 | |||
| Nickname(s) | The Men in Black and Gold | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Vanuatu Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) | ||
| Head coach | Vacant | ||
| Captain | Brian Kaltak | ||
| Mostcaps | Kensi Tangis (39) | ||
| Top scorer | Richard Iwai (20)[1] | ||
| Home stadium | Port Vila Municipal Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | VAN | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 164 1 (19 December 2024)[2] | ||
| Highest | 131 (October 2007) | ||
| Lowest | 201 (October–November 2015) | ||
| First international | |||
 New Zealand 9–0New Hebrides  (Nouméa,New Caledonia; 4 October 1951)[3] | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Kiribati 0–18Vanuatu  (Lautoka,Fiji; 7 July 2003) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| New Zealand 9–0New Hebrides (Nouméa,New Caledonia; 4 October 1951) | |||
| OFC Nations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 10 (first in1973) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (2024) | ||
| Pacific Games | |||
| Appearances | 15 (first in1963) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (1971) | ||
| Melanesia Cup/MSG Prime Minister's Cup | |||
| Appearances | 9 (first in1988) | ||
| Best result | Melanesia Cup:Champions (1990) MSG Prime Minister's Cup: Third place (2023) | ||
| Wantok Cup | |||
| Appearances | 3 (first in2008) | ||
| Best result | Champions (2011) | ||
TheVanuatu men's national football team (French:équipe du Vanuatu de football) representsVanuatu in men's internationalfootball competitions. The team is governed by theVanuatu Football Federation, which is currently a member ofFIFA and theOceania Football Confederation.[5]
It was known as theNew Hebrides until theNew Hebrides became Republic of Vanuatu in 1980. It finished fourth in theOFC Nations Cup in1973,2000, and2002. In the2004 Oceania Nations Cup, Vanuatu beatNew Zealand 4–2, preventing the regional powerhouse from making the final and, consequently, the running for the2006 FIFA World Cup.
Vanuatu caused another shock in the 2007South Pacific Games by knocking out theSolomon Islands for bronze medal and also enable to enter the second stage of qualification for the OFC Nations Cup and consequently a chance with a playoff for the2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa. The last time they had won against Solomon Islands was back in 1998 and had since been on the receiving side of many losses save for one draw against them. In July 2008, Vanuatu faced two national teams from the Solomon Islands during theinaugural edition of theWantok Cup. Vanuatu lost 1–2 to the Solomons' team A, but defeated their team B by two goals to one.
In 2023, Vanuatu was invited for the2023 Intercontinental Cup tournament held in India which is the team first tournament outsideOceania. In the first match on 9 June 2023, they would faceLebanon but suffered a 3–1 defeat. In the next match, Vanuatu conceded a late goal losing to hostIndia on a narrow 1–0 lost. On 15 June 2023, Vanuatu found themselves with a bright smiles as they would go on to winMongolia 1–0 thus earning them the 3 points and finishing in third place.
In 2024,FIFA invited Vanuatu to the2024 FIFA Series tournament held from 21 to 26 March 2024 inJeddah where they would faceGuinea (CAF) andBrunei (AFC). On 21 March, Vanuatu faced their first ever opponent from the Africa continent, Guinea in a 6–0 lost.
Vanuatu progressed to the final of theOFC Nations Cup for the first time in2024 and finished as runners-up of the tournament on 30 June 2024 after losing toNew Zealand with a 3–0 scoreline.[6][7]
| Kit provider[8] | Period |
|---|---|
 Lotto | 2004–2011 |
 Nike | 2012 |
 Veto | 2013–2016 |
| Pasifika | 2017 |
| Gorilla Sports | 2018–2020 |
| KPI Sports | 2020–2022 |
| Macron | 2022–2023 |
| Lotto | 2022–present |
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
v Vanuatu| 21 March2024 FIFA Series | Guinea | 6–0 | Vanuatu | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| 22:00 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium:King Abdullah Sports City Referee:Ahmed Al Ali (Jordan) |
v
Brunei| 26 March2024 FIFA Series | Vanuatu | 2–3 | Brunei | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| 22:00 UTC+3 | Report |
| Stadium:King Abdullah Sports City Reserve Stadium |
v Vanuatu| 15 June2024 OFC Nations Cup | Solomon Islands | 0–1 | Vanuatu | Port Vila,Vanuatu |
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Report |
| Stadium:Freshwater Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee:Veer Singh (Fiji) |
v
New Caledonia| 18 June2024 OFC Nations Cup | Vanuatu | Cancelled | New Caledonia | Port Vila,Vanuatu |
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Report | Stadium:Freshwater Stadium | ||
| Note: On 5 June 2024, New Caledonia withdrew from the 2024 OFC Nations Cup due to theserious crisis in the country.[9] | ||||
v New Zealand| 21 June2024 OFC Nations Cup | Vanuatu | 0–4 | New Zealand | Port Vila,Vanuatu |
| 15:00 UTC+11 | Report | Stadium:Freshwater Stadium Attendance: 7,200 Referee:Veer Singh (Fiji) |
v Vanuatu| 27 June2024 OFC Nations Cup SF | Fiji | 1–2 | Vanuatu | Port Vila,Vanuatu |
| 15:00 UTC+11 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Freshwater Stadium Referee:Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand) |
v Vanuatu| 30 June2024 OFC Nations Cup Final | New Zealand | 3–0 | Vanuatu | Port Vila,Vanuatu |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium:Freshwater Stadium Attendance: 10,000 |
v Australia U23| 5 SeptemberPacific Series | Vanuatu | 0–3 | Australia U23 | Port Vila,Vanuatu |
| Report | Stadium:Freshwater Stadium Referee: Ben Aukwai (Solomon Islands) |
v Australia U23| 8 SeptemberPacific Series | Vanuatu | 0–4 | Australia U23 | Port Vila,Vanuatu |
| Source | Stadium:Freshwater Stadium |
| Position | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Juliano Schmeling |
| Assistant coach | George Amos |
| Assistant coach | François Sakama |
| Team Manager | Peter Takaro |
| Goalkeeper coach | Jimmy Obed |
| Assistant Goalkeeper coach | Jean Yves Galinie |
| Physio | Albert Lata |
New Hebrides
Vanuatu
Terry O'Donnell (1987–1993)Saby Natonga (1996)Alwyn Job (1998)
Juan Carlos Buzzetti (2000–2004)Joe Szekeres (2004–2007)Robert Calvo (2007–2008)Willian Malas (2008)Jorge Añón (2009)Saby Natonga (2011–2012)Percy Avock (2012–2015)Moise Poida (2015–2017) Etienne Mermer (2017–2018)
Paul Munster (2019) Etienne Mermer (2019–2022)George Amos (2022)Juan Carlos Buzzetti (2022)Emerson Alcântara (2022)Etienne Mermer (2022–2023)Emerson Alcântara (2023–2024)Juliano Schmeling (2024–)The following 23 players were called up for the PacificAus Sports Football Series in September 2024.[10]
Caps and goals are correct as of 30 June 2024, after the match against New Zealand.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Massing Kalotang | (2002-08-26)August 26, 2002 (age 22) | 8 | 0 | Erakor Gold Star | |
| 1GK | Anthony Quai | 0 | 0 | Penama | ||
| 1GK | Dick Sablan | (1996-12-23)December 23, 1996 (age 28) | 0 | 0 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 2DF | Michel Coulon | (1995-12-03)3 December 1995 (age 29) | 17 | 1 | Mauriki | |
| 2DF | Timothy Boulet | (1998-11-29)November 29, 1998 (age 26) | 15 | 0 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 2DF | Selwym Vatu | (1998-06-13)13 June 1998 (age 26) | 13 | 0 | ABM Galaxy | |
| 2DF | Tasso Jeffrey | (1998-08-12)12 August 1998 (age 26) | 12 | 0 | Western Strikers | |
| 2DF | Jacques Wanemut | (1992-02-02)February 2, 1992 (age 33) | 4 | 0 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 2DF | Zidane Maguekon | (2000-06-03)June 3, 2000 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Classic | |
| 2DF | Thomas Salemu | 0 | 0 | Ifira Black Bird | ||
| 2DF | Joshua Tokio | (2001-04-04)April 4, 2001 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 3MF | John Alick | (1991-04-25)25 April 1991 (age 33) | 25 | 0 | Solomon Warriors | |
| 3MF | John Wohale | (1997-07-09)9 July 1997 (age 27) | 17 | 1 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 3MF | Jared Clark | (1998-01-21)21 January 1998 (age 27) | 8 | 0 | FK Beograd | |
| 3MF | Harry Norman | (2003-12-31)31 December 2003 (age 21) | 8 | 1 | Exe Green Rovers | |
| 3MF | Alick Worworbu | (1997-08-27)27 August 1997 (age 27) | 4 | 0 | Yatel | |
| 4FW | Alex Saniel | (1996-11-08)8 November 1996 (age 28) | 23 | 1 | Northern Demons | |
| 4FW | Johnathan Spokeyjack | (1998-11-13)13 November 1998 (age 26) | 16 | 2 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 4FW | Godine Tenene | (1998-05-03)3 May 1998 (age 26) | 16 | 3 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 4FW | Tony Kaltak | (1996-11-05)5 November 1996 (age 28) | 16 | 15 | Erakor Gold Star | |
| 4FW | Jean Kaltak | (1994-08-19)19 August 1994 (age 30) | 8 | 9 | Erakor Gold Star | |
| 4FW | Tonly Kalotang | (1997-05-19)19 May 1997 (age 27) | 2 | 0 | Ifira Black Bird | |
| 4FW | Jordy Tasip | (2000-07-14)14 July 2000 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Ifira Black Bird | |
The following players have also been called up to the national squad in the last twelve months.
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kensi Tangis | 39 | 9 | 2011–present |
| 2 | Richard Iwai | 34 | 20 | 2000–2011 |
| 3 | Etienne Mermer | 33 | 15 | 1998–2008 |
| Brian Kaltak | 33 | 5 | 2011–present | |
| Bong Kalo | 33 | 5 | 2015–present | |
| 6 | Fedy Vava | 30 | 2 | 2000–2012 |
| John Alick | 30 | 2 | 2017–present | |
| 8 | Lexa Bibi | 29 | 2 | 2000–2004 |
| Seimata Chilia | 29 | 9 | 2000–2011 | |
| 10 | Pita David Maki | 28 | 2 | 2000–2008 |
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Iwai | 20 | 34 | 0.59 | 2000–2011 |
| 2 | Tony Kaltack | 15 | 16 | 0.94 | 2016–2019 |
| Etienne Mermer | 15 | 33 | 0.45 | 1998–2008 | |
| 4 | Seule Soromon | 10 | 10 | 1 | 2007–2011 |
| Jean Kaltack | 10 | 11 | 0.91 | 2011–present | |
| Azariah Soromon | 10 | 26 | 0.38 | 2017–present | |
| 7 | Seimata Chilia | 9 | 29 | 0.31 | 2000–2011 |
| Kensi Tangis | 9 | 39 | 0.23 | 2011–present | |
| 9 | Bill Nicholls | 6 | 8 | 0.75 | 2015–2019 |
| François Sakama | 6 | 12 | 0.5 | 2007–2015 | |
| Robert Tasso | 6 | 12 | 0.5 | 2011–2016 | |
| Mitch Cooper | 6 | 12 | 0.5 | 2019–present |
| FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to1986 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | ||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Italy | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | United States | Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 18 | ||||||||
| 1998 |  France | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2002 |  South Korea Japan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 21 | |||||||||
| 2006 |  Germany | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 11 | |||||||||
| 2010 |  South Africa | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 30 | 19 | |||||||||
| 2014 | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | |||||||||
| 2018 |  Russia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |||||||||
| 2022 |  Qatar | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
| 2026 |  Canada Mexico United States | Did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | ||||||||
| 2030 |  Morocco Portugal Spain | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| 2034 |  Saudi Arabia | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/10 | 40 | 13 | 3 | 24 | 81 | 100 | |||||||||
| Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
as New Hebrides | ||||||||||||||||
| 1973 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | Squad | No qualification | ||||||
 1980 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | — | |||||||
| as Vanuatu | ||||||||||||||||
 1996 | Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 12 | |||||||||
| 1998 | Group stage | 5th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | |
 2000 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | |
| 2002 | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | Squad | Qualified automatically | |||||||
| 2004 | Group stage | 6th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | Squad | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 6 | |
| 2012 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | Squad | Qualified automatically | ||||||
 2016 | 7th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | Squad | ||||||||
| 2024 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | Squad | |||||||
| Total | Runners-up | 10/11 | 40 | 10 | 2 | 28 | 44 | 93 | — | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 66 | 33 | |
| Pacific Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| as New Hebrides | ||||||||
 1963 | Group stage | 6th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 1966 | Bronze medal | 3rd | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 14 |
 1969 | Group stage | 5th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 13 |
| 1971 | Silver medal | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 12 |
 1975 | Group stage | 5th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 1979 | Fifth place | 5th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 6 |
| as Vanuatu | ||||||||
 1983 | Group stage | 6th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 1987 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 13 |
| 1991 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
| 1995 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 9 |
| 2003 | Bronze medal | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 3 |
| 2007 | Bronze medal | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 6 |
| 2011 | Group stage | 6th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 7 |
| 2015 | SeeVanuatu national under-23 football team | |||||||
| 2019 | Group stage | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 2 |
| 2023 | Semi-finals | 4th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
| Total | 15/15 | 0 Titles | 64 | 28 | 10 | 26 | 189 | 117 |
Melanesia Cup[edit]
| Wantok Cup[edit]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Up to matches played on 15 November 2024.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 American Samoa | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 1 | +38 | 100.00 |
| Australia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0.00 |
| Brunei | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0.00 |
 Cook Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 100.00 |
 Estonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Fiji | 37 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 41 | 83 | −42 | 29.73 |
| Guam | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 100.00 |
| Guinea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 |
 India | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 |
 Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 |
| Kiribati | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | +18 | 100.00 |
 Lebanon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
 Mongolia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
| New Caledonia | 40 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 45 | 101 | −56 | 20.00 |
| New Zealand | 15 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 11 | 73 | −62 | 6.67 |
| Papua New Guinea | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 33 | 29 | +4 | 39.13 |
| Samoa[a] | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 2 | +38 | 100.00 |
| Solomon Islands | 36 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 38 | 78 | −40 | 19.44 |
| Tahiti | 26 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 28 | 64 | −36 | 19.23 |
 Tonga | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | +31 | 100.00 |
 Tuvalu | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | +21 | 100.00 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 100.00 |
| Total | 214 | 68 | 29 | 117 | 384 | 463 | −79 | 31.78 |
         1987 Home |   1992 Home |   1992 Away |    1999 |  2000 Home |      2002 Home |  2004 Home |  2004 Away |
2007 |   2009 |    2011 Home |    2011 Away |  2012 Home |  2012 Away |    2016 Home |     2017 Home |
    2017 Away |  2017 |     2019 Home |    2022 Home |    2022 Away |     2024 Home |  2024 Away |
Sources:[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Vanuatu squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National teams |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League system |
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| Domestic cups |
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| Awards | |||||
| Lists | |||||
