Tuvalu national futsal team

Tuvalu

Shirt badge/Association crest
Association	Tuvalu Islands Football Association
Confederation	OFC (Oceania)
Head coach	Pasene Siale
Most caps	Siopepa Tailolo (13)
Top scorer	Aloesi Nukulafoa (3)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Tuvalu 0–6 Vanuatu   (Suva, Fiji, 8 June 2008)
Biggest win
None
Biggest defeat
Solomon Islands 21–2 Tuvalu   (Suva, Fiji, 14 August 2010)
Oceanian Futsal Championship
Appearances	4 (First in 2008 )
Best result	Round 1, (2008, 2010, 2011)

The Tuvalu national futsal team is the representative team for Tuvalu in international futsal competitions. It is controlled by the Tuvalu Islands Football Association. They have never won a game. Tuvalu participates in the Oceanian Futsal Championship.

Tuvalu national futsal team members (2011)

Oceanian Futsal Championship participation (2008-2011)

The 2008 Oceanian Futsal Championship was the first time Tuvalu attended the Oceanian Futsal Championship. Team's coach in 2008 was Sami Neemia. They lost 13–1 to New Zealand, 10–2 to New Caledonia, 13-3 to Fiji and 12–0 to Solomon Islands; ^[1] and against French Polynesia the score was 1–3.

In 2010, Toakai Puapua was the coach. ^[2] These games also were all lost: Vanuatu 7–1 Tuvalu on 8 August 2010; ^{[3] [4]} Tahiti 4–0 Tuvalu on 9 August 2010; ^{[4] [5]} Fiji 5 - 1 Tuvalu on 10 August 2010; ^[4] New Caledonia 9–2 Tuvalu on 12 August 2010; ^{[4] [6]} New Zealand 7 - 1 Tuvalu on 13 August 2010; ^{[4] [7]} The last game became their largest defeat ever, 2–21 against Solomon Islands on 14 August 2010. ^{[4] [8]}

In 2011, Taki Vave was the coach of the team. All three games were lost in group B: Tahiti 6–0 Tuvalu on 16 May 2011; ^[9] New Caledonia 11–1 Tuvalu on 17 May 2011; ^[10] Tuvalu 0–16 Solomon Islands on 18 May 2011; ^[11] They played for 7th/8th place play-off against Kiribati, but lost 2–3. ^[12]

2025 Return to Futsal Championship

After a 14-year absence from international futsal, Tuvalu returned to compete at the 2025 OFC Futsal Cup held in Suva, Fiji. ^[13] The team's participation was made possible through support from local businesses, the Tuvalu government, and technology company DeepAI, served as the major sponsor under its "AI for Good" initiative. ^[13]

Tuvalu competed against New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. Coached by Pasene Siale, the team did not record any victories, however they showed marked improvement from their previous appearances. Keni Vine scored Tuvalu's first goal in 14 years, against the game with New Zealand. ^[14] The match ended 6–1 in favour of the defending champions. ^[15] Goalkeeper Katepu Iosua was also praised for his performances, making numerous saves in the tournament. Tuvalu lost against Fiji (1–4), Vanuatu (2–3), and Solomon Islands (0–7). ^[16]

Training Challenges

Due to Tuvalu's lack of an indoor futsal facility, the national team has had to train on the Funafuti airport airstrip, one of the few flat surfaces available on the atoll. Training sessions are sometimes interrupted when high tides flooded parts of the runway, highlighting the infrastructure challenges and climate vulnerabilities facing the low-lying Pacific nation. ^[13]

To prepare for the 2025 Oceanian Championship, the squad travelled to Fiji ahead of the competition and trained at the University of the South Pacific gymnasium in Suva. ^[13]

Selected internationals

Date	Event/Venue	Home Team	Opponent	Score
24 September 2025	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Solomon Islands	0–7
23 September 2025	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Vanuatu	2–3
22 September 2025	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Fiji	1–4
21 September 2025	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	New Zealand	1–6
19 May 2011	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Kiribati	2–3
18 May 2011	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Solomon Islands	0–16
17 May 2011	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	New Caledonia	1–11
16 May 2011	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Tahiti	0–6
14 August 2010	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Solomon Islands	2–21
13 August 2010	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	New Zealand	1–7
12 August 2010	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	New Caledonia	2–9
10 August 2010	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Fiji	1–5
9 August 2010	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Tahiti	0–4
8 August 2010	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Vanuatu	1–7
14 June 2008	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Solomon Islands	0–12
13 June 2008	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Fiji	3–13
12 June 2008	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	New Caledonia	2–10
11 June 2008	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	New Zealand	1–13
9 June 2008	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Tahiti	1–3
8 June 2008	Oceanian Futsal Championship – Fiji	Tuvalu	Vanuatu	0–6

Oceanian Futsal Championship record

Tuvalu national futsal team (2011)

OFC Futsal Nations Cup record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA
1992	Did not enter
1996
1999
2004
2008	Seventh place	6	0	0	6	7	57
2009	Did not enter
2010	Seventh place	6	0	0	6	7	53
2011	Group stage	4	0	0	4	3	36
2013	Did not enter
2014
2016
2019
2022
2023
2025		4	0	0	4	4	20
Total	4/14	20	0	0	20	21	166

Coaches

• Sami Neemia (2008)
• Toakai Puapua (2010)
• Taki Vave (2011)
• Pasene Siale (2025)

External links

• Tuvalu football project - Dutch Support Tuvalu Foundation (in Dutch, English, French and Spanish)
• Tuvalu national futsal team (2010)

References

1. Unknown (2010). "Tuvalu Official Team List". Unknown. OFC. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
2. Unknown (20 July 2010). "Squads named for OFC Futsal Championship". Unknown. OFC. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
3. "Vanuatu 7 - 1 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation . 8 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
4. "Futsal Match Schedules & Results". Oceania Football Confederation . August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
5. "Tahiti Nui 4 - 0 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation . 9 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
6. "New Caledonia 9 - 2 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation . 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
7. "New Zealand 7 - 1 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation . 13 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
8. "Solomon Islands 21 - 2 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation . 14 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
9. "Tahiti 6 - 0 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation . 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
10. "New Caledonia 11 - 1 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation . 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
11. "Tuvalu 0 - 16 Solomon Islands". Oceania Football Confederation . 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
12. "Tuvalu 2 - 3 Kiribati". Oceania Football Confederation . 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
13. "From airfields training to the regional stage: Tuvalu ready for huge opportunity". OFC Media. 17 September 2025.
14. "New Zealand overcome Tuvalu in hard-fought contest". OFC Media. 21 September 2025.
15. friendsoffootballnz_irqgpj (21 September 2025). "Futsal Whites bounce back with 6-1 win at OFC Futsal Men's Cup". Friends of Football. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
16. "Tuvalu fight hard against Kiwis". Islands Business. 21 September 2025.