WATERTOWN, Wis. --- After his contributions at the 2017 OFC Nations Cup helped qualify Papua New Guinea for the third round of FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Wira Wama has received the call-up to rejoin the PNG National Team.

The four-year Sabercat will once again join the "Kapuls" as they begin their next phase of qualifying for the world's biggest stage later this month against Tahiti in the third round of FIFA World Cup Qualifying.

On March 23, Papua New Guinea will face off against Tahiti at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, PNG, and will then make the trip to Tahiti on March 28 for the second leg of the home-and-away format. Before the two fixtures, Wama and the Kapuls will finish their two-week training camp in Port Moresby, which begins today at PNG's training center in the nation's capital.

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) now has six teams vying for a FIFA World Cup berth. Papua New Guinea is grouped with Tahiti and Solomon Islands in Group B. The third round will continue through June, when PNG faces Solomon Islands in the same home-and-away format.

Once each team has played their four games, the top team from Group B will play the top team from Group A, which consists of New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Fiji. 

The overall winner of the OFC qualifiers will then compete against the fifth-place team from South America (CONMEBOL) for a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Currently, Argentina holds the fifth spot in CONMEBOL qualifying. 

Wama hopes to make the national team roster for the June fixtures against the Solomon Islands, but is focused on the present as he makes the return trip home. "It is an honor to represent my country," said Wama. "This is a good experience to be a good testimony for Christ, and it will cause me to be more dependent on God."

For more on the OFC FIFA World Cup Qualifying scheme, click here.