Besta FA Cup Highlands qualifiers kick off in Wabag

By PARKER TAMBUA
THE Besta FA Cup Highlands qualifiers kicked off at Aipus and Momis ovals in Wabag, Enga, yesterday.
Match commissioner Alex Toki said 12 men’s teams and six women’s sides were competing in the three-day tournament. The men’s teams are divided into two pools.
The men’s finals format will see the top-two teams in each pool playing crisscross matches in the semis with the winners playing in the final.
In the women’s division, the top-two teams at the end of the pool matches will meet in the final.
Toki confirmed the participation of all associations across the region except for Goroka and Kundiawa. “We are staging our games at two ovals,” he said.
“The main one is Aipus Oval, which is the home of the Enga Mioks. The second is Momis Oval in town.
“The teams are from Kagua Erave, Mendi, Hekari, Hela, Mt Hagen, Kainantu, Wabag and Porgera.”
The top-two teams in the men and women’s divisions will advance to meet other regional winners in Lae at the end of the month.
The Besta FA Cup is the biggest grassroots football tournament in the country.
Mamose, Southern and the New Guinea Island have already hosted their qualifiers over the last two months with Highlands being the last region to host its tournament.