Football was contested as part of the programme for the 1971 South Pacific Games which was hosted in Tahiti. It was the fourth edition of the men's football tournament at the multi-sport event organised by the Pacific Games Council.
The first men's football tournament was held at the inaugural games in 1963 held in Suva, Fiji and was regularly held up until the games before this edition, which were the 1969 South Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. New Caledonia has won every edition of the tournament up until these games except when French Polynesia had won the tournament at the 1966 South Pacific Games in Nouméa.
Six teams took part in the competition. They were drawn into two round robin groups, two groups of three teams. The two best placed teams from each group would qualify for the semifinals. The remaining teams would play in a fifth place play-off match. The winning team from each semifinal would contest the gold medal match and the losing team from each would contest the bronze medal match. The competition would be held from 1 to 5 September 1971.
Tahiti and Papua New Guinea would both receive one win and one loss, with the Cook Islands losing twice, the former two would advance to the semifinals. Tahiti's win over the Cook Islands with a score of 30âÂÂ0 would set a record for the highest win margin in an edition of the men's football tournament.
New Caledonia and New Hebrides would both receive one win and one loss, with Fiji losing twice, the former two would advance to the semifinals.
Fiji defeated the Cook Islands in the fifth-place match.
New Caledonia defeated Papua New Guinea in the first semi-final match, while New Hebrides defeated Tahiti in the second semi-final match.
Tahiti defeated the Papua New Guinea in the bronze medal match.
New Caledonia defeated New Hebrides in the gold medal match.