Josh Smith sacked as Solomon Islands national team head coach following disappointing tenure

Australian coach Josh Smith’s stint as manager of the Solomon Islands national team officially came to an end yesterday after SIFF agreed to sack him with immediate effect.

Smith, who was appointed in August of 2024 ahead of the Oceanian World Cup Qualifiers, failed to deliver any solid results as head coach of the national team, with the Solomon Islands exiting the qualifiers in the group stage and failing to win the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup in 2024 and 2025. He often faced internal criticism for poor squad selections and was consistently tactically outmanaged against other sides.

During the World Cup Qualifiers, Smith most notably received backlash for not giving much playing time to young star and fan favorite Paul Francis, who had come off a blistering run of form in the 2024 season with Real Kakamora, leading the club to a best-ever third-place finish in the Telekom S-League while scoring 17 goals in 20 matches played. Solomon Islands lost their opening match to 10-man Fiji by a goal and lost 3-2 to eventual tournament runners-up New Caledonia, bringing their World Cup hopes to an abrupt brief end. After the controversy, Smith refused to call up Francis to the national team again for the remainder of his tenure.

Prior to taking the position, he had previously served as a head coach in Australia’s third division with Adelaide Omonia Cobras and the NPL with FK Beograd, leaving many supporters in doubt of his qualifications, with his only experience at a professional side coming in 2021/22 as a technical coach with Central Coast Mariners.

Smith’s greatest achievements during his short tenure came off the pitch, as his establishment of player pathways and connections with Australian sides saw A-League side Brisbane Roar come visit Honiara last October for a historic friendly. Players such as Raphael Lea’i and Javin Wae signed contracts with NPL sides during this time, and Gordon Iro and Rovu Boyers earned a first-ever trial with A-League premiers Auckland FC.

Other SIFF coaches eventually grew frustrated by Smith’s tendency to act more like an agent than that of a coach, noting his inability to adapt and show any signs of improvement since taking over the squad from Spanish predecessor Felipe Vera-Arango. Solomon Islands dropped to 152nd in the FIFA World Rankings after Smith’s first year in charge, a glaring disappointment for a squad that had consistently ranked as Oceania’s second-best nation behind New Zealand. He had only won three matches in the entirety of his stint with the national team.

Solomon Islands’ search for a new manager is expected to begin in the coming days. Smith expressed his gratitude on social media towards Solomon players, clubs, and fans for their support and intends to take a brief hiatus from coaching before returning to finish his AFC Pro Licence.

We at Oceania Football Center wish him the best of luck in the next phase of his coaching career.