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Vanuatu national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Vanuatu women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Vanuatu
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Men in Black and Gold
Association Vanuatu Football Federation
Confederation OFC (Oceania)
Head coach Juliano Schmeling
Captain Brian Kaltak
Most caps Kensi Tangis (39)
Top scorer Richard Iwai (20)
Home stadium Port Vila Municipal Stadium
FIFA code VAN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 163 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 131 (October 2007)
Lowest 201 (October–November 2015)
Elo ranking
Current 158 Decrease 3 (3 March 2019)
Highest 129 (2 June 2004)
Lowest 191 (July 1994)
First international
 New Zealand 9–0 New Hebrides 
(Nouméa, New Caledonia; 4 October 1951)
Biggest win
 Kiribati 0–18 Vanuatu 
(Lautoka, Fiji; 7 July 2003)
Biggest defeat
 New Zealand 9–0 New Hebrides 
(Nouméa, New Caledonia; 4 October 1951)
OFC Nations Cup
Appearances 10 (first in 1973)
Best result Runners-up (2024)
Pacific Games
Appearances 15 (first in 1963)
Best result Runners-up (1971)
Melanesia Cup/MSG Prime Minister's Cup
Appearances 9 (first in 1988)
Best result Melanesia Cup: Champions
(1990)
MSG Prime Minister's Cup: Third place
(2023)

The Vanuatu men's national football team represents Vanuatu in international football (soccer) games. The team is managed by the Vanuatu Football Federation. This group is part of FIFA and the OFC.

History of Vanuatu Football

Early Days (1951–2022)

The team was first known as the New Hebrides until 1980. That's when the New Hebrides became the Republic of Vanuatu.

In the OFC Nations Cup, a big tournament for teams in Oceania, Vanuatu finished fourth three times: in 1973, 2000, and 2002.

A famous moment happened in the 2004 Oceania Nations Cup. Vanuatu beat New Zealand 4–2. This win stopped New Zealand from reaching the final. It also meant New Zealand couldn't try to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Vanuatu surprised everyone again in the 2007 South Pacific Games. They beat the Solomon Islands to win the bronze medal. This win also helped them move to the next stage of qualification for the OFC Nations Cup. It gave them a chance to play for a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Before this, Vanuatu had not beaten the Solomon Islands since 1998.

Recent Achievements (2023–Present)

In 2023, Vanuatu was invited to the 2023 Intercontinental Cup in India. This was the team's first tournament outside the Oceania region. They played against Lebanon and lost 3–1. In their next game, they lost narrowly 1–0 to host team India. On June 15, 2023, Vanuatu won 1–0 against Mongolia. This victory earned them three points and a third-place finish in the tournament.

FIFA Series Tournament

In 2024, FIFA invited Vanuatu to the 2024 FIFA Series. This tournament took place from March 21 to 26, 2024, in Jeddah. Vanuatu played against Guinea from Africa and Brunei from Asia. On March 21, Vanuatu played Guinea, their first-ever opponent from Africa, and lost 6–0.

2024 OFC Nations Cup Final

Vanuatu made history in the OFC Nations Cup in 2024. They reached the final for the very first time! On June 30, 2024, they finished as runners-up after losing 3–0 to New Zealand. This was a huge achievement for the team.

Team Kits

The team has had different kit sponsors over the years. These companies provide the uniforms for the players.

Kit provider Period
Italy Lotto 2004–2011
United States Nike 2012
Australia Veto 2013–2016
New Zealand Pasifika 2017
Australia Gorilla Sports 2018–2020
Australia KPI Sports 2020–2022
Italy Macron 2022–2023
Italy Lotto 2022–present

Recent Games and Future Matches

Main article: Vanuatu national football team results

Here are some of the team's recent game results and any upcoming matches.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

  • November 20: Vanuatu won 6–0 against Tuvalu in the Pacific Games.
  • November 23: Vanuatu drew 1–1 with Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Games.
  • November 28: Vanuatu lost 1–0 to New Caledonia in the Pacific Games.
  • December 1: Vanuatu lost 4–2 to Fiji in the Pacific Games.

2024 Matches

  • March 21: Vanuatu lost 6–0 to Guinea in the FIFA Series.
  • March 26: Vanuatu lost 3–2 to Brunei in the FIFA Series.
  • June 15: Vanuatu won 1–0 against Solomon Islands in the OFC Nations Cup.
  • June 18: Their match against New Caledonia was cancelled because New Caledonia withdrew from the tournament.
  • June 21: Vanuatu lost 4–0 to New Zealand in the OFC Nations Cup.
  • June 27: Vanuatu won 2–1 against Fiji in the OFC Nations Cup semi-finals.
  • June 30: Vanuatu lost 3–0 to New Zealand in the OFC Nations Cup Final.
  • September 5: Vanuatu lost 3–0 to Australia U23 in a friendly game.
  • September 8: Vanuatu has another friendly game scheduled against Australia U23.

Coaching Staff

This table shows the people who help coach and manage the Vanuatu national football team.

Position
Head coach Brazil Juliano Schmeling
Assistant coach Vanuatu George Amos
Assistant coach Vanuatu François Sakama
Team Manager Vanuatu Peter Takaro
Goalkeeper coach Vanuatu Jimmy Obed
Assistant Goalkeeper coach Vanuatu Jean Yves Galinie
Physio Vanuatu Albert Lata

Players

Current Squad

These 23 players were chosen to play for Vanuatu in September 2024. The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of June 30, 2024.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Massing Kalotang (2002-08-26) August 26, 2002 (age 22) 8 0 Vanuatu Erakor Gold Star
1GK Anthony Quai 0 0 Vanuatu Penama
1GK Dick Sablan (1996-12-23) December 23, 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
2DF Michel Coulon (1995-12-03) 3 December 1995 (age 29) 17 1 Vanuatu Mauriki
2DF Timothy Boulet (1998-11-29) November 29, 1998 (age 26) 15 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
2DF Selwym Vatu (1998-06-13) 13 June 1998 (age 27) 13 0 Vanuatu ABM Galaxy
2DF Tasso Jeffrey (1998-08-12) 12 August 1998 (age 26) 12 0 Australia Western Strikers
2DF Jacques Wanemut (1992-02-02) February 2, 1992 (age 33) 4 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
2DF Zidane Maguekon (2000-06-03) June 3, 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Vanuatu Classic
2DF Thomas Salemu 0 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
2DF Joshua Tokio (2001-04-04) April 4, 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
3MF John Alick (1991-04-25) 25 April 1991 (age 34) 25 0 Solomon Islands Solomon Warriors
3MF John Wohale (1997-07-09) 9 July 1997 (age 27) 17 1 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
3MF Jared Clark (1998-01-21) 21 January 1998 (age 27) 8 0 Australia FK Beograd
3MF Harry Norman (2003-12-31) 31 December 2003 (age 21) 8 1 Vanuatu Exe Green Rovers
3MF Alick Worworbu (1997-08-27) 27 August 1997 (age 27) 4 0 Vanuatu Yatel
4FW Alex Saniel (1996-11-08) 8 November 1996 (age 28) 23 1 Australia Northern Demons
4FW Johnathan Spokeyjack (1998-11-13) 13 November 1998 (age 26) 16 2 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
4FW Godine Tenene (1998-05-03) 3 May 1998 (age 27) 16 3 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
4FW Tony Kaltak (1996-11-05) 5 November 1996 (age 28) 16 15 Vanuatu Erakor Gold Star
4FW Jean Kaltak (1994-08-19) 19 August 1994 (age 30) 8 9 Vanuatu Erakor Gold Star
4FW Tonly Kalotang (1997-05-19) 19 May 1997 (age 28) 2 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird
4FW Jordy Tasip (2000-07-14) 14 July 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird

Other Players Called Up Recently

These players have also been called to the national team in the past year.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK James Iamar (1997-01-25) January 25, 1997 (age 28) 4 0 Vanuatu Tafea 2024 OFC Nations Cup
GK Dgen Leo (2000-08-06) August 6, 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Vanuatu Classic 2024 OFC Nations Cup
GK Joshua Willie (2000-06-13) June 13, 2000 (age 25) 2 0 Vanuatu ABM Galaxy 2024 FIFA Series
GK Anthony Taiwia (1994-09-04) 4 September 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird 2023 Pacific Games
DF Brian Kaltak (1993-09-30) 30 September 1993 (age 31) 30 5 Australia Central Coast Mariners 2024 OFC Nations Cup
DF Jason Thomas (1997-01-20) 20 January 1997 (age 28) 27 1 Vanuatu Erakor Golden Star 2024 OFC Nations Cup
DF Lency Philip (1997-06-08) 8 June 1997 (age 28) 12 0 Vanuatu Classic 2024 OFC Nations Cup
DF Kerry Iawak (1996-03-16) 16 March 1996 (age 29) 5 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird 2024 OFC Nations Cup
DF Samuel Kaloros (1989-09-16) 16 September 1989 (age 35) 4 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird 2024 FIFA Series
DF Joseph Kalotiti 1 0 Vanuatu Pango Green Bird 2024 FIFA Series
DF Bethuel Ollie (1997-08-19) 19 August 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Vanuatu North Efate United 2023 Pacific Games
MF Bong Kalo (1997-01-18) 18 January 1997 (age 28) 27 4 Vanuatu ABM Galaxy 2024 OFC Nations Cup
MF Claude Aru (1997-04-25) 25 April 1997 (age 28) 14 1 Vanuatu North Efate United 2024 OFC Nations Cup
MF Barry Mansale (1995-11-01) 1 November 1995 (age 29) 11 1 Vanuatu Yatel 2024 OFC Nations Cup
MF Raoul Coulon (1995-12-03) 3 December 1995 (age 29) 3 0 Vanuatu Yatel 2023 Pacific Games
MF Jean Taussi (1996-07-17) 17 July 1996 (age 28) 3 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird 2023 Pacific Games
MF Lee Taiwia (1995-12-23) 23 December 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Vanuatu Ifira Black Bird 2023 Pacific Games
FW Kensi Tangis (1991-12-19) 19 December 1991 (age 33) 36 9 Vanuatu ABM Galaxy 2024 OFC Nations Cup
FW Joe Moses (2002-05-22) 22 May 2002 (age 23) 9 2 Vanuatu ABM Galaxy 2024 OFC Nations Cup
FW Maliwan Thomas (2005-01-26) 26 January 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Vanuatu Tafea 2024 FIFA Series
FW Keshly Joseph 0 0 2024 FIFA Series
FW Azariah Soromon (1999-03-01) 1 March 1999 (age 26) 17 7 Australia Western Strikers 2023 Pacific Games

Player Records

These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for Vanuatu. Players in bold are still playing for the team.

Most Appearances

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
5 Fedy Vava 30 2 2000–2012
Bong Kalo 30 5 2015–present
7 Lexa Bibi 29 2 2000–2004
Seimata Chilia 29 9 2000–2011
9 Pita David Maki 28 2 2000–2008
John Alick 28 2 2017–present

Top Goalscorers

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
Azariah Soromon 10 26 0.38 2017–present
6 Jean Kaltak 9 8 1.13 2011–present
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

Competitive Records

Vanuatu has played in many important football tournaments. Here's how they've done.

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest football tournament in the world. Vanuatu has not yet qualified for the World Cup.

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 to 1986 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		 To be determined To be determined
2030  Morocco
 Portugal
 Spain
2034  Saudi Arabia
Total 0/9 37 12 3 22 76 89

OFC Nations Cup

The OFC Nations Cup is the main football competition for national teams in Oceania. Vanuatu finished as runners-up in 2024!

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
New Zealand 1973 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 5 10 Squad No qualification
New Caledonia 1980 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 6 9 N/A
as  Vanuatu
Pacific Community 1996 Did not qualify 4 0 1 3 5 12
Australia 1998 Group stage 5th 2 0 0 2 2 13 Squad 4 2 1 1 8 6
French Polynesia 2000 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 5 8 Squad 4 2 0 2 12 7
New Zealand 2002 4th 5 2 0 3 2 6 Squad Qualified automatically
Australia 2004 Group stage 6th 5 1 0 4 5 9 Squad 4 3 1 0 16 2
Pacific Community 2008 Fourth place 4th 6 1 1 4 5 13 Squad 6 4 0 2 25 6
Solomon Islands 2012 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 8 9 Squad Qualified automatically
Papua New Guinea 2016 7th 3 1 0 2 3 8 Squad
Fiji Vanuatu 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

The Pacific Games is a multi-sport event for countries in the Pacific region. Football is one of the sports.

Pacific Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
as  New Hebrides
Fiji 1963 Group stage 6th 1 0 0 1 3 6
New Caledonia 1966 Third place 3rd 4 1 2 1 9 14
Papua New Guinea 1969 Group stage 5th 5 1 1 3 13 13
French Polynesia 1971 Runners-up 2nd 4 2 1 1 9 12
Guam 1975 Group stage 5th 2 0 0 2 1 6
Fiji 1979 Fifth place 5th 6 4 0 2 19 6
as  Vanuatu
Samoa 1983 Group stage 6th 1 0 0 1 0 6
New Caledonia 1987 Fourth place 4th 6 2 1 3 16 13
Papua New Guinea 1991 Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 9 8
French Polynesia 1995 Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 10 9
Fiji 2003 Third place 3rd 6 3 3 0 23 3
Samoa 2007 Third place 3rd 6 4 0 2 25 6
New Caledonia 2011 Group stage 6th 5 4 0 1 18 7
Papua New Guinea 2015 See Vanuatu national under-23 football team
Samoa 2019 Group stage 5th 4 2 1 1 25 2
Solomon Islands 2023 Semi-finals 4th 4 1 1 2 9 6
Total 15/15 0 Titles 64 28 10 26 189 117

Head-to-Head Records

This table shows how Vanuatu has played against other national teams. It includes games up to November 15, 2024.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  American Samoa 4 4 0 0 39 1 +38 12
2  Australia 4 0 0 4 0 7 −7 0
3  Brunei 1 0 0 1 2 3 −1 0
4  Cook Islands 1 1 0 0 8 1 +7 3
5  Estonia 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0
6  Fiji 37 11 7 19 41 83 −42 40
7  Guam 3 3 0 0 14 0 +14 9
8  Guinea 1 0 0 1 0 6 −6 0
9  India 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0
10  Indonesia 1 0 0 1 0 6 −6 0
11  Kiribati 1 1 0 0 18 0 +18 3
12  Lebanon 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 0
13  Mongolia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
14  New Caledonia 40 8 7 25 45 101 −56 31
15  New Zealand 15 1 0 14 11 73 −62 3
16  Papua New Guinea 23 9 5 9 33 29 +4 32
17  Samoa 6 6 0 0 40 2 +38 18
18  Solomon Islands 36 7 7 22 38 78 −40 28
19  Tahiti 26 5 3 18 28 64 −36 18
20  Tonga 5 5 0 0 33 2 +31 15
21  Tuvalu 4 4 0 0 22 1 +21 12
22  Wallis and Futuna 2 2 0 0 10 1 +9 6
Source: 1951–July 1980 results and July 1980–present results.
Notes:

Honours and Awards

Vanuatu has won or placed high in several football tournaments.

Continental Awards

Regional Awards

  • Pacific Games
    • Silver medal (1): 1971
    • Bronze medal (3): 1966, 2003, 2007
  • Melanesia Cup
    • Champions (1): 1990
    • Runners-up (1): 1998
    • Third place (3): 1988, 2000, 2023
  • Wantok Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 2008

Historical Kits

Here are some of the past uniforms worn by the Vanuatu national football team.

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Vanuatu para niños

  • Vanuatu national under-15 football team
  • Vanuatu national under-17 football team
  • Vanuatu national under-20 football team
  • Vanuatu national under-23 football team
  • Vanuatu women's national football team
  • Vanuatu women's national under-20 football team
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