Cook Islands national football team facts for kids
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| Nickname(s) | Soka Kuki Airani | ||
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| Association | Cook Islands Football Association |
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| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) | ||
| Head coach | Tuka Tisam | ||
| 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 represents the Cook Islands in international football games. This team is also known as "Soka Kuki Airani." It is controlled by the Cook Islands Football Association. This association is part of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and FIFA.
The team started playing international matches in 1971. They have tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup seven times since 1998. The Cook Islands team has played in the OFC Nations Cup twice. They participated in 1998 and 2000. In both tournaments, they did not win any of their four games.
Contents
History of the Team
Early Years (1971–1995)
The Cook Islands team first played in the 1971 South Pacific Games. This was because the games were held close by in French Polynesia. In their first game, they lost 16–1 to Papua New Guinea. They also lost 30–0 to Tahiti. In a later match, they lost 15–1 to Fiji.
They played again in 1995 at the 1995 South Pacific Games. Here, they won their first-ever game, beating Wallis and Futuna 2–1. However, they lost their other four matches by large scores.
Playing in the OFC Nations Cup (1996–2001)
The Cook Islands team qualified for their first OFC Nations Cup in 1998. They finished second in the 1998 Polynesia Cup, which they hosted. In the OFC Nations Cup, they were in a tough group with Australia and Fiji. Australia beat them 16–0 in their first match. In their next game against Fiji, they played better, losing only 3–0. But with two losses, they did not move past the group stage.
They also qualified for the 2000 OFC Nations Cup by finishing second in the 2000 Polynesia Cup. They were in a group with the Solomon Islands and Australia. Australia defeated them 17–0. Against the Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands scored their first goal in the OFC Nations Cup. However, they still lost that game 5–1. After two defeats, they were out of the tournament again.
Recent Years (2002–Present)
The team tried to qualify for the 2004 tournament. They lost all four of their matches and did not advance.
They returned to the South Pacific Games in 2007. There, they managed to beat Tuvalu 4–1. Four years later, at the 2011 Pacific Games, they won 3–0 against Kiribati. But they lost their other three games. In the 2012 OFC Nations Cup qualification, they tied with American Samoa. They lost to Samoa and Tonga.
In the 2016 OFC Nations Cup qualifiers, they had some good results. They beat Tonga 3–1 and Samoa 1–0. However, they lost their last game 2–0 to American Samoa. This meant they finished third in their group.
In March 2022, the Cook Islands played their first match in seven years. They lost 2–0 to the Solomon Islands in a World Cup qualifying game. The team later had to pull out of their remaining matches due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
On August 28, 2023, the Cook Islands played against Tahiti. They lost 9–1 in a match held in Pirae, Tahiti. In March 2024, they lost 1–0 to Samoa but then beat Tonga 1–0 in OFC Nations Cup qualifiers. In September 2024, they lost 3–1 to Tonga in a World Cup qualifier and 2–1 to American Samoa in a friendly match.
Kit Sponsorship
| Kit supplier | Period |
|---|---|
 Lotto |
2001 |
 Adidas |
2002–2007 |
| Lotto |
2007–2012 |
 Onu Football |
2016–2022 |
 KPI Sports |
2022–2024 |
| Lotto Sport Italia |
2024– |
Source:
Coaches
The Cook Islands national football team has had several coaches over the years. Here are some of them:
- 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 team. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the team.
Most Appearances
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Goalscorers
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Competition History
FIFA World Cup
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. Their first attempt was for the 1998 World Cup. They have played 21 qualification matches in total, winning 3, drawing 1, and losing 17. They scored 17 goals and had 66 goals scored against them. For the 2022 World Cup, they had to withdraw from qualification due to a health situation.
OFC Nations Cup
The Cook Islands have participated in the OFC Nations Cup twice, in 1998 and 2000. In both appearances, they were eliminated in the group stage. They have played 4 matches in the main tournament, losing all of them, scoring 1 goal and conceding 41. In the qualification rounds, they have played 24 matches, winning 9, drawing 2, and losing 13.
Pacific Games
The team has also competed in the Pacific Games. Their first appearance was in 1971, where they finished 6th. They have played in 5 tournaments out of 16. In 17 matches, they have won 4, drawn 0, and lost 13. They scored 14 goals and had 131 goals scored against them.
Polynesia Cup
The Cook Islands team has done well in the Polynesia Cup. They were runners-up twice, in 1998 and 2000. In these two tournaments, they played 8 matches, winning 5, drawing 1, and losing 2. They scored 16 goals and conceded 16 goals.
Historical Kits
        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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Honours
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
