Paul Francis to miss Nasinu’s IDC campaign after returning to Solomon Islands for Guadalcanal Championship

Nasinu will be without Solomon Islands attacker Paul Francis for the 2026 FMF Inter-District Championship after the forward returned home to take part in the Guadalcanal Football Championship 2026 in Honiara.

Francis is representing Eastern Frigates FC in the competition and has been handed the captain’s armband. Matches are being played at Lawson Tama Stadium, placing the tournament directly alongside the opening of Fiji’s IDC and ruling him out of Nasinu’s campaign in Suva.

Eastern Frigates began their Guadalcanal campaign with a 4-2 defeat to East Central, leaving Francis and his teammates looking for a response in their remaining matches.

His absence is significant for Nasinu. Francis had become one of the side’s most influential attacking players during the 2026 season and played an important role in their unexpected run to the Battle of the Giants semi-finals. His performances during that tournament helped Nasinu emerge as one of the competition’s surprise packages despite entering without the same expectations as Fiji’s traditional heavyweight districts.

The Solomon Islander had also attracted attention through his direct attacking play and ability to contribute important goals, continuing an impressive period in Fiji after previously featuring for Real Kakamora in the Telekom S-League.

Francis was notably absent from Nasinu’s final 22-player IDC squad. His return to Solomon Islands now explains why, with the forward instead taking responsibility as captain of Eastern Frigates in the Guadalcanal competition.

Nasinu have been drawn into a difficult Group A at the IDC alongside defending champions Rewa, Labasa and Suva. They begin their campaign against Rewa before facing Suva and Labasa, and Francis’ absence removes one of the attacking players who had helped give the side its underdog identity during the BOG.

For Francis, however, the coming days bring a different challenge. Rather than attempting another surprise tournament run in Fiji, he will be leading Eastern Frigates at Lawson Tama as Guadalcanal’s teams compete for domestic honours in Honiara.