PNG vs Vanuatu June 2026 EAP Final Port Moresby Recap: T20 WC 2028 Spot Sealed

The East Asia-Pacific qualifier window has a small pool of competitive nations, but the rivalry between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu has matured into the kind of fixture that travels: short boundaries, big crowds at Amini Park, and a points table you can read on a single page. The June 2026 EAP final, played in Port Moresby, ended with PNG by 18 runs and a qualifier slot for the T20 World Cup 2028 global cycle.

PNG's innings: built around Assad Vala

Captain Assad Vala has stretched his role across formats and conditions. In this final he played the anchor: 64 off 49 with five boundaries and one six, fronting up to Andrew Mansale's opening spell and absorbing the powerplay pressure. Tony Ura provided early acceleration with 32 off 21 and a 44-run opening stand inside six overs. Charles Amini (28 off 19) and Hiri Hiri (24 not out off 14) lifted the total at the death. PNG finished 167 for 6 in 20 overs.

Vanuatu's chase: top order grip, then a stumble

Patrick Matautaava and Andrew Mansale built an opening stand of 52 inside seven overs. The chase looked stable through the middle: Apolinaire Stephen settled in for 31 off 24 and Vanuatu reached 110 for 2 after 13 overs. The slip came in the 16th over, when leg-spinner Norman Vanua removed Stephen and the captain Jelany Chilia in successive deliveries. The middle order could not absorb the pressure.

Death-overs analysis: 14 needed off 6, only 12 came

Vanuatu needed 22 off the last two overs. Vala turned to right-arm seamer Sema Kamea, who has the heaviest yorker in the EAP pool. Kamea bowled four yorkers in the 19th, conceded only eight, and removed the No. 7. The 20th came from Hiri Hiri: two slower-ball cutters, one short ball to take the No. 8 caught at long-on. Vanuatu got 12 off six; the gap was 18 by stumps.

What this result means for T20 WC 2028 qualification

The EAP final winner advances directly to the next stage of T20 World Cup 2028 qualification — a regional final against the runner-up from the Sub Continent qualifier window. PNG's pathway through the next 12 months runs through that fixture and the eventual global qualifier. Vanuatu's loss does not end their cycle; they enter the secondary route via the next EAP window for the 2030 cycle.

Players profiled

Assad Vala: 36-year-old PNG captain, the country's leading T20I run-getter. Has now anchored five final-winning innings across EAP windows since 2018. Sema Kamea: 24-year-old right-arm seamer, the death-overs specialist whose six-yorker over has become PNG's closing template. Patrick Matautaava: Vanuatu's most experienced opener, played the 2024 T20 World Cup global qualifier and provides the anchor role in their top three.

Off-field development picture

Cricket PNG has invested in Amini Park's drainage and floodlight infrastructure since 2024, and the venue now hosts roughly 18 international fixtures a year across men's, women's and youth windows. The economic return is modest, but the development pipeline — particularly through the U19 setup — has visibly tightened. Vanuatu's board faces a tougher funding picture; the loss of the qualifier slot tightens the calculus on next year's player retainer pool.

What to watch

PNG host Japan in a three-match T20I series in late July at Amini Park, the only senior bilateral on the calendar until the EAP T20I tri-series in early September. Vanuatu travel to Fiji for a return T20I series in August, a chance to rebuild rhythm before the next EAP window.

Related reading

• T20 WC 2028 EAP Qualifier 2026 Fixtures: JPN, PNG, VAN
• PNG Tour Fiji 1st T20I May 2026: EAP Pathway Recap
• T20 WC 2028 EAP Qualifier Vanuatu vs PNG 2026 Day-3 Recap
• ICC EAP T20 Qualifier May 2026 — Fiji vs PNG Recap, Final Spot for World Cup 2028 Qualifier Path
• PNG, Fiji & Vanuatu EAP Tri-Series 2026-27 Fixtures Decoded