PNG finish group stage with undefeated run in MSG Cup

PNG Bilums captain Ramona Padio in action during their previous match against Vanuatu. They face the Ni-van side again for finals clash at the HFC Bank Stadium, Suva (Image: Fiji FA)

The Papua New Guinea Bilums remain undefeated in the 2026 Women’s MSG Prime Minister’s Cup after dominating their last round match against Solomon Islands today at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, Fiji.

The defending champions campaign will continue with finals expected to be played this weekend.

It has been a dominant campaign for the Women’s National Football team as they secured all wins against Melanesian-sister teams including Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and now Solomon Islands.

After securing a finals spot in their previous match, the defending MSG Cup champions, displayed another classy match against Solomon Islands, obtaining a 5-1 win.

Following their win, Head Coach Erickson Komeng said the team has been doing well since the tournament commenced in Fiji.

This is the second time the MSG Cup featured the women’s competition. Their plan now is to prepare to rest and recover ahead of the finals this weekend.

“Solomon Islands is a quality side, they’ve already beaten us in the Nations Cup so we knew what to expect and how good they are… We wanted to come here and play quality football and that’s what the girls did and came out with a 5-1 victory today," Komeng said.

“With the win, our focus now is to ensure we rest and recover and also train and improve on what needs to be done since we got a few more days to before the finals this weekend."

It was a tough 40 minutes for the PNG Bilums going up against the Solomon Islands which both teams have met on multiple occasion within the OFC sanctioned tournaments.

However PNG finally responded through Karen Kalapai who scored the Bilums first goal in the 42nd minute, moments later team mate Calista Maneo secured their second goal before heading into the sheds at Half Time.

Kalaipai secured another goal within the 53rd minute before Megan Gunemba scored a double to her name despite Solomon Islands, responding with their lone goal.

“We wanted to use this tournament as part of preparations for a bigger tournament, especially in the inter-continental playoffs which we have coming up in the next few months, using this tournament will help prepare the team well.

"We’ll take a lot of positives out of Suva and look forward to our next campaign,” Komeng added.

The PNG WNT coach said the current focus now is to defend their MSG Cup title while using this tournament as a lead up preparation for their upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 Intercontinental Play-off Tournament next year.