Solomon Islands coach says women's team can 'go for the World Cup' after stunning OFC victory

Solomon Islands national women's football team head coach Moses Toata says they have proven that winning at the highest level of the sport is possible if things are done right.

The side defeated reigning champions Papua New Guinea 3-2 in the final of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) 2025 Women's Nations Cup tournament at the National Stadium in Suva last Saturday.

Toata said the win meant a lot more than just winning the title.

"I think for me, the victory is not just a victory, it is a milestone for football history," the Solomon Islands Football technical officer told RNZ Pacific from Honiara.

"It opens up the mindset of people that winning at this level is possible. We just need to do the right things [and] get the right people on the team."

Toata said the national men's team has struggled to win an OFC title and believes the women's team will find it easier to achieve such results.

He said this was because the men's team have to face stronger opposition during the qualifiers.

"The boys struggled to win at the top level like this, but for the women it will be easy for us to, you know, to go for the World Cup, for example," he said.

He said the national women's team had a better chance to be successful because they did not have to play against tougher teams as compared to the men's.

"If we can give the right support to the women's football, I think we will have a better chance of qualifying for the World Cup in the future."

Toata said the win now gives them better ranking ahead of the next FIFA Women's World Cup cycle and a boost as they start preparing again for the Melanesian Cup tournament later this year.

"What I got from Oceania Football is [that] they will use this (winning the Nations Cup) as the ranking for the World Cup qualifiers. That means we will be one of the seeded teams in the World Cup qualifying competition that will happen in February or March of next year," he said.

"We just had a confirmation from OFC too that the Melanesian Spearhead Group will have the Prime Minister's Melanesian Cup at the end of this year.

"So, that will be a platform where we can use to prepare our team for the the World Cup qualifiers next year."

'Incredible feeling'

Toata said watching the team defeat PNG was "an incredible feeling to be the champions and to make history for our country", especially taking into account the preparation they went through.

"It was something that makes us all proud," Toata said.

"We knew it was not going to be easy playing against the quality side like PNG, but we had a solid game plan to try and beat them, but we knew we had to dig deep, and it did not come easy.

"The girls gave everything they had in that match and I believe that is what was that was a success story about that competition. It was a big moment. It was history for for the country."

The team played in Football Australia's PacificAus Sports Four Nations tournament in Canberra in February.

They played against Vanuatu, Thailand Under-20 and the Australian youth team then, but did not do as well as expexcted.

A change of coach was made after that event, with former national representative Batram Suri replaced by Toata.

When the squad was announced, majority of their players missed the start of their training sessions because they were at the OFC Champions League with the Henderson Eeels.

"Our preparation started off on the back foot because we had half of the team with the Henderson Eels so we had to train with other other players who were available in the training squad," he said.

"And then we managed to get them when when all the players were back so I had to ask Solomon Football to put the girls into camp for three weeks so that we can have extra training sessions.

"We approached the training really carefully, because I know we had a competition going on, and they have commitment with their clubs, and so we have to be really mindful of pushing them in the training camp, as well as letting them go during the weekends to play for their clubs. Yeah, so that was our preparation."

The OFC Women's Nations Cup campaign in Suva was not a smooth run either.

The side lost 3-1 to host Fiji in their opening game but returned to beat Vanuatu 2-1 and then Tonga 5-0 in their other pool matches.

In the semifinals, they pipped Samoa 2-1 to line up their clash against PNG in the final.

Toata said captain Ileen Pegi was their only overseas-based player, the star playing out of New Caledonia.

He said the skipper led by example and was an inspiration to the side, especially after defying medical advise to play in the final, despite a calf injury.

"So after our semifinal match against Samoa, she picked up a calf injury, and the physio told me Ileen could not play in the final," Toata said.

"I went to see Ileen and asked her are you going to play? And she responded, yes and that was when I knew in my heart she has got something in her and she can do it even with the pain in her legs.

"That is something extraordinary about Ileen. She is a fighter and she's a leader in the team and I always put my trust in her to lead the team."

Thanking everyone supporting the team

Toata and the team will enjoy the moment and return to start preparing for the Melanesian Cup event.

Another good performance from the tournament will set them up for the World Cup qualifiers in 2026.

He is asking for continued support from those who have helped them, while thanking them also for backing the team.

"I would just want to sincerely thank everyone who are behind the team, the Solomon Islands Football Federation for their trust and support and and believe in this team and a special thank you to all the clubs who invested in the players to develop," he said.

"We acknowledge the work they put in behind building the players for years, and I can only say that the result of today comes from the hard work that people put into developing players and giving them opportunities to compete and to develop."

He said the local club competition has been the only platform where players have been able to compete in.

And he acknowledge the sponsors of each clubs.

"This win is also for them," he added.