Solomon Islands will not play in the final of the 2026 MSG Prime Minister’s Cup, but their elimination tells only part of the story of a tournament that offered several encouraging signs for Ben Cahn’s developing national-team project.
The Bonitos completed the round-robin stage unbeaten, collecting six points from four matches and finishing only one point behind Vanuatu and Fiji, who both reached the final with seven. Solomon Islands recorded one victory and three draws, scored nine goals and finished with the same +2 goal difference as Fiji.
In a competition decided by extremely small margins, one additional goal against Papua New Guinea in their final match would have completely changed the outcome.
Raphael Lea’i gave Solomon Islands the ideal start from the penalty spot in the fourth minute, but Ati Kepo equalised for PNG after the break and the 1-1 draw left the Bonitos dependent on the result between Fiji and New Caledonia. Fiji eventually came from behind to win 2-1, taking the final place alongside defending champions Vanuatu.
For Solomon Islands, it was a frustrating conclusion. They were the only side to complete the group stage without defeat and had already shown that they could compete directly with both teams that eventually finished above them.
The Bonitos drew 3-3 with hosts Fiji after recovering from 3-1 down and later produced another 3-3 draw against Vanuatu, responding every time the defending champions moved ahead. Their only victory came in a 2-0 result against New Caledonia.
Three draws ultimately prevented them from reaching the final, but the tournament also provided evidence of the wider rebuilding process Cahn has been trying to establish around the national team.
One of the clearest examples came immediately against Fiji.
Rooney Riugaemai made his senior international debut and scored from the penalty spot, turning his first appearance for Solomon Islands into a goalscoring one. Having returned to the national-team picture after playing non-League football in England, the forward immediately added another option to a squad Cahn has been attempting to broaden.
Later in the same match, 19-year-old Jayroll Patty produced another important moment. Only days removed from captaining Solomon Islands at the OFC U-19 Men’s Championship, Patty came from the bench with his country trailing and scored his first senior international goal to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
Javin Wae then completed the comeback in stoppage time.
Patty’s involvement was particularly significant because it demonstrated how quickly players from the youth programme can now move into the senior environment. The young attacker did not merely receive a call-up to gain experience; he was trusted during a difficult international match and responded with a goal.
Danford Fiumae represented another part of that transition.
The 19-year-old midfielder had already been included in the senior squad for the FIFA Series earlier this year without making an appearance, after establishing himself with the Solomon Islands U-19s. In Fiji, he was finally introduced at senior level, making his international debut during the victory over New Caledonia.
For a national team looking beyond one tournament and towards the next World Cup cycle, the presence of Patty and Fiumae alongside more established internationals may prove as important as the immediate results.
Then there was Wae.
Few players enhanced their standing more during the tournament than the 23-year-old central defender. Wae scored against Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, finding the net in each of Solomon Islands’ first three matches despite operating primarily at the heart of the defence.
His goals were not insignificant additions to comfortable results either. The first rescued a point against Fiji deep into stoppage time. The second completed the victory over New Caledonia, again in added time. The third brought Solomon Islands level for the third time against Vanuatu.
By the end of the group stage, Wae had three goals — an extraordinary return for a defender and one that placed him among the tournament’s leading scorers.
Alongside him on three was a much more familiar name.
Raphael Lea’i did not score in the opening draw with Fiji, but from that point onwards he found the net in every Solomon Islands match: against New Caledonia, Vanuatu and finally Papua New Guinea.
It extended another productive period for a player who remains only 23 but has already carried considerable expectation for much of his career. Lea’i had scored twice against Bulgaria at the FIFA Series in March before going without a goal against St Kitts and Nevis. Including the MSG Cup, he has therefore scored in four of his last six senior internationals, with only the matches against St Kitts and Fiji interrupting that sequence.
Those three goals in Fiji also continued his movement up Solomon Islands’ historical scoring list. Lea’i now has 17 senior international goals according to updated records, placing him behind only Gagame Feni (19), Henry Fa’arodo (20), Benjamin Totori (29) and record holder Commins Menapi (34).
At 23, time remains firmly on his side.
The overall picture therefore looks more complicated than simply a third-place finish.
Solomon Islands did not achieve Cahn’s stated objective of winning the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup, and there are obvious areas requiring improvement. Conceding six goals across the draws with Fiji and Vanuatu repeatedly forced the Bonitos to chase matches, while the inability to turn one of three draws into a victory ultimately cost them a place in the final.
But they also completed the tournament without losing, scored nine times, matched both finalists directly and continued integrating younger players into the senior setup.
Riugaemai arrived and scored on debut. Patty moved almost immediately from the U-19 side into senior international football and scored. Fiumae made the next step in his development. Wae emerged as one of the competition’s standout performers, while Lea’i continued doing what Solomon Islands will increasingly expect from him: scoring goals consistently for his country.
The final table will show Solomon Islands in third place, one point short of Vanuatu and Fiji.
The broader assessment may be more encouraging.
The Bonitos leave Suva without the final they wanted, but also without a defeat — and with a clearer indication that the next version of the Solomon Islands national team is beginning to take shape.
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