PNG fall short in Nations Cup, shift focus to qualifiers

By PATRICIA KEAMO
PAPUA New Guinea men’s head coach Warren Moon says he will now shift focus to preparing the Kapuls for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers starting in October after the Kapuls bowed out of the OFC Nations Cup.
Despite winning their final group fixture 2-1 against Samoa on Saturday, PNG fell short on advancing to the semifinals after finishing third in the group.
The Kapuls needed to win by at least five goals to edge Tahiti for a semifinal spot, however poor finishing saw them only score a goal in each half through Tommy Semmy and Ati Kepo.
“I’m proud of the group, the way we’ve come back. We’ve picked up four points in the last two games,” Moon said.
“There’s a lot to build on here with this team. It’s a new team, young team and at times we’ve shown some real quality in what we’ve done.
“We’ve created plenty of chances in the tournament in every game, it shows that what we’re trying to do is be positive and play an attacking brand of football. It wasn’t to be, but we’ve just got to keep working with this group and keep building for the future.”
Moon said he had the right players in positions however they needed more development and practice.
For now, he said the players would return to their Premier Soccer League clubs with the season to start next month.
“Hopefully the benefit of having a full season in the PSL between now and September, will help these guys with more match fitness, more games, more opportunities to show what they can do in their country,” said Moon.
“That will help us for the qualifiers in October.”
Meanwhile, Tahiti, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand will feature in the Nations Cup semifinals.