Fiji name 20-man squad for home MSG Prime Minister’s Cup as Auvray blends experience and youth

Fiji have named a 20-man Bula Boys squad for the 2026 MSG Prime Minister’s Cup, with head coach Stéphane Auvray combining established internationals with several younger players as the national team begins a new cycle on home soil.

Captain and all-time leading goalscorer Roy Krishna provides the biggest name in the squad, while experienced internationals such as Tevita Waranaivalu, Gabiriele Matanisiga, Sitiveni Cavuilagi, Sterling Vasconcellos and Scott Wara add experience around a group containing several players still establishing themselves at senior international level.

One of the most interesting aspects of the selection is the immediate progression of players involved in Fiji’s OFC U-19 Men’s Championship campaign in Samoa. Ryan Naresh, Maikah Dau and Abdullah Khairati have all been included in Auvray’s senior squad only days after representing the country at the continental youth tournament.

There are also opportunities for players performing strongly in Fiji’s domestic competitions. Ba, fresh from winning the Battle of the Giants, are well represented, while Labasa, Rewa, Navua, Lautoka, Nadi and Nasinu also contribute players. Harang and Wara bring current Australian club experience to the group.

The tournament will be Auvray’s first opportunity to lead the Bula Boys in a senior international competition on Fijian soil. OFC has also placed Fiji’s campaign within a wider rebuilding process towards the next World Cup cycle, giving the competition importance beyond the immediate pursuit of the MSG title.

Fiji remain historically the most successful nation in the old Melanesian Cup, having won five titles between 1988 and 2000, but they have not lifted the regional trophy since that final triumph 26 years ago. The revived MSG Prime Minister’s Cup therefore provides both an opportunity to end that drought and a chance for Auvray to assess the players who could form the core of the national team over the coming years.

The Bula Boys begin their campaign against Solomon Islands at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on September 18. Papua New Guinea, defending champions Vanuatu and New Caledonia complete the five-team competition, with each nation playing the others once before the top two meet in the final on October 3.

Fiji squad — club affiliations: Isikeli Sevanaia (Ba FC), Joela Biuvanua (Nadi FC), Jone Lalagavesi (Labasa FC), Isimeli Gavidi (Ba FC), Ilisoni Logaivau (Ba FC), Lekima Gonerau (Labasa FC), Scott Wara (Maitland FC, Australia), Sterling Vasconcellos (Lautoka FC), Thomas Dunn (Navua FC), Sitiveni Cavuilagi (Lautoka FC), Ryan Naresh (Ba FC), Tevita Waranaivalu (Rewa FC), Nabil Begg (Ba FC), Faazil Ali (Ba FC), Abdullah Khairati (Sabeto FC, Canada), Maikah Dau (Nasinu FC), Zacariah Harang (Wollongong Wolves, Australia), Gabiriele Matanisiga (Rewa FC), Filipe Baravilala (Navua FC), Roy Krishna (Bula FC).