Prior to 2020, the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation described themselves as the last country in the world without a national football team and one of the few sovereign nations globally to not be a member of FIFA and/or a regional governing body. The nation had virtually no soccer history, with sports such as baseball and basketball being played on the islands because of the nation's close ties to the United States.[3]
The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation was founded on 31 December 2020.[4]
In December 2021, the organization hired its first-ever Technical Director, British UEFA-licensed coach Lloyd Owers making the 13,000km journey to the country in the summer of 2023. Owers would be responsible for creating the soccer structure for the nation from youth programs to the senior national team.[5]
In January 2024, the Marshall Islands held its first meet-up of players that would comprise the national team setup.[6]
By June 2025, it was announced that the federation was preparing to submit applications to the AFC and CONCACAF. Technical director Lloyd Owers stated that these two confederations were more open to membership.[7]
In August 2025, the federation hosted the 2025 Outrigger Challenge Cup, a competition for Micronesian islands teams. The tournament was played in Springdale, Arkansas as it was home to the largest Marshallese population outside of the islands. During the tournament, on 14 August 2025, Marshall Islands played its first game ever, a 0–4 defeat against US Virgin Islands.[8] During their second game, against Turks and Caicos, Josiah Blanton scored Marshall Islands' first goal ever.[9]
Team image
Marshall Islands have relatively small population of about 60,000. However, an additional 20,000 to 30,000 Marshallese citizens live in the United States, predominantly in Hawaii and Arkansas. The soccer federation has stated that the team's foundation would be players based in the Marshall Islands, supplemented by the diaspora members. From 3 to 18 March 2023, the MISF ran a competition to determine a design for the team's first-ever kit. Over 150 designs were submitted from around the world.[10][unreliable source?] The federation than announced the four finalists the following month.[11][unreliable source?] The winning design was announced on 19 September 2023. Marshall Islands since revealed its first football shirt, signing a deal with PlayerLayer. It was available for purchase in the federation's online store.[12][unreliable source?] The kits are produced from recycled plastic in hopes of raising awareness of climate change.[13]
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Marshall Islands 0–4 U.S. Virgin Islands 
