This is an Adidas Papua New Guinea national team 2023 home jersey featuring the number of star striker Tommy Semmy.

Until recently, Papua New Guinea had rarely achieved much international success, however they established themselves as a force in the OFC region when they finished 2^nd as they hosted the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. At the tournament, they finished first in their group, defeated Solomon Islands in the semi-finals and almost pulled off a huge upset in the final against OFC powerhouse New Zealand, losing 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Prior to this, they had only qualified for the tournament three times and never made it past the group stage, but with increased investment in football development, a relatively strong local league as well as the emergence of several talented players, the ‘Kapuls’ have become one of the strongest national teams in Oceania. This reputation was further enhanced by their performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament for the OFC region, where PNG defeated New Caledonia and Fiji as well as narrowly losing to New Zealand before being knocked-out by the Solomon Islands in the Semi-final after a 3-2 defeat.

Tommy Semmy is arguably one of the most talented players in the history of PNG football, with the 29-year-old being amongst a small number of footballers from the country to sign with a club outside the OFC region. After making a name for himself playing village football in his hometown of Bulolo, located in the Morobe Province on the northern coast of PNG, Semmy played for Besta PNG United of the PNG National Soccer League for two seasons beginning in 2013. In 2015, he was signed by Hekari United, the top club in PNG, where he performed strongly in several OFC Champions League tournaments and attracted the attention of clubs throughout the region. Semmy then had stints with Solomon Islands clubs Marist FC and Malaita Kingz before signing with New Zealand top tier club Hamilton Wanderers in 2017. He remained at the club for 5 seasons and became a key part of their attack, scoring a total of 25 goals in 59 matches in his time at Hamilton. In 2022, Semmy signed with Melbourne-based club Altona Magic, who compete in the NPL, the 2^nd tier of football in Australia. At international level, Semmy has won 20 caps and scored 6 goals for PNG since his debut in 2014, with the 29-year-old set to play a key role in the continued improvement of the national team for many years to come.

Papua New Guinea 2023 Home (#13- SEMMY) Jersey/Shirt