The Solomon Islands women’s national football team has exited the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ Oceania Qualifiers after suffering their second consecutive defeat, this time against regional powerhouse New Zealand.
Solomon Islands were defeated 8–0 by New Zealand in their second group match.
Team captain and playmaker Ileen Pegi praised her squad despite the heavy loss.
“There’s a lot to take in from this game, but I’m super proud of the girls — their teamwork, their fighting spirit, and for never giving up until the final whistle,” she said.
Pegi acknowledged that the current squad is still developing but expressed confidence in the team’s growth.
“We have a lot of young players, so this is a developing side. I’m proud of how they stepped up and bonded with the rest of the team.
“Even though we lost this one, we’re regrouping for our final game against Samoa.”
New Zealand’s Indiah-Paige Riley reflected on her team’s dominant performance, describing it as a strong collective effort.
“It was a really good team performance. We kept the pressure high throughout the 90 minutes, which was good. The conditions were challenging, but we’ve handled them well and are looking forward to our next match against American Samoa,” she said.
Solomon Islands now turn their attention to their final group match against Samoa, aiming to finish the qualifiers with pride while gaining valuable international experience for their young squad.
Meanwhile, American Samoa secured their place in the semi-finals with a narrow victory over Samoa in Honiara, maintaining a perfect record of two wins from two matches.
After claiming a historic win over Solomon Islands last Friday, Amanda Cromwell’s side knew that three more points would guarantee progression to Round Three — and they delivered.
Mia Toeaina came close to opening the scoring early on, with a strike from inside the area expertly tipped over the bar by Angelique Tuisamoa. Alayna Fuamatu-Maafala also struck the post with a header from her sister Atianna’s cross as American Samoa continued to press.
The decisive goal came just before half-time when Toeaina rounded the goalkeeper and lifted the ball into the six-yard box, where Morgan Patea finished from close range.
Samoa improved significantly in the second half, spending much of the period in American Samoa’s half, but they were unable to convert their chances, leaving their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
The final group matches will continue this Thursday at the National Stadium in Honiara.
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