Tuvalu national futsal team

Tuvalu
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationTuvalu Islands Football Association
ConfederationOFC (Oceania)
Head coachPasene Siale
Most capsSiopepa Tailolo (13)
Top scorerAloesi 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
Appearances4 (First in 2008)
Best resultRound 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. Tuvalu participates in the Oceanian Futsal Championship, where they have never won a game.[1]

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;[2] and against French Polynesia the score was 1–3.

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

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;[10] New Caledonia 11–1 Tuvalu on 17 May 2011;[11] Tuvalu 0–16 Solomon Islands on 18 May 2011;[12] They played for 7th/8th place play-off against Kiribati, but lost 2–3.[13]

Return to Futsal Championship

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

They competed against New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands. Coached by Pasene Siale, the team did not record any victory, however they showed marked improvement from the previous appearance. Keni Vine scored Tuvalu's first goal in 14 years, against New Zealand.[15] The match ended 6–1 in favour of the defending champions.[16] Goalkeeper Katepu Iosua was also praised for his performance. Tuvalu lost against Fiji (1–4), Vanuatu (2–3), and Solomon Islands (0–7).[17]

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 were interrupted when high tides flooded parts of the runway, highlighting the infrastructure challenges and climate vulnerabilities.[14] To prepare for the 2025 Oceanian Championship, the squad trained at the University of the South Pacific gymnasium in Suva.[14]

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
Australia 1992 Did not enter
Vanuatu 1996
Vanuatu 1999
Australia 2004
Fiji 2008 Seventh place 6 0 0 6 7 57
Fiji 2009 Did not enter
Fiji 2010 Seventh place 6 0 0 6 7 53
Fiji 2011 Group stage 4 0 0 4 3 36
New Zealand 2013 Did not enter
New Caledonia 2014
Fiji 2016
New Caledonia 2019
Fiji 2022
New Zealand 2023
Fiji 2025 Group stage 4 0 0 4 4 20
Total 4/14 20 0 0 20 21 166

Coaches

References

  1. ^ "Tuvalu 0 - 16 Solomon Islands". Oceania Football Confederation. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  2. ^ Unknown (2010). "Tuvalu Official Team List". Unknown. OFC. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  3. ^ Unknown (20 July 2010). "Squads named for OFC Futsal Championship". Unknown. OFC. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Vanuatu 7 - 1 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Futsal Match Schedules & Results". Oceania Football Confederation. August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Tahiti Nui 4 - 0 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  7. ^ "New Caledonia 9 - 2 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation. 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  8. ^ "New Zealand 7 - 1 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  9. ^ "Solomon Islands 21 - 2 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Tahiti 6 - 0 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  11. ^ "New Caledonia 11 - 1 Tuvalu". Oceania Football Confederation. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Tuvalu 0 - 16 Solomon Islands". Oceania Football Confederation. 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  13. ^ "Tuvalu 2 - 3 Kiribati". Oceania Football Confederation. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d "From airfields training to the regional stage: Tuvalu ready for huge opportunity". OFC Media. 17 September 2025.
  15. ^ "New Zealand overcome Tuvalu in hard-fought contest". OFC Media. 21 September 2025.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Tuvalu fight hard against Kiwis". Islands Business. 21 September 2025.
  18. ^ "TAHITI OPEN ACCOUNT WITH WIN". Oceania Football Confederation. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  19. ^ "Tuvalu Island Football Association". Facebook. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu_national_futsal_team