The historic Eastern Papua Cup (EPC) Tournament is officially heading into its highly anticipated knockout stage, celebrating 48 years of showcasing talent and unifying communities since its inception in 1978.

Tournament Director Taku Niebo noted that the tournament’s rich history has faced only one interruption in nearly five decades, during the COVID-19 pandemic. While originally established to bring together communities from across the region—including Central Province and the Tufi people of Oro Bay—the competition has evolved over time. Today, the tournament is a premier sporting event exclusively for the people of Milne Bay Province and their extended families.

While football remains the core focus, organisers are already planning a broader future for the tournament to maximize its community footprint.

"This is an annual institution heavily focused on football, but we want to expand the EPC umbrella to include SME programs, music, and the arts," Mr. Niebo said. "This weekend marks the beginning of that transition from a sports tournament into a true cultural and economic showcase."

Mr. Niebo confirmed that this weekend marks the conclusion of the men’s division round-robin fixtures, with the high-stakes knockout stages launching today, Sunday.

• Men’s Division: Featuring six competitive pools, the top two teams from each pool automatically qualify alongside the four best third-placed teams to form the final 16. The round of 16 kicks off today in a sudden-death format, where the eight winners will book their tickets to the quarterfinals.

• Women’s Division: Comprising two pools, the women's division will conclude its remaining round-robin games today. The top four teams from each pool will advance directly into the quarterfinals, skipping the initial knockout phase due to a smaller team pool. Their finals campaign begins next weekend.

Now in its fifth week of competition, the tournament is rapidly drawing to a close, with the grand finals slated for next Sunday.

As executives continue negotiations to secure major corporate sponsorships, the tournament currently self-sustains through club and team affiliation fees. Despite these limitations, players can look forward to a significant boost in prize money this year.

Last year's men's and women's champions walked away with K5,000 each. For the 2026 edition, organizers are looking to raise the stakes.

"The executive committee will make the final decision, but we are looking at a cash prize of between K7,000 and K10,000 for this year’s winners," Mr. Niebo revealed.

Football fans and supporters are invited to come out in numbers next week to witness the culmination of Milne Bay’s premier football tournament.