Papua New Guinea Kapuls captain, Alwin Komolong is calling on the football community to turn up in numbers and support the men’s national team as they host the remaining FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania Qualifiers next week Thursday, November 14th, in Port Moresby.
The veteran midfielder said it had been almost seven years since the country hosted a men’s Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) sanctioned tournament.
“The last time we played in front of our home crowd was in 2018 and the fact that we get to play again at home is more motivation. We hope everyone from the football community, our families and friends can turn up to support,” Komolong said.
“Our group is tight-knit as everyone motivates each other in training and understands the expectations but again on the day, we need to be ready for that fight.”
The much-anticipated qualifiers will feature the hosts PNG among visitors, New Caledonia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands who are keen on bringing their best performance to secure their spot.
“It’s an opportunity to see your (our) national team play at home as we have seen how the PNG Kumuls do every year,” Komolong added.
“It’s an important game for our country, for this team and this group of boys and they need your support. My appeal is to everyone to turn up in numbers and push our team forward.”
Training continues for the home team with much work to cover ahead of their fixture against Fiji on Thursday (Nov 14) and Sunday (Nov 17).
Meanwhile, the Solomon Islands men's national football team were the first to arrive in Port Moresby, with New Caledonia and Fiji to arrive at a later date ahead of the qualifiers.
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