From U-17 World Cup qualification to the senior team: Lea’i brothers share Solomon Islands training ground

Only weeks after George Lea’i helped Solomon Islands qualify for their second FIFA U-17 World Cup, the youngster has already been given an opportunity to experience the next level of international football — alongside his older brother Raphael Lea’i.

The two brothers trained together with the Solomon Islands senior national team in Honiara, providing a striking image of two different generations of the Lea’i family sharing the same national-team environment.

George was among the players from the successful Solomon Islands U-16 side invited into senior training by head coach Ben Cahn, who has made integrating the country’s most promising youngsters into the wider national-team programme part of his plans for the future.

Cahn recently confirmed that members of the U-16 squad had been brought into the senior environment following their impressive campaign at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship in Papua New Guinea.

“We’ve had a good look at the U-16 boys who obviously did a great job to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. We’re bringing them in, they’ve done really well, it’s been very positive,” Cahn said.

For George, the invitation comes shortly after achieving something his older brother knows particularly well.

Back in 2018, Raphael was one of the outstanding players of the Solomon Islands team that qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, the country’s first appearance at a FIFA outdoor football tournament. Eight years later, his younger brother has helped the Solomons reach the same global stage.

George played an important role throughout the 2026 OFC U-16 Championship and was part of the side that secured Oceania’s final qualification berth for the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. After losing to Fiji on penalties in the semifinal, Solomon Islands faced hosts Papua New Guinea in a decisive third-place playoff.

The young Kurukuru came from behind to draw 1-1 before winning 4-1 on penalties, securing Solomon Islands’ second U-17 World Cup appearance and their first since Raphael’s generation competed in Brazil.

George was already attracting attention before qualification was secured. The younger Lea’i was a major attacking presence during the tournament, with OFC highlighting his speed and threat from the left wing during the semifinal against Fiji.

Now the brothers’ respective journeys have briefly converged.

At 22, Raphael is already one of the established attacking figures of Solomon Islands football. After emerging through that historic U-17 generation, his career has taken him from domestic football to Europe and back into the Pacific, while he has become a regular member of the senior national team. He is part of Cahn’s 20-man squad for the upcoming MSG Prime Minister’s Cup in Fiji.

George remains at a very different stage. His immediate international challenge will be preparing for Qatar 2027, but his presence at senior training suggests the national-team staff are already looking beyond the age-group distinction when identifying players capable of eventually strengthening the Bonitos.

It fits directly into Cahn’s wider project. The coach wants to expand the senior national-team pool to around 50 to 60 players over the next three or four years, monitoring footballers from the S-League, overseas competitions, futsal and the Solomon Islands youth national teams.

That makes the sight of Raphael and George training together more than simply an interesting family moment.

Eight years separate Solomon Islands’ two qualifications for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. A Lea’i has been involved in both. Raphael was part of the generation that opened the door in 2018; George is now part of the generation that has taken Solomon Islands back onto the world stage.

And this week in Honiara, for the first time, those two stories met on the same senior national-team training pitch.