Association | Marshall Islands Soccer Federation (MISF) | |
---|---|---|
Confederation | None | |
Home stadium | Majuro Track and Field Stadium | |
FIFA code | MHL | |
|
The Marshall Islands national football team represents the Pacific island nation of the Marshall Islands in senior men's international football and is controlled by the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation. It hopes to become a member of the OFC and FIFA in the "coming years" and compete in official competitions of the organizations. [1] In an October 2023 interview with the Associated Press, Technical Director Lloyd Owers stated that the association was keeping all options open, including joining the Asian Football Confederation. [2]
Prior to 2020, 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 then founded on 31 December 2020. [4] In December the following year, the organization hired its first-ever Technical Director, British UEFA-licensed coach Lloyd Owers making the 13,000km journey to the country for the first time 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]
Shortly thereafter it was announced that the Marshall Islands may field its first-ever national team at the 2023 Micronesian Games for which the country would be host. [6] In January 2023, it was announced that, as one of several large soccer initiatives on the islands, it was the federation's goal to play its first match against another nation by 2024. [7] In March 2023, MISF President Shev Livai stated that there would be no football tournament at the 2023 Micronesian Games. The federation investigated the possibility of having football as part of the games but hotels on the islands were already fully booked. [8] Livai later admitted that the 2027 Pacific Games would be a more realistic possibility for a competitive national team debut. [9]
In January 2024, the Marshall Islands held its first meet-up of players that would comprise the spine of the national team setup as the nation prepared to play its first-ever match sometime later in the year. [10] On 14 March 2024, the Nauru Soccer Federation announced plans to organize a new subregional Micronesia Football Federation and hold a tournament for Micronesian islands to be played in summer 2025. Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands planned to participate, in addition to Nauru. [11]
From 3 March 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. [12] [ unreliable source? ] The federation than announced the four finalists the following month. [13] [ unreliable source? ] The winning design was announced on 19 September 2023, and was created by Micael Altarimano from Argentina. Marshall Islands has since revealed its first football shirt, signing a kit deal with PlayerLayer, who make Forest Green Rovers apparel which in hopes that the Marshallese players will wear during their inaugural match by July or August 2024. It was immediately available for purchase in the federation's online store. [14] [ unreliable source? ] The kits are produced from recycled plastic in hopes of raising awareness of climate change. [15]
The national stadium of the Marshall Islands is the Majuro Track and Field Stadium in the capital, Majuro. Originally built as a venue for the 2023 Micronesian Games, it has become the home stadium of the nation and is a vital piece of infrastructure for the association's plans to join the Oceania Football Confederation and FIFA. [16] [17]
With a population of 60,000, the Marshall Islands has a small population from which to draw. However, an additional 20,000 to 30,000 Marshallese citizens live in United States, predominantly in Hawaii and Arkansas. The soccer federation has stated that ideally the team's foundation would be players based in the Marshall Islands and supplemented by members of the diaspora. [15] By September 2023, the MISF had hired Pat McStay as Head of US Recruitment. His job would be to ensure that anyone of Marshallese descent in the United States had a local contact. He also aimed to hold identification camps at locations around the country in 2024. [18]
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
Summer 2024 Friendly | American Samoa | v | Marshall Islands |
Summer 2024 Friendly | Micronesia | v | Marshall Islands |
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, and Melanesia to the south—as well as with the wider community of Austronesian peoples.
Majuro is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll has a land area of 9.7 square kilometers (3.7 sq mi) and encloses a lagoon of 295 square kilometers (114 sq mi). As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Majuro consists of narrow land masses. It has a tropical trade wind climate, with an average temperature of 27 °C (81 °F).
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football. The OFC has 13 members, 11 of which are full members and two which are associate members not affiliated with FIFA. It promotes the game in Oceania and allows the member nations to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
The Micronesian Games are a quadrennial international multi-sport event within the Micronesian region. The Games were first held in 1969 in Saipan. The 2010 Micronesian Games were initially due to be held in Majuro, until the hosts withdrew. The 2010 Games were hosted by Palau. The Federated States of Micronesia won the bidding to host the 2014 Micronesian Games in Pohnpei State, and later won again against CNMI for the 2018 Micronesian Games, held in Yap State.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Marshall Islands:
Soccer is a minor sport in the island country of Nauru. The country is not a member of FIFA.
Islam is a minority religion in the Marshall Islands. All Muslims in the country belong to the minority Ahmadiyya sect. The Ahmadiyya mosque in Uliga, first constructed in 2012 in the Marshall Islands is the only mosque in Oceania's subregion of Micronesia. According to a 2009 report there were about 10 Muslims in the Marshall Islands, although more recent reports indicate about 150 believers in the country.
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 organisations.
The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation is the governing body of soccer in the Marshall Islands. Marshall Islands is not a member of its regional body, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), or FIFA, but is working on becoming one. The federation is recognized by the Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee. It currently organizes the national team, national futsal team, and women's national futsal team.
The Nauru Soccer Federation is the governing body of soccer in Nauru and is under the auspices of the Nauru Olympic Committee. Nauru is not a member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and is one of the few sovereign states that is not a member of FIFA but aims to become a member of both governing bodies.
The Majuro Track and Field Stadium is a 2,000-capacity Olympic-grade multi-purpose stadium in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. It is mostly used for track and field and soccer events. The structure also serves as a large seawall in the densely populated part of Majuro which has become inundated with seawater through the effects of climate change, particularly during king tide.
The New Nauru Stadium is a multi-use stadium currently under construction on the Pacific island nation of Nauru.
The 10th Micronesian Games were held in Majuro, Marshall Islands. After initially being scheduled for July 25 to August 5, 2022, the competition was originally delayed a year because of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including finishing construction of the New Marshall Islands Stadium. The games were held June 15-24, 2024.
The Marshall Islands Futsal League is the top-level national futsal competition organized by the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation. The league currently consists of four teams, each named by users on Twitter.
Lloyd Owers is a UEFA-licensed football coach and the current technical director for the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation (MISF).
The Marshall Islands national futsal team represents the Marshall Islands during international futsal competitions. It was formed in 2024 and is controlled by the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation.
The 2024 Outrigger Challenge Cup was be an international futsal tournament organized by the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation, and hosted in Majuro from 22 to 24 July 2024. Six teams took part in the tournament. The tournament was originally announced as the Men's Futsal Series, to be played against Micronesia, but after Kiribati's participation was announced, the name was officially changed to the Outrigger Challenge Cup.
The Federated States of Micronesia national futsal team represents the Federated States of Micronesia in international futsal. It was formed in 2024 under the auspices of the Federated States of Micronesia Football Association.