Kiribati national football team facts for kids
 |
|||
| Association | Kiribati Islands Football Federation (KIFF) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) | ||
| Most caps | Nabaruru Batiri (8) | ||
| Top scorer | Lawrence Nemeia (2) | ||
| Home stadium | Bairiki National Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | KIR | ||
|
|||
| Elo ranking | |||
| Current | 234  (3 March 2019) |
||
| Highest | 187 (1979) | ||
| Lowest | 235 (2018) | ||
| First international | |||
 Fiji 24–0 Kiribati  (Nausori, Fiji; 30 August 1979) |
|||
| Biggest win | |||
| None | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Fiji 24–0 Kiribati (Nausori, Fiji; 30 August 1979) |
|||
| Pacific Games | |||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1979) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (1979, 2003, 2011) Ninth place (1979) |
||
The Kiribati men's national football team represents the country of Kiribati in men's football. The team is managed by the Kiribati Islands Football Association.
Kiribati is not a member of FIFA, which means they cannot play in the FIFA World Cup. However, they are an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). This allows them to compete in the OFC Nations Cup. The team also joined the N.F.-Board in 2005, which supports football teams not part of FIFA.
Contents
About the Kiribati Football Team
The Kiribati team has played 11 international matches up to April 2012. They scored 7 goals and let in 125 goals. All their games have been played away from home. This is because Kiribati does not have grass football pitches. The main stadium, Bairiki National Stadium, has a sand pitch.
Their very first game was on August 30, 1979, in Fiji. They played against the Fiji and lost 24–0. This was part of the South Pacific Games. The team has not yet won an official match. However, they came very close in 2003. They lost 3–2 to Tuvalu in the South Pacific Games. They also lost to Tuvalu on penalties in 1979.
In the 2011 Pacific Games, Karotu Bakaane scored a goal against Papua New Guinea. Erene Bakineti also scored against Tahiti. In the 2003 competition, Lawrence Nemeia scored both goals against Tuvalu.
Team Development and Coaches
In 2012, a coach from Scotland named Kevin McGreskin joined the team. His goal was to help the team get better. He also aimed for them to be recognized by FIFA.
Later, in 2015, Jake Kewley became the team's Manager and Ambassador. He worked to help Kiribati join bigger football groups. He even prepared an application for FIFA membership that year.
In 2016, Kiribati became the first team from Oceania to join ConIFA. ConIFA stands for the Confederation of Independent Football Associations. This group is for teams not part of FIFA. Kiribati was supposed to play in the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup in England. But they had to pull out, and Tuvalu took their place.
The team has not played any matches since the 2011 Pacific Games.
Coaching History
Here are some of the coaches who have led the Kiribati team:
- Pine Iosefa (2003–2011)
- Kevin McGreskin (2012)
- Jake Kewley (2015)
Player Highlights
The player with the most appearances for Kiribati is Nabaruru Batiri, who played 8 games between 2003 and 2011. The top goalscorer for the team is Lawrence Nemeia, with 2 goals in 3 games. Other players like Karotu Bakaane and Erene Bwakineti have each scored 1 goal.
Pacific Games Participation
The Kiribati team has taken part in the Pacific Games three times. These were in 1979, 2003, and 2011. In all these tournaments, they reached the group stage. Their best result was ninth place in 1979. They have not entered many of the Pacific Games tournaments.
Historical Kits
       2003 Home
|
     2011 Home
|
    2011 Away
|
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Kiribati para niños
- Kiribati national futsal team
