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What Is the Most Popular Sport in Papua New Guinea? Top Sports in PNG in 2026
Rugby league leads the way. Explore PNG’s national game, international pathways and wider sporting culture.
Published 26 October 2026 · World Cup and Chiefs details checked 26 October 2026
Papua New Guinea’s sporting culture reaches from community games and school programmes to international tournaments. Football and cricket offer team pathways, while athletics, boxing and weightlifting have produced notable performances on the world stage.
To understand which sports matter most, it helps to look at both their place in everyday sporting culture and the opportunities they offer athletes.
What Is the Most Popular Sport in Papua New Guinea?
Rugby league stands out for its connection with PNG’s national identity. Support crosses regional, language and cultural boundaries, bringing communities together around the game.
The PNG Chiefs’ official history dates the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League’s establishment to 1949.
That long history sits alongside a wider sporting landscape, with other codes connecting PNG to Pacific and global competition.
What Sports Do People Play in Papua New Guinea?
Explore the country’s major sports below. This overview describes sporting prominence and organised pathways; it is not a ranking based on national participation percentages.
| Sport | What this guide covers |
|---|---|
| Rugby League | National game, club pathways and the World Cup |
| Football | Oceania football and international qualification |
| Cricket | National teams, school development and junior pathways |
| Athletics | Sprint records and Pacific competition |
| Boxing | Commonwealth and Olympic representation |
| Weightlifting | International medal achievements |
| Basketball | Five-a-side and 3×3 competition |
1. Rugby League
PNG’s club pathways and its role as an international host give supporters several ways to follow the game.
PNG Chiefs: a new NRL club
The PNG Chiefs are scheduled to enter the NRL Telstra Premiership in 2028. On 21 October 2026, the club unveiled its inaugural logo and supporter jersey. The identity draws on cultures across PNG, including ceremonial feathers, a cassowary bone and kina shells.
The club forms part of the broader 10-year Pacific Rugby League Partnership, which includes investment in grassroots participation, junior development, elite pathways and women’s rugby league.
PNG Hunters: the Queensland pathway
The Hunters’ entry into Queensland’s statewide competition was confirmed in 2013; their first season followed in 2014. They won their first Queensland Cup premiership in 2017, as recorded in QRL’s club history. The team gives PNG players experience in an Australian competition and a pathway towards higher levels of the game.
PNG’s role in the 2026 Rugby League World Cup
Port Moresby’s Santos National Football Stadium hosts men’s and women’s pool matches. The official draw includes Kumuls home fixtures against Lebanon and Samoa, followed by England in Wollongong, and Orchids home fixtures against France and Fiji. The tournament is already under way as of 26 October; use the live draw for results and remaining matches.
2. Football
PNG has been a FIFA member since 1966 and was a founding member of the Oceania Football Confederation. The country fields men’s and women’s national sides, with the men competing in successive FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.
At community level, football’s modest equipment requirements allow it to be played in schools and regional competitions. These local games connect with an international pathway through Oceania football.
3. Cricket
PNG became an ICC Associate Member in 1973. Its men’s team is the Barramundis, its women’s team the Lewas, and its men’s under-19 team the Garamuts. The Barramundis have appeared at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
School programmes have helped introduce the sport beyond elite competition. The ICC’s member profile records that the BSP School Kriket Programme reached more than 171,000 students in 2013. That historical programme figure does not measure today’s regular playing population.
The junior pathway produced a recent success on 12 September 2026, when the ICC reported PNG’s unbeaten progress through the East Asia-Pacific Division 2 qualifier to the Division 1 stage of the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup pathway.
4. Athletics
PNG competes in sprinting, distance running, field events and relays. A landmark performance came from Pais Wisil at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing. He ran a national indoor record of 6.66 seconds over 60 metres and became the first PNG athlete to reach a semifinal at a senior global athletics championship, according to World Athletics.
At the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, PNG won the men’s 4 × 400 metres relay in 3:15.42, ahead of Fiji and Solomon Islands.
5. Boxing
Kenneth Hopkins won boxing bronze at PNG’s first Commonwealth Games in 1962. It was the country’s first medal at the Games and an early milestone in its international sporting history.
The Olympic boxing tradition has continued into more recent generations, including John Ume’s appearance at the Tokyo Games.
6. Weightlifting
Commonwealth Sport identifies Dika Toua as a multiple Commonwealth Games medallist, alongside fellow weightlifting medallist Steven Kari. Their achievements have made weightlifting a significant part of PNG’s international medal record.
The sport also features in PNG’s Pacific Games programme. Its success illustrates why competitive achievement and mass popularity should be considered separately.
7. Basketball
PNG fields teams in conventional basketball and the half-court 3×3 format. Basketball was included in Team PNG’s 2023 Pacific Games plans, while its under-23 women’s 3×3 team finished fourth at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games.
The smaller playing area gives basketball a place in schools and communities where a full-sized sporting field may be less accessible.
Other Popular Sports in Papua New Guinea
Team PNG also competes internationally in rugby sevens, netball, volleyball, beach volleyball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, hockey, golf, taekwondo, powerlifting, triathlon and va’a, or outrigger canoeing. The PNG Olympic Committee confirmed a team spanning 20 sports in its October 2023 Pacific Games announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Kumuls, Hunters and Chiefs the same team?
PNG’s representative sides are the men’s Kumuls and women’s Orchids. They represent the country internationally; the Hunters and Chiefs are club teams with separate roles.
Where can fans in PNG watch the 2026 World Cup?
The tournament’s broadcast announcement provides for all PNG national-team matches to be free-to-air on TVWAN in Papua New Guinea. Check the broadcaster’s current listings for local coverage.
When did Papua New Guinea first compete at the Olympics?
PNG made its Olympic debut at Montreal 1976, following recognition of its National Olympic Committee in 1974.