Fiji’s men’s netball side will renew a Pacific rivalry next week when they face Tonga in the Men’s Invitational Series 2026 at Vodafone Arena in Suva, Team Manager Kelera Tuqovu confirmed on Friday. The three-day tournament runs from May 18–20 with matches scheduled to start at 7pm each night, and Tuqovu says the squad is primed “mentally, physically and spiritually” for the challenge.
The latest push to sharpen the team has seen coaching staff spend the past three weeks working on player combinations, Tuqovu said, as selectors tightened the final 15-player roster. “The coach has been working entirely on the combinations of all the players. I think that’s the important thing we were doing in the last three weeks,” she said, noting that continuity within the squad — many players have been competing together since 2024 — has been a major advantage in developing on-court chemistry.
Selection was not straightforward. Tuqovu said management, coaching staff and national selectors closely monitored attendance, attitude, skill level and overall performance during preparations before naming the final squad. The process, she added, was aimed at ensuring the best balance of form and team cohesion heading into a competition that will be tightly contested among regional rivals.
Fiji’s men first made an international impression during the Nations Cup Series in Singapore, where they defeated Australia’s under-18 side, and later featured in the Australian men’s and women’s mixed netball championship in Melbourne. The team also enters next week’s Invitational Series as defending champions, having claimed the title in the same tournament last year — a pedigree the management hopes will help carry momentum into this year’s matches.
A strong showing against Tonga is seen as more than just short-term success. Tuqovu framed the series as a stepping-stone for Fiji’s longer-term ambitions, saying good form here would build momentum toward the Men’s Netball World Cup campaign targeted for 2028. The emphasis on combinations and continuity signals a focus on building a cohesive unit over multiple years rather than piecemeal tournament preparation.
Tuqovu has urged supporters across the country to get behind the national side as the team prepares to play under the Vodafone Arena lights next week. With the squad now finalised and the last training blocks complete, Fiji will turn its attention to converting preparation into performance when they meet Tonga in what promises to be a key early test on the road to 2028.