The top eight teams from the Digicel Fiji Premier League have secured their places in next month’s Super Premier Division at the FMF Inter-District Championship, taking place at Churchill Park in Lautoka. The confirmed teams are Rewa, Labasa, Lautoka, Ba, Nadi, Navua, Suva, and Nadroga.
Tailevu/Naitasiri and Nasinu have been relegated to the Premier Division, where they will compete alongside Bua, Tavua, Lami, and Seaqaqa. The Senior Division will feature teams such as Savusavu, Taveuni, Nadogo, Dreketi, Rakiraki, and Northland Tailevu.
The pool draws for the 2024 FMF IDC are scheduled for Tuesday, October 1, at the FMF Gymnasium in Suva, starting at 11 am. The championship event is set to run from October 15 to 20.
In other news, three new players have joined the national men’s football team for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers, as confirmed by national coach Rob Sherman. The new additions to the 27-member squad include midfielder Leroy Jennings from Sydney United FC, defender Gabrieli Matanisiga from Wellington Olympic AFC, and defender Kavaia Rawaqa from Suva FC.
These players are expected to bolster the squad’s strength for the qualifiers, which begin on October 10 at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. National team manager Kartik Reddy stated their goal is to secure the available 1.5 spots for OFC teams to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The national squad will begin training on September 29 at the Fiji FA Academy in Ba, with the final 23-member lineup set to be announced on October 5. Veteran defender Remueru Tekiata and Muni Shivam Naidu have been ruled out due to work commitments. Team captain Roy Krishna will join the squad on October 5 following his club obligations with Odisha FC in the Indian Super League.
Fiji has been placed in Group A along with the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia. They will commence their campaign by facing the Solomon Islands on October 10 in Suva at 7 pm, followed by matches against Papua New Guinea on November 14 and New Caledonia on November 17, both scheduled at the PNG Football Stadium.