Cook Islands national football team facts for kids
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| Nickname(s) | Soka Kuki Airani | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Cook Islands Football Association |
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| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) | ||
| Head coach | Jess Ibrom | ||
| Captain | Grover Harmon | ||
| Most caps | Tony Jamieson (22) | ||
| Top scorer | Taylor Saghabi (7) | ||
| Home stadium | Avarua Tereora Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | COK | ||
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| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 190  (7 February 2019) |
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| Highest | 166 (October 2015) | ||
| Lowest | 207 (April–July 2015) | ||
| Elo ranking | |||
| Current | 223  2 (3 March 2019) |
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| Highest | 170 (1971) | ||
| Lowest | 224 (2015) | ||
| First international | |||
 Papua New Guinea 16–1 Cook Islands  (Papeete, Tahiti; 11 September 1971) |
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| Biggest win | |||
Cook Islands 3–0 American Samoa  (Papeete, Tahiti; 12 June 2000) Cook Islands 4–1 Tuvalu  (Apia, Samoa; 1 September 2007) Cook Islands 3–0 Kiribati  (Boulari, New Caledonia; 1 September 2011)  Tonga 0–3 Cook Islands (Nukuʻalofa, Tonga; 31 August 2015) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Tahiti 30–0 Cook Islands (Papeete, Tahiti; 13 September 1971) |
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| OFC Nations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1998) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (1998, 2000) | ||
| Pacific Games | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 1971) | ||
| Best result | Sixth place (1971) | ||
| Polynesia Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1998) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (1998, 2000) | ||
The Cook Islands men's national football team is the official football team that plays for the Cook Islands in international matches. They have been playing since 1971. The team is managed by the Cook Islands Football Association, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and FIFA.
The Cook Islands team has tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup seven times, starting in 1998. They have also played in the OFC Nations Cup twice, in 1998 and 2000. In both tournaments, they didn't win any of their four games.
Contents
History of Cook Islands Football
Early Days (1971–1995)
The Cook Islands team first played in the 1971 South Pacific Games. This was possible because the games were held nearby in French Polynesia. In their first matches, they lost 16–1 to Papua New Guinea and 30–0 to Tahiti. They also lost 15–1 to Fiji.
They played again in 1995 at the 1995 South Pacific Games. This time, they got their first ever win, beating Wallis and Futuna 2–1. However, they lost their other four games by big scores.
Playing in the OFC Nations Cup (1996–2001)
The Cook Islands team qualified for their first Oceania Nations Cup in 1998. They came in second place in the 1998 Polynesia Cup, which they hosted. In the Nations Cup, they were in a tough group with Australia and Fiji. Australia beat them 16–0 in their first game. They did better against Fiji, losing only 3–0. But with two losses, they didn't move past the group stage.
In 2000, the Cook Islands finished second again in the 2000 Polynesia Cup. This meant they qualified for the OFC Nations Cup once more. They were in a group with the Solomon Islands and Australia. Australia beat them 17–0. In their game against the Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands scored their first ever goal in the Oceania Nations Cup, but still lost 5–1. They were out of the tournament after the group stage again.
Recent Years (2002–Present)
The team tried to qualify for the 2004 tournament but lost all four of their matches.
They played in the 2007 South Pacific Games, where their only win was 4–1 against Tuvalu. Four years later, at the 2011 Pacific Games, they beat Kiribati 3–0. In the 2012 OFC Nations Cup qualification, they drew with American Samoa but lost to Samoa and Tonga.
In the qualifiers for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup, they won against Tonga (3–1) and Samoa (1–0). However, they lost their last game 2–0 to American Samoa, which meant they finished third and didn't qualify.
In March 2022, the Cook Islands played their first match in seven years. They lost 2–0 to the Solomon Islands in the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They had to pull out of their other matches because of a health issue.
On August 28, 2023, the Cook Islands played against Tahiti and lost 9–1.
Team Uniform Sponsors
| Kit supplier | Period |
|---|---|
 Adidas |
2002–2004 |
 Lotto |
2007–2012 |
 Onu Football |
2015–2020 |
 KPI Sports |
2020– |
Source:
Recent Matches and Future Games
Here are some of the Cook Islands' recent match results and upcoming games.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2023 Matches
- On November 21, 2023, the Cook Islands won 2–1 against Tonga in the 2023 Pacific Games.
- On November 24, 2023, the Cook Islands lost 8–0 to New Caledonia in the 2023 Pacific Games.
2024 Matches
- On March 23, 2024, the Cook Islands lost 1–0 to Samoa in the 2024 OFC Nations Cup qualification.
- On March 26, 2024, the Cook Islands won 1–0 against Tonga in the 2024 OFC Nations Cup qualification.
- On September 6, 2024, the Cook Islands lost 3–1 to Tonga in a World Cup qualifier.
- On September 9, 2024, the Cook Islands lost 2–1 to American Samoa in a friendly match.
Team Coaches
- Alex Napa (1996–1998)
- Cormac Gallen-Willcocks (2001–2004)
- Tim Jerks (2004–2010)
- Shane Rufer (2011)
- Paul Farrell-Turepu (2011–2014)
Drew Sherman (2015–2017)- Kevin Fallon (2018–2020)
Alan Taylor (2022)- Jess Ibrom (2023-)
Player Records
These tables show which players have played the most games and scored the most goals for the Cook Islands. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the team.
Most Games Played
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Years Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Jamieson | 22 | 0 | 2000–2011 |
| 2 | John Pareanga | 20 | 2 | 1998–2011 |
| 3 | Taylor Saghabi | 19 | 7 | 2011–present |
| 4 | Grover Harmon | 18 | 1 | 2009–present |
| Paavo Mustonen | 18 | 0 | 2007–present | |
| 6 | Joseph Chambers | 14 | 0 | 1996–2004 |
| 7 | Tahiri Elikana | 13 | 0 | 2011–present |
| Mark Jamieson | 13 | 1 | 2000–2004 | |
| Christian Tauira | 13 | 0 | 1998–2004 | |
| 10 | Stenter Mani | 12 | 2 | 1996–2001 |
| Joseph Miitamariki | 12 | 0 | 2007–2011 | |
| James Nand | 12 | 0 | 1996–2001 | |
| Daniel Shepherd | 12 | 1 | 2000–2007 | |
| Nikorima Te Miha | 12 | 2 | 1998–2011 |
Top Goal Scorers
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Years Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Saghabi | 7 | 19 | 0.37 | 2011–present |
| 2 | Joseph Ngauora | 3 | 8 | 0.38 | 2009–2011 |
| Campbell Best | 3 | 11 | 0.27 | 2009–2015 | |
| 4 | Teariki Mateariki | 2 | 6 | 0.33 | 2004–2007 |
| Stenter Mani | 2 | 12 | 0.17 | 1996–2001 | |
| Nikorima Te Miha | 2 | 12 | 0.17 | 1998–2011 | |
| John Pareanga | 2 | 20 | 0.1 | 1998–2011 |
Tournament History
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
The Cook Islands team has tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup several times. They have not yet made it to the main tournament.
| FIFA World Cup | Qualification | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | |
| 1930 to 1994 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | ||||||||||||||
| 1998 |  France |
Did not qualify | First round | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||
| 2002 |  South Korea Japan |
First round | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 25 | ||||||||
| 2006 |  Germany |
First round | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 17 | ||||||||
| 2010 |  South Africa |
First round | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | ||||||||
| 2014 |  Brazil |
First round | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||
| 2018 |  Russia |
First round | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2022 |  Qatar |
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
| 2026 |  Canada Mexico United States |
Did not qualify | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| 2030 |  Morocco Portugal Spain |
To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| 2034 |  Saudi Arabia |
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| Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0/7 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 66 | ||
OFC Nations Cup History
The Cook Islands have played in the OFC Men's Nations Cup twice.
| Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1973 |
Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
| 1980 |
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 1996 |
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| 1998 |
Group stage | 6th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 11 | |
 2000 |
6th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 22 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | ||
| 2002 |
Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 |
Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 17 | |||||||||
| 2008 |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | ||||||||||
 2012 |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||
 2016 |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||||
  2024 |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 2/11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 41 | — | 24 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 51 | |
Pacific Games History
The Cook Islands team has also played in the Pacific Games.
| Pacific Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1963 to 1969 | did not enter | |||||||
| 1971 |
Group Stage | 6th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 61 |
| 1975 to 1991 | did not enter | |||||||
| 1995 |
Group stage | 7th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 37 |
| 2003 |
did not enter | |||||||
 2007 |
Group stage | 8th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
 2011 |
9th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 15 | |
| 2015 |
N/A – tournament was U23 | |||||||
| 2019 |
did not enter | |||||||
| 2023 |
Group stage | 8th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Total | 5/16 | 0 Titles | 17 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 131 |
Polynesia Cup History
The Cook Islands team has been runners-up in the Polynesia Cup twice.
| Polynesia Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1994 |
did not enter | |||||||
| 1998 |
Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 11 |
| 2000 |
Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| Total | 2/3 | 0 Titles | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 16 |
Team Uniforms Through the Years
        1995 Home
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   1995 Away
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   2001 Home
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    2007 Home
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    2007 Away
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   2011 Home
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    2015 Home
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    2015 Away
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   2022 Home
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  2022 Away
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Team Achievements
Regional Competitions
- Polynesia Cup
- Runners-up (2): 1998, 2000
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Islas Cook para niños
- Cook Islands national under-20 football team
- Cook Islands national under-17 football team
- Cook Islands women's national football team
- Cook Islands women's national under-17 football team
