Fiji won silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on 27 July 2024 in Paris. Photo: World Rugby / Mike Lee - KLC Photo: World Rugby / Mike Lee - KLC
Pasifika sportspeople and teams made an important impact on the world stage in 2024. From individuals at the Paris Olympics, to teams competing across a wide range of sporting codes, including: netball, rugby union, rugby league, football and cricket.
Rugby Union
Fiji's Jiuta Wainiqolo is hoist aloft as his side celebrate their win in Cardiff. Photograph: David Davies/PA Photo: David Davies/PA
Both the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika teams found success in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. The Drua reached the quarterfinals, for the second year in a row. The Fijiana Drua women's team reached their second consecutive final, but were unable to repeat their triumph, of 2023.
Moana Pasifika, under head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga, won four games and only narrowly missed out on the quarterfinals.
At the international level, in 7s rugby, in July the Fiji men's team appeared in their third consecutive Olympic final and claimed the silver medal, after a tough final against France. The Fiji men's team also won the Dubai 7s event, in September. Both Samoa's men's and women's 7s teams have qualified, along with Tonga's men's team, for the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in 2025.
All three Pacific teams had new coaches for their international 15s squads including: Tevita Tuifua for Tonga's 'Ikale Tahi, Mase Mahonri Schwalger for Manu Samoa and former Fijian Drua head coach Mick Byrne for the Flying Fijians. The Fijian squad won the Pacific Nations Cup and defeated Wales, in Cardiff, for the first time in history. The 2025 Pacific Nations Cup also provides an opportunity for the Tongan and Samoan international squads to qualify for the next Men's World Cup in 2027.
Manusima Samoa players celebrate following the WXV 3 2024 match between Samoa v Madagascar at The Sevens 2 Stadium on October 11, 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as they qualify for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup. Photo: Christopher Pike - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images Photo: Christopher Pike - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images
Pacific Women's rugby teams also were successful, with Manusima Samoa and Fijiana qualifying for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.
Rugby League
Siliva Havili leads the Tonga XIII perform the Sipi Tau before they defeated the New Zealand Kiwis at Mount Smart Stadium in November. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/photosport.nz Photo: Andrew Cornaga/photosport.nz
A Papua New Guinea team will be included in the extended NRL competition in 2028, after impressive showing by the Kumuls, who won the 2024 Pacific Bowls Title, and PNG Hunters, who appeared in the finals of the 2024 Hostplus Queensland Cup competition.
In the Pacific Cup Championship Mate Ma'a Tonga defeated the Kiwis in Auckland, and were only narrowly beaten themselves by the Kangaroos in the final.
In the Women's competition, Fetu Samoa qualified for the 2025 Women's Rugby League World Cup after beating the Fiji Bulikula in the Pacific Championship Cup final. The Bulikula still have an chance to qualify for the World Cup, provided they proceed past the repechage stage of the playoffs in early 2025.
Fetu Samoa team will compete against Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific Cup women's competition, in 2025.
Samoan Soccer team creates history
The winning Samoa under-16 women's soccer team that has qualified for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2025. Photo: OFC/Phototek Photo: phototek.nz
For the first time a Samoan team will appear at a FIFA World Cup event, when the Samoa Women's Under-17s squad takes to the field at next year's Under 17s Women's World Cup.
FIFA's Chief Women's Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman said "It's a dream come true. The buzz that it created in Samoa has been immense. The pride of the entire country getting behind that group of Under-17 girls has been amazing, and you can imagine next year, come the World Cup, that the country will come alive."
In the men's World Cup qualifiers, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti are all set to appear in the semi-finals, alongside New Zealand in March 2025.
Football across the Pacific will receive a massive boost, when the Oceania Football Confederation's professional league kicks off in 2026.
Cricket, Hockey, Netball
Samoa women's cricket team won the East Asia Pacific qualifiers, to secure their spot at the 2025 ICC Women's Under 19 World Cup. The Samoan Men's team counterparts claimed the ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub Regional Qualifier A, to qualify for next year's combined EAP/Asia Qualifier.
Fiji was very successful in the Hockey Pacific Cup and Inter-continental Cup competitions, winning both the men's and women's divisions.
The Tongan Tala netball team claimed their fourth Pacific Netball Series netball title, in women's netball and Fiji took out the men's Nations Cup netball title in Singapore.
Challenges and Struggles
Unfortunately, 2024 was not without its fair share of challenges for Pasifika sports.
Manu Samoa cancelled a tour of Europe, citing financial difficulties, mid-way through 2024. Head Coach of the Samoan Rugby team, former Manu Samoa Captain Mase Mahonri Schwalger, was suspended after allegations emerged of sexual misconduct. His future with Samoan Rugby has yet to be decided.
Tragically, in Fiji promising boxer Ubayd Haider collapsed after a title fight in October. He was placed in an induced coma but passed away a month later. In response the Fijian Ministry of Sports has called for an investigation.
Ubayd Haider, formerly known as Nathan Singh, was fighting for his country for a shot at the IBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight. 20 May 2024 Photo: Facebook / Ubayd Haider
Two Pacific athletes were stripped of their Pacific Games 2023 medals and banned for three years after they tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.
Looking ahead to 2025
The champion Tongan Tala netball team have dominated the PacAUS Netball series again in 2024. Photo: The champion Tongan Tala netball team have dominated the PacAUS Netball series again in 2024. Photo: Netball Australia Photo: Netball Australia
Finally, 2025 promises plenty to look forward to for Pasifika sports fans.
It will be an action-packed year for Rugby, as Pasifika teams take to the field for Super Rugby, Rugby Union and Rugby League World Cups.
The Pacific Netball Series returns to Brisbane in February, with the Tongan Tala set to defend their title. Also, World Cup soccer Oceania qualifier semi-finals are happening in March, with matches set for Sky Stadium in Wellington.
Win or lose, Pasifika fans will be behind their teams, all the way.
