# Football at the Pacific Games

Association football has been regularly included in the Pacific Games, the multi-sports event for Pacific nations, territories and dependencies, since 1963. Until 2011 the competition was known as the South Pacific Games.
Since 1971 the men's tournament has been held every four years, but was not played in 1999 due to contractual issues. In 2007, the men's competition doubled as the Oceania Football Confederation's preliminary qualifying competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The men's tournament also became the Olympic qualifier for Oceania for the 2015 edition.
The women's tournament was introduced in 2003, and has doubled up as the preliminary qualifying competition for the Olympic Games since 2007. Football was a compulsory inclusion at the Pacific Games for men's teams for many years but was made a core sport for both men's and women's teams in 2017. Football has also been held at several editions of the Pacific Mini Games, starting with the first tournament in 1981.

## Men's tournament
### Participating nations

Numbers refer to the final placing of each team at the respective Games. Host nation is shown in bold.– See also the §Key to symbols within this section below the two tables.
| | GamesNation | | 63 | 66 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 79 | 83 | 87 | 91 | 95 | 99 | 03 | 07 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 23 | Years played |
| American Samoa | American Samoa | American Samoa | – | – | – | – | – | – | P | 6 | – | – | – | – | P | P | – | P | 12 | 6 |
| Cook Islands | Cook Islands | Cook Islands | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | P | – | – | P | P | – | – | 8 | 5 |
| Fiji | Fiji | Fiji | 2 | – | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| Guam | Guam | Guam | – | – | – | – | P | 6 | – | – | P | P | – | – | – | P | – | – | – | 5 |
| Kiribati | Kiribati | Kiribati | – | – | – | – | – | 9* | – | – | – | – | – | P | – | P | – | – | † | 3 |
| Micronesia (F.S.) | Micronesia (F.S.) | Micronesia (F.S.) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | P | – | – | P | – | – | 2 |
| New Caledonia | New Caledonia | New Caledonia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | P | – | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| New Zealand U-23 | New Zealand U-23 | New Zealand U-23 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ‡ | 1 | – | 2 |
| Niue | Niue | Niue | – | – | – | – | – | – | P | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Northern Marianas | Northern Marianas | Northern Marianas | – | – | – | – | – | – | † | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 1 |
| Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea | P | 4 | 3 | 4 | P | 9* | 4 | 3 | P | P | – | P | – | P | 3 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
| Samoa | Samoa | Samoa | – | – | – | – | – | 9* | 5* | – | – | – | – | – | P | – | – | P | 7 | 5 |
| Solomon Islands | Solomon Islands | Solomon Islands | 4 | P | 6 | – | 3 | 3 | P | – | 2 | 2 | – | P | 4 | 2 | P | P | 2 | 14 |
| Tahiti | Tahiti | Tahiti | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | P | 1 | – | 4 | P | 3 | 2 | P | 5 | 16 |
| Tonga | Tonga | Tonga | – | – | – | – | – | 7* | P | – | – | – | – | P | P | – | – | P | 11 | 6 |
| Tuvalu | Tuvalu | Tuvalu | – | – | – | – | – | 7* | – | – | – | – | – | P | P | P | – | P | 9 | 6 |
| Vanuatu | Vanuatu | Vanuatu | P | 3 | 5 | 2 | P | 5 | P | 4 | 4 | 4 | – | 3 | 3 | P | P | P | 4 | 16 |
| Wallis and Futuna | Wallis and Futuna | Wallis and Futuna | – | P | – | – | – | 9* | 5* | 5 | P | P | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Number of teams All-time total: 18 | Number of teams All-time total: 18 | Number of teams All-time total: 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 9 | – | 10 | 10 | 11 | 8$^#$ | 11 | 12 | 16 Editions |

### Legend

    Key to symbols 1Gold medal for first place nnth place (e.g. 5 is fifth place) 2Silver medal for second place PPool or group stage elimination 3Bronze medal for third place *Asterisk for shared placing (e.g. 5* is equal fifth) 4Fourth place $^#$Contested by under-23 national teams only –Did not play †Withdrew before competition (did not play) ‡Played in the tournament (FIFA qualification) but excluded from the Pacific Games placings

### Results

The table below is a summary of the finals matches in men's football at the Pacific Games since 1963:
| Year | Host city | | | Final | | | Third place match | Third place match | Third place match |
| Year | Host city | | Gold | Score | Silver | | Bronze | Score | Fourth place |
| 1963 | Suva | | New Caledonia | 8–2 | Fiji | | Tahiti | 7–2 | Solomon Islands |
| 1966 | Nouméa | | Tahiti | 2–0 | New Caledonia | | New Hebrides | 5–2 | Papua New Guinea |
| 1969 | Port Moresby | | New Caledonia | 2–1 | Tahiti | | Papua New Guinea | 2–1 | Fiji |
| 1971 | Papeete | | New Caledonia | 7–1 | New Hebrides | | Tahiti | 8–1 | Papua New Guinea |
| 1975 | Tumon | | Tahiti | 2–1 | New Caledonia | | Solomon Islands | 3–2 | Fiji |
| 1979 | Suva | | Tahiti | 3–0 | Fiji | | Solomon Islands | 3–1 | New Caledonia |
| 1983 | Apia | | Tahiti | 1–0 | Fiji | | New Caledonia | 2–1 | Papua New Guinea |
| 1987 | Nouméa | | New Caledonia | 1–0 | Tahiti | | Papua New Guinea | 3–1 | Vanuatu |
| 1991 | Port Moresby | | Fiji | 1–1 ($^{5–4}$ $_{.pen.}$) | Solomon Islands | | New Caledonia | 3–1 | Vanuatu |
| 1995 | Papeete | | Tahiti | 2–0 | Solomon Islands | | Fiji | 3–0 | Vanuatu |
| 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 | No football tournament in 1999 |
| 2003 | Suva | Fiji | 2–0 | New Caledonia | Vanuatu | 1–0 | Tahiti |
| 2007 | Apia | New Caledonia | 1–0 | Fiji | Vanuatu | 2–0 | Solomon Islands |
| 2011 | Nouméa | New Caledonia | 2–0 | Solomon Islands | Tahiti | 2–1 | Fiji |
| 2015 | Port Moresby | New Caledonia | 2–0 | Tahiti | Papua New Guinea | 2–1 | Fiji |
| 2019 | Apia | New Zealand U-23 | 2–1 | New Caledonia | Fiji | 1–1 ($^{4–2}$ $_{.pen.}$) | Papua New Guinea |
| 2023 | Honiara | New Caledonia | 2–2 ($^{7–6}$ $_{.pen.}$) | Solomon Islands | Fiji | 4–2 | Vanuatu |

### Performances by countries

Below are the 7 nations that have reached at least the semi-final stage in the Pacific Games.
| Team | Winner | Runner-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
| New Caledonia | 8 ('63, '69, '71, '87, '07, '11, '15, '23) | 4 ('66, '75, '03, '19) | 2 ('83, '91) | 1 ('79) |
| Tahiti (French Polynesia) | 5 ('66, '75, '79, '83, '95) | 3 ('69, '87, '15) | 3 ('63, '71, '11) | 1 ('03) |
| Fiji | 2 ('91, '03) | 4 ('63, '79, '83, '07) | 3 ('95, '19, '23) | 4 ('69, '75, '11, '15) |
| New Zealand U-23 | 1 ('19) | | | |
| Solomon Islands | | 4 ('91, '95, '11, '23) | 2 ('75, '79) | 2 ('63, '07) |
| Vanuatu (New Hebrides) | | 1 ('71) | 3 ('66, '03, '07) | 4 ('87, '91, '95, '23) |
| Papua New Guinea | | | 3 ('69, '87, '15) | 4 ('66, '71, '83, '19) |

### Golden boot awardees

| Year | Player | Goals |
| 1963–1995 | Unknown | - |
| 2003 | Esala Masi | 11 |
| 2007 | Osea Vakatalesau | 10 |
| 2011 | Bertrand Kaï | 10 |
| 2015 | Jean Kaltak | 17 |
| 2019 | Gagame Feni Tony Kaltak Jean-Philippe Saïko | 9 |

## Women's tournament
### Participating nations

| | GamesNation | | 03 | 07 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 23 | Years played |
| American Samoa | American Samoa | American Samoa | – | P | P | – | P | 9 | 4 |
| Cook Islands | Cook Islands | Cook Islands | – | P | P | 3 | 4 | 10 | 5 |
| Fiji | Fiji | Fiji | 5 | 3 | 3 | P | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Guam | Guam | Guam | 2 | – | P | – | – | – | 2 |
| Kiribati | Kiribati | Kiribati | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| New Caledonia | New Caledonia | New Caledonia | – | P | 2 | 2 | P | 3 | 5 |
| Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Samoa | Samoa | Samoa | – | P | – | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Solomon Islands | Solomon Islands | Solomon Islands | – | P | P | P | P | 6 | 5 |
| Tahiti | Tahiti | Tahiti | 4 | 4 | P | – | P | 8 | 5 |
| Tonga | Tonga | Tonga | 3 | 2 | 4 | P | P | 7 | 6 |
| Vanuatu | Vanuatu | Vanuatu | 6 | – | – | – | P | 5 | 3 |
| Number of teams All-time total: 12 | Number of teams All-time total: 12 | Number of teams All-time total: 12 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 Editions |

### Results

The table below is a summary of the finals matches in the women's football competition at the Pacific Games since 2003.
Papua New Guinea won the first four tournament finals, including against hosts New Caledonia in 2011  and as hosts against New Caledonia in 2015.
| Year | Host city | | Final | | Third place match | Third place match | Third place match |
| Year | Host city | Gold | Score | Silver | Bronze | Score | Fourth place |
| 2003 | Suva | Papua New Guinea | round-robin | Guam | Tonga | round-robin | Tahiti |
| 2007 | Apia | Papua New Guinea | 3–1 | Tonga | Fiji | 1–0 | Tahiti |
| 2011 | Nouméa | Papua New Guinea | 2–1 | New Caledonia | Fiji | 1–0 | Tonga |
| 2015 | Port Moresby | Papua New Guinea | 1–0 | New Caledonia | Cook Islands | 2–0 | Samoa |
| 2019 | Apia | Papua New Guinea | 3–1 | Samoa | Fiji | 3–1 | Cook Islands |
| 2023 | Honiara | Papua New Guinea | 4–1 | Fiji | New Caledonia | 3–1 | Samoa |

### Performances by countries

| Team | Winner | Runner-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
| Papua New Guinea | 6 ('03, '07, '11, '15, '19, '23) | | | |
| New Caledonia | | 2 ('11, '15) | 1 ('23) | |
| Fiji | | 1 ('23) | 3 ('07, '11, '19) | |
| Tonga | | 1 ('07) | 1 ('03) | 1 ('11) |
| Samoa | | 1 ('19) | | 1 ('15, '23) |
| Guam | | 1 ('03) | | |
| Cook Islands | | | 1 ('15) | 1 ('19) |
| Tahiti | | | | 2 ('03, '07) |

### Golden boot awardees

| Year | Player | Goals |
| 2003 | Unknown | - |
| 2007 | Penateti Feke | 4 |
| 2011 | Christelle Wahnawe | 12 |
| 2015 | Christelle Wahnawe | 10 |
| 2019 | Ramona Padio | 9 |
| 2023 | Ramona Padio | 11 |

## All-time medal table

* Total medals won (men's and women's)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | New Caledonia | 7 | 6 | 2 | 15 |
| 2 | French Polynesia | 5 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | Papua New Guinea | 5 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | Fiji | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Solomon Islands | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 7 | Vanuatu (includes New Hebrides) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Tonga | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Guam | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Samoa (includes Western Samoa) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Cook Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (11 entries) | Totals (11 entries) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 60 |

## Pacific Mini Games
### Men

The table below is a summary of the medal matches played in the men's competition at the Pacific Mini Games:
| Year | Host city | | Final | | Third place match | Third place match | Third place match |
| Year | Host city | Gold | Score | Silver | Bronze | Score | Fourth place |
| 1981 | Honiara | Tahiti | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | New Caledonia | Papua New Guinea | 1–0 | Vanuatu |
| 1993 | Port Vila | Tahiti | 3–0 | Fiji | New Caledonia | 2–1 | Vanuatu |
| 2017 | Port Vila | Vanuatu | round-robin | Fiji | Solomon Islands | round-robin | Tuvalu |

### Women

As of 2019, women's football has only been hosted once at the Pacific Mini Games – at Vanuatu in 2017. The table below is a summary of the medal matches played in the women's competition:
| Year | Host city | | Final | | Third place match | Third place match | Third place match |
| Year | Host city | Gold | Score | Silver | Bronze | Score | Fourth place |
| 2017 | Port Vila | Vanuatu | 2–1 | Fiji | Tonga | 1–0 | Solomon Islands |