TheFiji men's national football team (Fijian:timi ni soka ni Viti) isFiji's national men's team and is controlled by the governing body of football in Fiji, theFiji Football Association.[3] The team plays most of their home games at theHFC Bank Stadium inSuva.
Fiji first participated in theFIFA World Cup qualification in 1982; since 1990, Fiji have attempted to qualify for each World Cup without success. Their best result was a final round appearance in2010. The national team also represents Fiji at theOFC Nations Cup, having appeared in eight out of ten previous tournaments. Fiji's best result is a third-place finish at the1998 and2008 editions. They have won theMelanesia Cup five times and competed in thePacific Games from 1963 until 2015 when the competition became an under-23 tournament.
As in most countries inOceania where football (or soccer) is not the most popular sport (such as Australia and New Zealand), Fiji's most popular sport isrugby union. As of 2022, Fiji has never qualified for theFIFA World Cup. In spite of this, the country's youth football team has enjoyed recent success, qualifying for both the2015 and2023 FIFA U-20 World Cups and the2016 Olympic football tournaments.
Fiji's first international football game was against aNew Zealand side that was touringOceania and had played four games againstNew Caledonia.[4] The international, which took place on 7 October 1951, saw New Zealand getting the win 6-4.Jock Newall got ahat-trick for New Zealand. New Zealand returned the following year, with Fiji losing all three games, including a 9–0 drubbing in the second match.[5]
After being absent from the international game for eleven years, theFiji Football Association joinedFIFA in 1963.[6] That same year, the national team entered the first edition of theSouth Pacific Games, held in Fiji. In that tournament, the country appeared in its first gold medal match after defeating Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, but lost the match to New Caledonia 8–2.Marc-Kanyan Case scored four goals for the opposition and Fiji was relegated to silver.[7]
After missing 1966, the team's next tournament appearance was in the1969 Games held inPort Moresby, Papua New Guinea. They finished in fourth place out of six teams after losing toPapua New Guinea in the bronze medal playoff.[8]Two years later, Fiji finished at the bottom of Group two with losses against New Caledonia and New Hebrides. They would, however, defeat theCook Islands in the fifth place play-off.[9]
World Cup qualifying debut and Oceania upsets (1973–1991)
AfterJohn Lal became the new coach for Fiji in 1977, his first match as coach was an unofficial game againstTaiwan which ended in a two-all draw before taking on Australia who played Taiwan because of the soccer ban in the country.[12] On 19 March 1977, they took on Australia atBuckhurst Park. Seven national players fromBa F.C. were unavailable due to a planned tour of New Zealand. After holding off the Australians for the first forty-five minutes,Jimmy Okete (who was making his debut) scored the only goal of the game. This was a shock to the locals since the team struggled in the two tours to Australia in 1961 and 1968 against the state teams.[13]
Under the orders of new coach,Moti Musadilal, they played some pre-tournament friendlies against New Zealand conceding nine goals in the two games before competing at the1979 South Pacific Games inSuva. After getting a nil all draw against Papua New Guinea, they scored their biggest win againstKiribati winning by twenty-four goals. After defeatingWallis and Futuna in the quarter-finals and Solomon Islands in the semis, they made it to their second Pacific Games final against Tahiti. In front of over twenty thousand people, Fiji came up short again withErroll Bennett scoring a double to give Tahiti the gold medal.[14]
Fiji's next tournament was the1980 OFC Nations Cup where they were grouped with New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Tahiti. After defeating the Solomon Islands in the opening game, they were expected to lose against New Zealand who were the favourites to win the group. On 27 February 1980, they became the first Fijian team to defeat a New Zealand team withDewan Chand andMeli Vuilabasa both scoring two goals in the victory.[15] Fiji did not make it to the final. They lost first to Tahiti 6–3, and then lost the third-place playoff to New Caledonia 2–1, in what was the last Oceania Cup for sixteen years.[16]
The following year saw a new coach with former New Zealand coachWally Hughes leading the team into their firstWorld Cup qualifiers. After opening with a four-goal defeat against New Zealand, they drew withIndonesia nil-all, before defeatingChinese Taipei 2–1 to be in third place with three points. For Fiji that momentum was short-lived. They finished at the bottom of the group after conceding twenty-three goals in the final two games against Australia and New Zealand. Hughes resigned after the Australian game stating, "I wouldn't wish on any coach what I have been through," suggesting that bribery was involved in the defeat to Australia.[17]
After two years absence from international football, the national team, underRudi Gutendorf, competed at the1983 South Pacific Games in Samoa. After finishing top of the group that featured New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, they defeated Papua New Guinea 2–0 in the quarter-finals before knocking off New Caledonia in the semi-final. In the final, they lost to Tahiti by a single goal which was contested by the players who attacked the referee and linesmen.[18][19] Another similar incident in a friendly against New Zealand happened the following year. This led to a one-year ban of international matches being held at Fiji.[20]
Fiji's next tournament was the1988 Melanesia Cup held in the Solomon Islands. The national team won the final against the Solomon Islands 3–1 to claim their first title.[21] Later in that year, they competed in the first round of the1990 FIFA World Cup qualification against Australia, with the motivation of five hundred Fijian dollars bonus for each player if they won. In front of six thousand people, they defeated Australia 1–0 withRavuame Madigi scoring the goal to take the lead heading into the second leg.[22] The second leg though saw Australia take out the match by a score of 5–1 in what media called the "Battle of Newcastle". It included an all-in brawl in the last part of the match which sawCharlie Yankos get a broken nose.[23][24]
After claiming the1989 Melanesia Cup at home, in thefollowing year they finished in third place behind Vanuatu and New Caledonia.[25][26] The team headed to Tahiti for the1991 South Pacific Games where they finished top of the group before defeating Vanuatu in the semi-finals. In the final, they took on the Solomon Islands whereRadike Nawalu scored the opening goal of the game in the 29th minute to give Fiji the lead. The game went to penalties with Fiji winning the gold for the first time.[27]
Fiji competed at the1994 FIFA World Cup qualification in Group B with Vanuatu and New Zealand. After losing to New Zealand in the opening game of qualifying atChristchurch, they headed off to Vanuatu to compete at the1992 Melanesia Cup. They took the cup for the third time with the difference being one goal over New Caledonia.[28] After a 3–0 win over Vanuatu in Suva, they tied with New Zealand at the same ground. In the final game of the group, they defeated Vanuatu inPort Vila by the same scoreline. That game was a dead rubber as they finished behind New Zealand and were eliminated from contention.
Attempting to qualify for the1998 FIFA World Cup, Fiji got a bye into the second round of qualifying where they were paired with New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The top team qualified for the third round. The nation finished in second place with losses to New Zealand both at home (1–0) and away (5–0) being the critical factors in their elimination. Fiji's next tournament was the1998 OFC Nations Cup after they qualified by taking out the1998 Melanesia Cup held in Vanuatu. The only blemish being a one–all draw against the Solomon Islands.[31]
After losing to the hosts (Australia) 3–0 in their first game, they defeated theCook Islands 3–1 to secure a semi-final spot where they fell to New Zealand by a single goal. This put them into the third-place playoff where they defeated Tahiti for their best result to date at theOFC Nations Cup with a third-place.Esala Masi was the top goalscorer for the tournament with three goals.[31] Fiji qualified for thefollowing edition of the Nations Cup after winning the title at the2000 Melanesia Cup in Fiji.[32] But later that year, Fiji withdrew because of political unrest in the country, which led to the2000 Fijian coup d'état.[33]
Fiji'squalification for the2002 FIFA World Cup started atCoffs Harbour when they were grouped with American Samoa, Australia, Samoa and Tonga in Group one. In the opening game of the group, they defeated American Samoa 13–0 to record their biggest win in a FIFA match.Shailemdra Lal scored five goals;Esala Masi scored four.[34] After defeating Samoa 6–1, they lost to Australia 2–0 to finish in second place and were eliminated from contention. Only the top team from the group qualified through to the second round.[35] They met Australia again at the2002 OFC Nations Cup in New Zealand. They finished in third place in the group after only winning against New Caledonia followed by an 8–0 loss against Australia. This eliminated Fiji from the semi-finals and saw the sack ofBilly Singh ending a seven-year reign in his third stint as coach of the national team.[36]
Fiji claimed the2003 South Pacific Games gold medal at home. The squad, which consisted mostly of young players, was able to go unbeaten throughout the tournament defeating New Caledonia in the gold medal match.Esala Masi was Fiji's top scorer for Fiji with twelve goals which included the seven in the 12–0 win over Kiribati in the group stage.[37][38]
Fiji's qualification for the2006 FIFA World Cup started in Samoa. They finished in second place in the qualifying group which featured Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and American Samoa. Their only loss was against Vanuatu on the final match-day.[39] This meant that Fiji qualified through to the2004 OFC Nations Cup. After drawing with Tahiti and getting a win over Vanuatu, their World Cup chance ended when Fiji lost the next three matches and were eliminated at the second stage of qualifying.[40]
Fiji's next tournament was the2007 South Pacific Games in Samoa, which was also the first round ofqualifying for the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. After getting safely through the group, which included Tuvalu, Tahiti, Cook Islands and New Caledonia, they took on Vanuatu for a spot in the semi-finals to qualify for the next round.[41] In the semi-finals, they defeated Vanuatu to advance to the second round of qualifying with a three-goal victory, confirming their spot in the gold medal match. They lost by a single goal to New Caledonia, however, to finish runner-up for the fourth time.[42][43][44]
The second round of qualifying got off to a rocky start. Goalkeeper,Simione Tamanisau was refused entry because his father had been linked to the2006 Fijian coup d'état.[45] The match was moved to the end of the qualifying period with Fiji winning 2–0. During that reschedule, the national team played the rest of their World Cup games. The team finished in third place in the group after getting only one point in their first three games—a three-all draw against New Caledonia. This was a key factor as the later 4–0 loss to the same team ended their hopes for qualifying to the next stage.[46]
Under the guidance ofGurjit Singh, the team competed at the2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia. In the group stage, the team qualified for the semi-finals with a game to spare as they would go through with a clean sweep of wins.[47] In the semi-finals, they took the lead against the Solomon Islands in the sixty-ninth minute of play with a goal byMaciu Dunadamu. But goals fromJoses Nawo andHenry Fa'arodo, however, gave the Solomon Islands the win and a spot in the gold medal match. Fiji finished in fourth place losing to Tahiti in the bronze medal match 2–1.[48][49]
Juan Carlos Buzzetti returned to Fiji's top job as he led the team to the2012 OFC Nations Cup. This was also the second part of qualifying for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[50] Competing in Group B, they lost the opening game to New Zealand. The only goalscorer of the match was Kiwi playerTommy Smith in the eleventh minute. After a nil-all draw against the Solomon Islands, they got their only goal of the tournament withMaciu Dunadamu opening the scoring against Papua New Guinea in the fifteenth minute. But a late goal fromKema Jack ended the tournament for Fiji with a draw and knocked them out in the group stage.[51][52]
After not competing in a senior international for three years, the national team had two friendlies against A-League sideWellington Phoenix before entering their under-23 squad for the2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea. This was also a qualifier for the2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. After losing the opening game, they got a draw in the second match withRoy Krishna andIlimotama Jese each scoring a goal for Fiji.[53][54] More friendlies took place before the national team headed to Papua New Guinea for the2016 OFC Nations Cup. This was also the second round ofqualification for the 2018 World Cup. With a squad that only had three outside of the National League, Fiji lost the opening game against New Zealand with Krishna getting the only goal in the 3–1 loss.[55] After defeating the Solomon Islands in their second game with a Krishna goal, they needed to at least draw Vanuatu in the final group game to have a chance at qualifying to the semis.[56] After almost getting the early lead from Krishna, Fiji fell behind by two goals from Dominique Fred andFenedy Masauvakalo giving Vanuatu the lead. The second half saw Fiji tie the match at two-all as goals fromSamuela Kautoga and Krishna gave the team hope of qualifying. But Fiji was eliminated from the competition as a penalty in the 75th minute byBrian Kaltack gave Vanuatu a spot in the semis by goal difference.[57]
For finishing third place, they qualified through to the2018 FIFA World Cup qualification third round. Fiji was drawn to face New Zealand and New Caledonia in Group A. Before the first game against New Zealand,Frank Farina was replaced byChristophe Gamel in the top job with Gamel stating, "We respect our opponents and we know that they are strong" in his first press conference as manager.[58] Fiji only got a single point from their four games. That point was against New Caledonia atLautoka with the game ending in a two–all draw.[59]
HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, Fiji, hosts all of Fiji national matches.
The first soccer international held in Fiji was held atAlbert Park, when New Zealand took on the hosts in 1951. The stadium, the main centre in Fiji during the early 20th century, was also the home of cricket and of the country's firstRugby union test match in 1926.[62]
In modern times, most games hosted by Fiji are held at theHFC Bank Stadium, which was built in 1951 and has been renovated twice which can hold a capacity of 15,000. The first renovation was in 1978 for the1979 South Pacific Games held in Suva.[63] A second renovation took place in 2012 sponsored byANZ Fiji at a cost 17.5 million Fijian dollars in exchange for the stadium's naming rights.[64] The football team has also played games atLautoka,Ba,Nausori andLabasa.[14][65][66]
^Hughes also appeared in one match, scoring one goal, against an international 'B' side in theMSG Prime Minister's Cup, however this is not recognised as an official match by FIFA.
^abcAlso appeared in two matches against international 'B' sides in theMSG Prime Minister's Cup, however these are not recognised as official matches by FIFA.
^Also appeared in one match against an international 'B' side in theMSG Prime Minister's Cup, however this is not recognised as an official match by FIFA.
1 Associate member of OFC - Not a member of FIFA 2 Not a member of OFC and consequently not a member of FIFA 3 Northern Mariana Islands was only an associate member of OFC between 1998 and 2009 - Not a member of FIFA 4 Although not geographically in Oceania, Chinese Taipei was a member of the OFC between 1976–1978 and 1982–1989 Although not geographically in OceaniaIsrael entered OFC World Cup qualification in1986 and1990 due to political reasons, though it never became a formal OFC member.