Papua New Guinea Women

The women's side began with a single trip across the Torres Strait. In March 1989 Papua New Guinea travelled to Brisbane for the Oceania Cup and lost 2–0 to Australia B. It was their first international, and it came 23 years after the national association joined FIFA and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

The team is known as the Lakatois, after the traditional sailing vessels of the Motuan people, and the results since then have been lopsided in one competition and stubborn in another. At the Pacific Games, the region's multi-sport event, Papua New Guinea won gold in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, five in a row, then added another in 2023.

The OFC Women's Nations Cup was harder to win. Third place in 1991, 1994, 1998, 2003 and 2018 came before the final defeats of 2007 and 2010. The title arrived in 2022. They reached the final again in 2025 and finished second.

Marie Kaipu, who scored 35 goals for the national side, is the leading scorer in its history. Deslyn Siniu holds the appearance record with 43 caps. Ramona Padio now wears the armband. Both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Olympic Games have so far stayed out of reach. New Zealand, the strongest side in the region, is the opponent most often standing in the way.

Home games are played in Port Moresby at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, which holds 20,000. The team plays in red, yellow and black, the colours of the national flag.