Tahiti national football team

History

Tahiti played its first full match on 21 September 1952, at home against New Zealand, and drew 2–2. Seven days later the two teams played again and New Zealand won 5–3. On 30 September they played each other for a third time, and Tahiti gained its first victory, by 2–0. However, it is unknown whether this was a full international.

In September 1953, Tahiti played three matches in New Caledonia against its national side, losing the first 5–0 and the later two 4–1. They then travelled to the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and beat its national side 4–2 twice. In 1989, under the leadership of Napoleon Spitz, the official federation was created.

Tahiti entered its first World Cup qualification with the aim of reaching the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. They were placed in Group A with Australia and the Solomon Islands, and played their first match away to the Solomon Islands in Honiara on 11 July 1992. Eric Etaeta equalised for Tahiti to make it 1–1 in the 76th minute. On 11 September Tahiti hosted Australia in Papeete and lost 3–0. The next fixture was again against Australia, and resulted in a 2–0 away defeat in Brisbane on 20 September. On 9 October in Papeete, Tahiti beat the Solomon Islands 4–2. Tahiti's first goal was scored as an 8th-minute penalty from Reynald Temarii, a politician and current president of the Oceania Football Confederation. However, Tahiti finished second to Australia in the group and did not advance.

2012 OFC Nations Cup

In 2012, the new edition of the tournament occurred in the Solomon Islands with the host country, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa (winner of the qualifying tournament) playing the competition. Tahiti defeated New Caledonia in the final in Lawson Tama Stadium 1–0 with a goal by Steevy Chong Hue and became the first team other than Australia (no longer part of OFC) and New Zealand to be crowned Oceania champions.

2013 Confederations Cup

By winning the 2012 OFC Nations Cup, Tahiti qualified for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil for the first time. Tahiti is the first and so far only team who has participated in the FIFA Confederations Cup has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. On 17 June 2013, even though, Tahiti lost 1–6 to Nigeria in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Belo Horizonte in Brazil, with Jonathan Tehau getting the goal for Tahiti in the second half with a header from a corner, Tahiti fans still rejoiced in the prospect of scoring a goal in an international tournament. On 20 June 2013, Tahiti lost 10–0 against Spain equalling their biggest ever loss against New Zealand nine years earlier. On 23 June 2013, Tahiti was beaten 8–0 by Uruguay.

In all, Tahiti conceded 24 goals and scored one. They ended with a goal differential of −23, the worst of any national team in any major competition. But even with the bad record and heavy defeats, Tahiti's underdog qualities gathered huge respect from the people of Brazil, who always cheered for them in every match. Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque, and strikers Fernando Torres and David Villa – who scored four and three goals respectively against Tahiti – complimented the team's fair play.

FIFA World Cup

List of coaches

Current Squad

The following players were called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC Third Round matches against the Papua New Guinea on March 23 and March 28, 2017.

Caps and goals updated as of 13 November 2016 after the first game against Papua New Guinea.

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to represent Tahiti within the last 12 months.