| Association | Nauru Soccer Federation (NSF) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Confederation | None | ||
| Head coach | Charlie Pomroy | ||
| Home stadium | New Nauru Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | NRU | ||
| |||
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. [1]
Currently under construction for the 2026 Micronesian Games, Nauru's national stadium will be the New Nauru Stadium in the Meneng District’s interior plateau, also known as Topside. Previously, the home of soccer on Nauru was the Denig Stadium. [2] [3]
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 and the organizations wanted to accept them, but reiterated that there were challenges preventing Nauru 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]
In December 2023, Englishman Charlie Pomroy was appointed by Head of Nauru Soccer Federation Gareth Johnson as Nauru’s first ever national team head coach.
Nauru's goal was to join the likes of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands in increasing participation in the sport in their countries. [11] Joining Pomroy in Nauru's project were Paul Watson and acting NSA president, local Kaz Cain. The team’s first jersey was also expected to be available to the public sometime in 2024. [12] [13] Johnson stated: "If we do not play at least one match in a Nauru kit I will see 2024 as a failure." [14] [15]
In March 2024, the Nauru Soccer Federation announced that they had signed a deal with Stingz Sportswear, who had just designed and manufactured kits for Micronesia, to produce the Nauru jersey. Hong Kong-based Giordano International had also joined the project as the team's main sponsor, providing funding for the team's kits and matchday apparel. The kit design was expected to be announced in the weeks following the announcement as Stingz and the NSF were finalizing a new logo for the federation. [16]
Later that month, the association announced that it was in discussions with the Football Federation American Samoa to travel to the territory to face the American Samoa national team as part of a small friendly tournament. [17] In addition to shirt sales, the federation planned to document the team's journey with a film similar to American Samoa's own Next Goal Wins . With enough funding, the team could afford to bring in players of Nauran heritage from Australia to supplement the squad. [18] On 14 March 2024, former Premier League striker Dave Kitson was announced as Nauru's first ever national team manager, in addition to a role as international ambassador. [19]
After plans to play American Samoa were scrapped, discussions began with Reading XL FC about the team traveling to Nauru to be the nation's first opponent. The United Kingdom-based club was founded with the purpose of improving the players' physical fitness. [20] Reading XL FC then began fundraising for the trip with a goal of £50,000. In addition to setting up a GoFundMe, the club pursued other options including a corporate sponsor and a documentary deal with a large television network. [21]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Team manager |  Dave Kitson |
| Head coach | Charlie Pomroy |
Charlie Pomroy (2023–present)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
| TBD Friendly | Reading XL FC | v |  Nauru | Topside, Nauru |
| Stadium: New Nauru Stadium |
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia, part of the Oceania region in the Central Pacific. It is a microstate and its nearest neighbour is Banaba of Kiribati about 300 km (190 mi) to the east.
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 displacement of the traditional culture of Nauru by contemporary western influences is evident on the island. Little remains from the old customs. The traditions of arts and crafts are nearly lost.
The American Samoa men's national football team represents American Samoa in men's international association football and is controlled by the Football Federation American Samoa, the governing body of the sport in the territory. American Samoa's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium in Pago Pago.
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The Samoa men's national association football team represents Samoa in men's international football and is controlled by the Football Federation Samoa, the governing body for football in Samoa. Samoa's home ground is Toleafoa J. S. Blatter Soccer Stadium in Apia. It was known as the Western Samoa national football team until 1997.
The Cook Islands men's national football team is the men's football team that represents the Cook Islands in international competition since 1971. It is governed by the Cook Islands Football Association which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and FIFA.
Australian rules football in Nauru dates back to the 1910s. Australian rules football became the national sport of Nauru after its independence in 1968. Today, its national participation rate is over 30%, the highest in the world.
The Tuvalu national football team is the international football team of Tuvalu. Football in Tuvalu is played at the club and international level. The Tuvalu national team draws players from the Tuvalu A-Division and trains at the Tuvalu Sports Ground at Funafuti. The national team competes in the Pacific Games, and is controlled by the Tuvalu Islands Football Association, which is an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) but not a member of FIFA.
The Northern Mariana Islands national football team represents the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in international men's football. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in the Northern Mariana Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association, which is a member of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) and since December 2020 a full member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The association is not a member of the world governing body FIFA, although it had applied for membership, and so while the national team is eligible to enter AFC and EAFF-run competitions, they are currently ineligible for global competitions such as the FIFA World Cup. As such, they do not have an official FIFA ranking. However, the team have been consistently ranked as one of the worst teams in the world on the Elo ratings and were in fact, in July 2016 rated as the worst men's senior international team in the world in a ratings system that also includes a number of other non-FIFA teams.
The Samoa women's national football team represents Samoa in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Football Federation Samoa.
This article lists the results for the Cook Islands national football team.
Soccer is a minor sport in the island country of Nauru. The country is not a member of FIFA.
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.
Maximina Uepa is a weightlifter from Nauru. She won the bronze medal in the women's 76 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. She is the current Nauruan women's record-holder in the 71 kg category for overall, snatch and clean and jerk.
The New Nauru Stadium is a multi-use stadium currently under construction on the Pacific island nation of Nauru.
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Darren Pomroy, known as Charlie Pomroy, is an English football manager for Angkor City FC and the Nauru national team.
Reading XL FC, commonly known as Reading XL or simply XLFC, is a non-professional football club based in Reading, England. The club was established in 2022 to help overweight and obese men losing weight through playing football. It is the first of many XLFC clubs in the United Kingdom.
