New Caledonia is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, 220 km (140 mi) southwest of Vanuatu and 1,210 km (750 mi) east of Australia. Located 16,100 km (10,000 mi) from Metropolitan France, it forms a sui generis collectivity of the French Republic, a legal status unique in overseas France and enshrined in a dedicated chapter of the French Constitution.
Nouméa is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific's most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deepwater harbour that serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.
The New Caledonia men's national football team is the national team of New Caledonia and is controlled by the Fédération Calédonienne de Football. Although they were only admitted to FIFA in 2004, they have been participating in the OFC Nations Cup since its inception. They have been one of this relatively small region's strongest teams, finishing second in 2008 and 2012, and third in 1973 and 1980. They were the top ranked OFC nation at number 95 in September 2008, making them only the fourth country from the confederation to have reached the global top 100.
Wesley Lautoa is a New Caledonian former professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. He is of New Caledonian and Wallisian descent.
Bertrand Patrice Charles Kaï is a New Caledonian international footballer who plays as a forward for Hienghène Sport and the New Caledonia national team. He is one of only two New Caledonians to be named Oceania Footballer of the Year.
César Zeoula, formerly known as César Lolohéa, is a New Caledonian international footballer who plays as a midfielder for US Chauvigny and the New Caledonia national team.
Joël Wakanumuné is a New Caledonian international footballer who plays for the New Caledonian side Magenta in the New Caledonia Super Ligue, and the New Caledonia national team.
Georges Gope-Fenepej is a New Caledonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Championnat National 2 club Saint-Pryvé Saint-Hilaire. He is the brother of fellow footballer John Gope-Fenepej.
Roy Judicaël Kayara is a New Caledonian footballer who plays as a defender for Hienghène Sport. He is a member of the New Caledonia national football team.
Sonia Lagarde is a French New Caledonian politician and the current mayor of Nouméa. She has been a member of the National Assembly for New Caledonia's 1st constituency since 2012.
Jean-Philippe Saïko is a New Caledonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for New Caledonia Super Ligue club AS Magenta and the New Caledonia national team.
An independence referendum was held in New Caledonia on 4 November 2018. Voters were given the choice of remaining part of France or becoming an independent country.
Cédric Decoire is a New Caledonian footballer who plays as a midfielder for New Caledonian club AS Mont-Dore and the New Caledonian national team.
Jean-Christ Wajoka is a New Caledonian footballer who plays as a defender for New Caledonian side Magenta and the New Caledonia national team.
The Future with Confidence was a liberal-conservative and anti-independence electoral alliance of political parties in New Caledonia. It formed part of the anti-separatist and French loyalist bloc in the Congress of New Caledonia.
Ilaïsaane Lauouvéa is a New Caledonian politician, who from 2009 to 2014 was an elected member of the Congress of New Caledonia representing the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front.
Lues Waya is a New Caledonian footballer currently playing for USSA Vertou and the New Caledonia national team.
Makalu Xowi is a New Caledonian footballer currently playing for Central Sport and the New Caledonia national team.
Hnasselen Ruben Henri Michel Kutran, known as Ruben Kutran, was a New Caledonian footballer who played as a left-back.
Association sportive Academy féminine, commonly referred as AS Academy Féminine or simply AS Academy and often abbreviated to Asaf, is a New Caledonian women's football club based in Montravel in the Nouméa metropolitan area. They compete in the New Caledonian women's national championship, the women's top division of the New Caledonian football league system.
