2000-12-21) December 21, 2000 (age 24) 14 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast
2DF Calvin Ohasio (2000-04-05) April 5, 2000 (age 25) 12 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast
2DF Junior David (2001-09-22) September 22, 2001 (age 23) 10 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast
2DF Alick Stanton (1998-05-25) May 25, 1998 (age 27) 9 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast
3MF Atkin Kaua (1996-04-04) April 4, 1996 (age 29) 40 5 Solomon Islands Laugu United
3MF William Komasi (2000-06-10) June 10, 2000 (age 25) 21 1 Fiji Nadroga
3MF Don Keana (2000-09-09) September 9, 2000 (age 24) 6 0 Solomon Islands Waneagu United
3MF Carlos Liomasia (1994-09-17) September 17, 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Fiji Tailevu
3MF Ben Fox (2001-07-06) July 6, 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Solomon Islands Marist
3MF Jared Rongosulia (1995-11-06) November 6, 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Fiji Navua
3MF Paul Francis (2004-09-05) September 5, 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Solomon Islands Real Kakamora
4FW Micah Lea'alafa (1991-06-01) June 1, 1991 (age 34) 28 8 Australia FK Beograd
4FW Alvin Hou (1996-09-18) September 18, 1996 (age 28) 25 7 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors
4FW Raphael Lea'i (2003-09-09) September 9, 2003 (age 21) 22 11 Australia Adelaide City
4FW John Orobulu (2000-08-29) August 29, 2000 (age 24) 14 8 Solomon Islands Henderson Eels
4FW Bobby Leslie (2000-03-03) March 3, 2000 (age 25) 12 2 Solomon Islands Central Coast
4FW Mohammad Mekawir (2000-07-27) July 27, 2000 (age 24) 7 0 Fiji Navua

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called to play for the team in the last year.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Junior Petua (2003-12-30) December 30, 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Solomon Islands Honiara City v.  Fiji, 20 March 2024
GK Timothy Mae'arasia (1995-06-19) June 19, 1995 (age 30) 2 0 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors 2023 Pacific Games
DF Prince Tahanipue (1995-01-13) January 13, 1995 (age 30) 10 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast v.  Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
DF Loea Taisara (1989-06-02) June 2, 1989 (age 36) 3 0 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors v.  Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
DF Allen Peter (1995-09-11) September 11, 1995 (age 29) 18 0 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF Steven Koti (2000-06-10) June 10, 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Solomon Islands Kossa 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
DF Hadisi Aengari (1988-10-23) October 23, 1988 (age 36) 44 0 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors v.  Fiji, 20 March 2024
MF Tigi Molea (1992-09-24) September 24, 1992 (age 32) 11 3 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors v.  Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
MF Marlon Tahioa (1998-11-28) November 28, 1998 (age 26) 9 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast v.  Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
MF Hudson Oreinima (1988-07-24) July 24, 1988 (age 36) 2 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF Hadyn Irodao (2002-10-29) October 29, 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
MF Molis Gagame (1989-09-21) September 21, 1989 (age 35) 14 0 Solomon Islands Kossa v.  Fiji, 20 March 2024
FW Joses Nawo (1988-05-03) May 3, 1988 (age 37) 55 8 Solomon Islands Real Kakamora v.  Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
FW Dalton Saeni (2002-10-14) October 14, 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Solomon Islands Marist v.  Hong Kong, 5 September 2024
FW Gagame Feni (1992-08-21) August 21, 1992 (age 32) 35 19 Solomon Islands Kossa 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
FW Junior Fordney (1999-11-26) November 26, 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Solomon Islands Central Coast 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup
FW Norman Ngafu (1997-07-16) July 16, 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Solomon Islands Marist 2023 Pacific GamesPRE

Player Records

These tables show which players have played the most games and scored the most goals for the Solomon Islands.

Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the Solomon Islands team.

Most Games Played

Henry Fa'arodo (2011)
Henry Fa'arodo is Solomon Islands' most capped player with 64 appearances.
Rank Name Games Goals Years Played
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
Batram Suri 36 14 1995–2005
10 Gagame Feni 35 19 2012–present

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Name Goals Games Goals per Game Years Played
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

Tournament Records

The Solomon Islands team has played in many big football tournaments. Here's how they have done.

FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

The team has tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup many times.

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
Total
—
 – – – – – – 0/9 60 24 9 27 122 126

OFC Nations Cup

This is the main football tournament for countries in Oceania.

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 Did not enter
New Caledonia 1980 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 3 21 N/A No qualification
Pacific Community 1996 Semi-finals 3rd 2 0 0 2 1 3 Squad 4 4 0 0 10 1
Australia 1998 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 8 7
French Polynesia 2000 Third place 3rd 4 2 0 2 7 10 Squad 4 2 1 1 10 9
New Zealand 2002 Group stage 6th 3 0 1 2 3 9 Squad Qualified automatically
Australia 2004 Runners-up 2nd 7 3 1 3 10 17 Squad 4 3 1 0 14 1
Pacific Community 2008 Did not qualify 6 4 0 2 23 6
Solomon Islands 2012 Fourth place 4th 5 1 2 2 5 6 Squad Qualified automatically
Papua New Guinea 2016 Semi-finals 3rd 4 1 0 3 2 4 Squad
Fiji Vanuatu 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

The Pacific Games is a big sports event for countries in the Pacific.

Pacific Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Fiji 1963 Fourth place 4th 3 1 0 2 6 26
New Caledonia 1966 Group stage 6th 2 0 1 1 4 12
Papua New Guinea 1969 Sixth place 6th 5 0 1 4 8 19
French Polynesia 1971 did not enter
Guam 1975 Third place 3rd 4 2 1 1 9 8
Fiji 1979 Third place 3rd 5 4 0 1 24 5
Samoa 1983 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 0 11
New Caledonia 1987 did not enter
Papua New Guinea 1991 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 1 0 12 3
French Polynesia 1995 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 0 2 34 10
Fiji 2003 Group stage 5th 4 2 1 1 14 4
Samoa 2007 Fourth place 4th 6 4 0 2 23 6
New Caledonia 2011 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 0 2 21 6
Papua New Guinea 2015 See Solomon Islands national under-23 football team
Samoa 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

Team Achievements

The Solomon Islands national football team has won several awards and medals in different tournaments.

Continental Awards

  • OFC Nations Cup
    • Second Place (1): 2004
    • Third Place (1): 2000
    • Reached Semi-finals (2): 1996, 2016

Regional Awards

  • Pacific Games
    • Silver Medal (4): 1991, 1995, 2011, 2023
    • Bronze Medal (2): 1975, 1979
  • Melanesia Cup
    • Champions (2): 1994, 2023
    • Second Place (2): 1988, 2000
    • Third Place (3): 1989, 1992, 1998

Images for kids

  • Henry Fa'arodo (2011)

    Henry Fa'arodo, the player with the most games for the Solomon Islands.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Islas Salomón para niños

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