Tonga’s Under-16 men’s football team kicks off their OFC qualifying campaign today against Papua New Guinea in Nuku’alofa.
The four-nation tournament, hosted at Teufaiva Stadium, will determine the final entrant to the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship in the Solomon Islands this August.
The winner of that event will join Cook Islands, Fiji, and Tahiti in Group A, with three teams ultimately qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar next year.
Tonga’s 28-player squad has been in camp for over a month. Assistant coach Manu Tau’lau expressed optimism, “We’re very excited. We can’t wait to compete in this tournament. Everyone is ready and doing their best… we’re not going to quit – we never give up”.
Tonga’s fixtures are: 3 May vs. Papua New Guinea, 6 May vs. Vanuatu, and 9 May vs. American Samoa.
All matches will be streamed live and free on FIFA+.
