Solomon Islands Women

The final against Papua New Guinea went to extra time and finished 3-2, the first major continental title the team has taken.

That win capped a run that had been building for years. In 2022 the same two sides met at the same tournament for third place, and the Solomon Islands went through on penalties, 6-5, after a 1-1 draw with Samoa. A silver medal followed at the 2023 Pacific Games, again finishing behind Papua New Guinea.

How far is considerable. The side lost its first-ever international 6-1 to Papua New Guinea in Lae in April 2007, with Prudence Fula scoring the goal that opened the team's account. The captain, Laydah Samani, sits as the all-time leading scorer. Off the pitch, the federation went through a rougher patch in 2013, when a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee took over administration after financial mismanagement.

The team shares its nickname, Bonitos, after the stingray, with the men's side, and takes the field in blue, yellow and green, the colours of the national flag. Home games are played at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, where one stand is built straight into the hillside — enough of a quirk that no official seating capacity has ever been fixed for it.