25 Stories From a Big Year in Pacific Sport

2025 was a year of extraordinary sporting energy across the Pacific, with passionate fans filling stadiums, community sports fields buzzing, and Pacific athletes stepping onto some of the world’s biggest stages. From rugby sevens carnivals in Fiji to football tournaments in Canberra, from table tennis halls in Auckland to netball courts in Gibraltar, Pacific talent has been everywhere: competing, leading, learning, and showing the world exactly what this region can do.

The Australian Government through PacificAus Sports is proud to be supporting athletes, coaches and officials across the Pacific, providing many opportunities for all to thrive. What follows are just some of the highlights from a remarkable year – stories of ambition, community, creativity and growth, written by the athletes and leaders who continue to shape the future of Pacific sport.

Rugby

1. Fiji hosted a Coral Coast 7s showcase

The Coral Coast 7s brought together more than 700 players and 5,000 fans for three days of world-class men’s, women’s and juniors rugby in January. An Australian Select 7s squad attended, featuring five First Nations players from the Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team. Fiji’s Iowane Teba took home the Jonah Lomu Medal as top try scorer. With PacificAus Sports support, the event reinforced Fiji’s reputation as a global sevens destination and one of the heartlands of Pacific rugby.

2. Penina Pasifika boosted women’s rugby in Samoa and Tonga

For the second year in a row, the Penina Pasifika program brought players from Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand to Australia for a series of high-intensity Super W matches and elite training sessions. The experience was a crucial part of the Samoan team’s preparations for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup held in England, and helped prepare Tonga for the Oceania Championship, hosted in Fiji in June.

3. Vuvale Week took rugby into Fijian communities

Vuvale Week 2025 was a full-hearted celebration of community rugby, taking the game far beyond the stadium and into schools, villages and clubs across Fiji. At the Gospel School for the Deaf, students took part in tailored training sessions before stepping onto HFC Bank Stadium as mascots for the Drua vs Brumbies Super Rugby Pacific match, raising national awareness of Fiji Deaf Rugby’s preparations for the 2026 Deaf Rugby World Cup.

4. Perfect preparation for Manusina Samoa

With their sights set on a successful 2025 World Cup campaign, Manusina Samoa had the ideal preparation thanks to PacificAus Sports. It started with a 7’s training camp in New Zealand which resulted in four players being included in the Manusina 15’s World Cup side. The 15’s team then travelled to Australia for a training camp and match against Australia A in Canberra, before another week of training in New Zealand and Samoa before heading to England - ensuring the team was ready to put their best foot forward against the world’s best sides.

5. Fijian Drua drove high-performance success

The Fijian Drua men recorded key wins in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season, while the Fijian Drua women, reached a fourth straight Super W semi-final, following a run of three consecutive grand final appearances. The women’s relocation to a permanent base in Nadi, made possible with support from PacificAus Sports, created a professional home for year-round training, welfare services and contract stability. 

6. Rugby to the Region strengthened pathways in Tonga

In partnership with Tonga Rugby Union and Rugby Australia, players from the Queensland Reds men’s and women’s teams travelled to Tonga in 2025. They ran skills sessions with schools, clubs and defence force groups, reaching more than 1,500 community members. They later ran onto the field for high-performance matches, including the first-ever home match for the national women’s team. The tour lifted local capability, sharpened pathways and celebrated Tongan pride in the women’s game.

7. Rise Rugby grew women’s leadership across the Pacific

Rise Rugby continues to place women’s leadership at the heart of rugby’s future in the Pacific. Initiatives in 2025 included the development of the next three-year program, co-designed with the national unions, and the launch of the Commentary and Mobile Journalism Program (CAMP), delivered with the ABC’s International Development Unit. Meanwhile, production of Breaking Ground: the Rise of Women’s Rugby in Fiji documentary – led by an all-women crew from Fiji and Australia – created a safe, dignified space for players to share their stories.

Rugby League

8. Fiji’s Bulikula qualified for the Women’s Rugby League World Cup

Fiji’s Bulikula secured their first-ever Rugby League World Cup 2026 berth after a decisive 62–4 victory over Nigeria in the Rugby League World Series final in Canada – a milestone celebrated across the country. The achievement reflects years of investment in women’s rugby league development, with several Rise Rookie graduates starring on the international stage. For coach Joe Dakuitoga and captain Cass Staples, qualification represents a sporting breakthrough and a powerful step forward for women’s sport in Fiji.

9. Cook Islands Moana made history with Pacific Bowl victory

The Cook Islands women’s rugby league team claimed a breakthrough triumph at the Pacific Bowl in Port Moresby as part of the Pacific Championships. They secured one of the nation’s most significant sporting victories. Led by captain Kiana Takairangi and inspired by new coach Ronald Griffiths, the Moana posted back-to-back wins – their first consecutive victories in more than two decades. The result has ignited belief across the Cook Islands community and strengthened the team’s long-term pathway toward future World Cup qualification.
 

Football

10. Brisbane Roar brought elite football to Solomon Islands

The inaugural PacificAus Sports Challenge saw Brisbane Roar’s A-League men’s squad travel to Honiara in October for a historic week of community engagement and high-performance football. The team ran skills clinics with local schools and Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) youth leagues, shared insights with SIFF coaches, and capped the visit with a landmark match against the Solomon Islands national team at the National Stadium. The trip strengthened coaching capability, inspired young players, and deepened football ties between Australia and the Solomon Islands.

11. Four Nations tournament elevated Pacific women’s football

The PacificAus Sports Four Nations Tournament brought women’s football teams from Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to Canberra to compete against the Young Matildas and Thailand’s U-20s side. They gained rare exposure to high-performance training and matchplay. A tournament dinner at Parliament House rounded out the event, celebrating football’s power to connect nations and lift the profile of Pacific women in sport.

Netball

12. Netball partnerships strengthened regional competition and leadership

There were numerous breakthrough moments for Pacific netball in 2025. Key among them was the appearance of four Pacific nations – Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga – at the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar after years of structured preparation and exposure to elite-level play. Other regional initiatives this year included umpire development camps and leadership sessions for coaches at the Australian Institute of Sport. In Tonga, an historic home series for the national team as part of the country’s celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Constitution.

13. PacificAus Sports Netball Series showcased rising regional strength

Held in February, the fifth PacificAus Sports Netball Series brought together five national teams – Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Scotland and Tonga – alongside the Australian First Nations team, the Black Swans, for a week of fierce competition in Brisbane. Tonga sought to defend a four-series winning streak, while Scotland made its debut in the tournament, with matches broadcast across the region to growing audiences. The series provided world-ranking opportunities, high-performance match play and a powerful platform for emerging Pacific athletes.

14. Tala-Tutone Tour marked a historic moment for Tonga

Tonga hosted its first-ever international netball tournament as the Tala met Australia’s Pathways team in a three-match series celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Kingdom’s Constitution. Played at the newly built stadium in Nuku‘alofa, games were attended by Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau'u Tuku'aho with young fans lining the court to cheer on their heroes. Tonga claimed a thrilling final-match victory, while local officials gained accreditation and new capability to host future international events.

Australian Rules Football

15. U16 AFL Academy Camps expanded Pacific talent pathways

Players from PNG, Vanuatu, Tonga, Fiji, Nauru and New Zealand came together for a two week-long AFL camp in Queensland, training and competing against young footballers from the Gold Coast SUNS and the Brisbane Lions Academies. Development activities were also organised for coaches from each country, and PNG umpire Balthasar Talania had the opportunity to officiate high-level games.

16. Rising Pacific talent was on show at regional tournaments

The AFL South Pacific High Performance Pathway continued to provide young Pacific players of all ages with opportunities to compete on the regional stage. Following the U16s Talent Camps earlier in the year, the U17 Pacific Cup was held for the first time in Cairns in September, followed by the Nauru and PNG boys competing in the U14 Queensland Academy Carnival in Maroochydore, and then Fiji hosting the Nauru and PNG girls and boys sides for the U15 Oceania Cup in December to round out another exciting year of Pacific footy.

Olympics & Paralympics

17. Pacific Olympic partners strengthened high-performance pathways

Pacific athletes strengthened their pathways to elite competition in 2025 through a coordinated series of high-performance initiatives supported by PacificAus Sports, in partnership with the Australian Olympic Committee, regional federations and Olympic Solidarity. Programs across canoeing, triathlon, table tennis, beach volleyball and swimming supported preparation for the Commonwealth Games, Pacific Games, Oceania Championships and future Olympic and Paralympic Games. In December, flagship development camps in New Zealand (canoeing), Fiji (triathlon) and Australia (aquatics) brought emerging athletes and coaches together for elite training and competition, building technical capability, regional collaboration and confidence on the international stage.

18. GAPS camps prepared athletes for global competition

Able-bodied and para-athletes, and their coaches, converged in Port Vila in May for a dynamic GAPS (Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain) training camp – a multi-day immersion in high-performance sport designed to prepare the region’s rising stars for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Further GAPS camps throughout the year – on the Gold Coast, and in Samoa and Tonga – have supercharged the athletes’ preparations in athletics, swimming, bowls, weightlifting and para-powerlifting. With over 600 participants since inception, GAPS continued to level the playing field for Pacific competitors.

19. Auckland Open champions rising Pacific table tennis stars

Six promising Pacific table tennis players elevated their game at the 2025 Auckland Open after an intense week of high-performance training delivered as part of the Oceania Talent Team initiative, a partnership between PacificAus Sports, the Australian Olympic Committee and ITTF-Oceania. The experience fuelled the confidence of the participating players, helping prepare them for future Olympic-pathway competitions.

Cricket

20. Cricket Invitational marked a breakthrough moment for Pacific women

Over six action-packed days in Port Moresby in June, the inaugural PacificAus Sports Cricket Invitational signalled a new era for Pacific women’s cricket. Teams from PNG, Samoa, Vanuatu and an Australian Indigenous XI battled through a tightly contested T20 tournament that showcased the players’ skills and proved the region is ready to compete. The PNG Lewas thrilled the home crowds, rebounding from an opening loss to finish as tournament champions.

21. Garamuts toured Brisbane ahead of World Cup Qualifiers

In preparation for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Division 1 Qualifiers in Japan, the PNG U19s Garamuts side travelled to Brisbane for training and matchplay, providing the team with valuable experience to take into the tournament. The Brisbane tour also included a celebration with key figures from local PNG and Australian cricket communities.

Basketball

22. Pacific women lead basketball’s future through Women LEAD

Pacific women continued to step into leadership roles through FIBA Oceania’s Women LEAD Basketball program, supported by PacificAus Sports as part of FIBA’s Women in Basketball strategy. In 2025, emerging female leaders from across Oceania gathered in Canberra for immersive workshops, mentorship and cultural exchange. The program was complemented by capability-building initiatives including referee development through Rising Whistle, scoring and statistics training, and coaching pathways through the Marty Handson program. Two participants also received scholarships for a week-long immersive coaching experience in Australia, gaining first-hand exposure to elite environments and strengthening the community of Pacific women shaping basketball’s future.

Tennis

23. Women and Girls in Tennis advanced Pacific talent pathways

The Pacific Women and Girls in Tennis program continued to create real opportunities for players across the region. Initiatives rolled out this year included a series of junior development camps, targeted support for rising stars travelling to international tournaments, and a new regional scorecard to help national associations benchmark their progress.

24. Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis built future-ready administrators

Eleven women from across the Pacific came together in Port Moresby in October for the opening workshops of the 2025–26 Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis program, delivered by Tennis Australia through support of PacificAus Sports. Now in its fourth year, the initiative is building a strong pipeline of Pacific women leaders by equipping them with practical skills, confidence and regional networks to shape the future of tennis in their communities.

Media

25. Stories of Pacific triumph on and off the field inspired the region

That Pacific Sports Show and Fresh Off the Field provided another year of unrivalled Pacific sports coverage and storytelling. In addition to stars guests on the couch and airwaves each week, 2025 saw the programs dive into important issues including men’s mental health and the empowerment of women through sport. They included specials on the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau and PNG’s 50th Anniversary of Independence.

As we move toward major events including Glasgow 2026, Los Angeles 2028 and the Olympic and Paralympic games in Brisbane in 2032, Pacific sport is undoubtedly gaining momentum. With stronger institutions, rising talent and new leaders emerging across every code, the year ahead promises even more breakthroughs — and even more reasons to celebrate Pacific sport.

The Australian Government thanks its partners - the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian Football League, the Australian Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Australia, Cricket Australia, FIBA Oceania, Football Australia, National Rugby League, Netball Australia, New South Wales Rugby League, Netball Australia, Oceania Rugby, Queensland Rugby League, Rugby Australia, and Tennis Australia for their ongoing partnership.