Football was contested as part of the programme for the 1966 South Pacific Games which was hosted in Nouméa, New Caledonia from 8 to 18 December 1966. It was the second edition of the men's football tournament at the multi-sport event organised by the Pacific Games Council.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | New Caledonia |
| Dates | 12–17 December |
| Teams | 6 (from 1 confederation) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tahiti (1st title) |
| Runners-up | New Caledonia |
| Third place | New Hebrides |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 10 |
| Goals scored | 59 (5.9 per match) |
← 1963 1969 → | |
The football tournament began with the first matches of the group stage on 9 December 1966 and ended with the gold medal match on 17 December 1966. Hosts and defending champions New Caledonia and Tahiti contested the final. Tahiti defeated New Caledonia 2–0 to win the gold medal. In the bronze medal match, the New Hebrides defeated Papua New Guinea 5–2.
Background
Football had been part of the South Pacific Games programme following the debut of the men's competition at the inaugural 1963 South Pacific Games in Fiji. New Caledonia were the defending champions after defeating hosts Fiji 8–2 in the gold medal match.
Wallis and Futuna had never before fielded a football team.
Format
Six teams took part in the competition. They were drawn into two single round robin groups of three teams. The group winners and runners-up would contest the semi-finals which would decide the teams contesting the gold and bronze medal matches.
Participants
- New Caledonia (host)
- New Hebrides
- Papua New Guinea
- Solomon Islands
- Tahiti
- Wallis and Futuna
Group stage
Group 1
Tahiti won the group to progress to the semi-finals alongside Papua New Guinea.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tahiti | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 |
| Papua New Guinea | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | –13 |
| Tahiti | 4–3 | Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Tahiti | 5–0 | Wallis and Futuna |
|---|---|---|
Group 2
New Caledonia won the group to progress to the semi-finals alongside the New Hebrides.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Caledonia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | +13 |
| New Hebrides | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | –5 |
| Solomon Islands | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 | –8 |
| New Caledonia | 5–0 | New Hebrides |
|---|---|---|
| Solomon Islands | 4–4 | New Hebrides |
|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
New Caledonia defeated Papua New Guinea and Tahiti defeated the New Hebrides in the semi-finals.
| Tahiti | 3–0 | New Hebrides |
|---|---|---|
Bronze medal match
The New Hebrides defeated Papua New Guinea to win the bronze medal.
| New Hebrides | 5–2 | Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|---|
Gold medal match
Tahiti defeated New Caledonia to win the bronze medal.
| New Caledonia | 0–2 | Tahiti |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 South Pacific Games winners |
|---|
Tahiti First title |
Sources
- Di Maggio, Roberto; Garin, Erik; Morrison, Neil; Schöggl, Hans (7 December 2023). "(South) Pacific Games and Mini Games". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- Courtney, Barrie (30 October 2005). "Wallis and Futuna - List of International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- Cruickshank, Mark; Morrison, Neil; Veroeveren, Pieter (13 December 2012). "South Pacific Games 1966 (New Caledonia)". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
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