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Nauru national soccer team

Nauru
AssociationNauru Soccer Federation (NSF)
ConfederationOFC (Oceania)
Head coachPaul Watson
Home stadiumNew Nauru Stadium
FIFA codeNRU

The Nauru national soccer team is the national team that represents the Pacific island nation of Nauru in soccer. It is under the auspices of the Nauru Soccer Federation which hopes to become a member of the OFC and FIFA and compete in official competitions of the organizations.[1]

Stadium

Originally constructed for the 2026 Micronesian Games, Nauru's national stadium is the New Nauru Stadium that is currently under construction in the Meneng District’s interior plateau, also known as Topside. Previously, the home of soccer on Nauru was the Denig Stadium.[2][3]

History

The Nauru Soccer Federation had reportedly applied for membership in both the OFC and FIFA but was denied, presumably because of a lack of infrastructure and league system.[4] In 2009 the Nauruan Minister of Sport Rayong Itsimaera indicated that the island nation desired to become a member of FIFA and the OFC wanted to accept them, but reiterated that there were challenges preventing them from joining both bodies.[5]

Previously, Nauru had never played any official international matches. However, a Nauruan representative team had played twice,[6] including a 2–1 victory over phosphate miners representing the Solomon Islands in 1994.[7] The second match featured a Nauru selection playing refugees from the Nauru Regional Processing Centre at the Denig Stadium in 2014 in recognition of World Refugee Day.[8][9]

After a long hiatus, the Nauru Soccer Association was relaunched in 2018. In 2020, the association’s vice-president Kaz Cain announced that Nauru was considering creating its first-ever official national side for a tournament in Hawaii in 2021.[10] After issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the association was relaunched again in 2023 as the Nauru Soccer Federation under the Nauru Olympic Committee umbrella. The federation’s intent was to build a grassroots soccer culture on the island and field its first-ever official national team.[1]

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last twelve months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

Friendly Marshall Islands Marshall Islands v Nauru Nauru Majuro, Marshall Islands
Stadium: Majuro Track and Field Stadium

References

  1. ^ a b "Nauru Soccer Federation-About". Nauru Soccer Federation. Retrieved 25 September 2023. Cite error: The named reference "About" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "NRC Conducts blasting operation at topside area". Loop Nauru. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Taiwan Reaffirms Support for Nauru's Plans for Micronesian Games". Loop Nauru. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  4. ^ Düerkop, Sascha. "The Associate Members of OFC – 0:3 for football". Football in Oceania. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  5. ^ Menary, Steve. "Micronesia is struggling to keep the game afloat". World Soccer. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Nauru Soccer Federation-History". Nauru Soccer Federation. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  7. ^ Cruickshank, Mark. "Nauru - International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Nauru Honours World Refugee Day". Government of Nauru. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Nauru 2014". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  10. ^ Ewart, Richard (23 July 2020). "Fake soccer league website turns spotlight on what is really happening on Nauru". Pacific Beat (with audio, 6 mins 55 secs). ABC Radio Australia. Retrieved 14 November 2021.

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