The hosts have been placed in a strong-looking Group A with Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Tuvalu, and face one of their most challenging matches first up in the form of a youthful yet talented Vanuatu side.
Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, both football-mad nations that produce plenty of skillful players, will be New Caledonia’s main rivals for a place in the group’s top two – and the semi-final berth that comes with it – but non-OFC member Guam is an unknown quantity and could prove capable of raising a few eyebrows.
American Samoa and Tuvalu are the underdogs of the group but New Caledonia are well aware of the threat posed by such sides after struggling against Tuvalu in the 2007 Games, finally beating them 1-0 thanks to an Iamel Kabeu goal.
Cagous coach Christophe Coursimault is certainly in no mood to take anyone lightly and feels his players must focus equally on the opponents ahead of them.
“It’s a very tough group, including two strong teams in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands,” he says. “But we must also give attention to all the other teams because it is certain that everyone will play all their cards and each match will be difficult.”
Endurance will play a massive role in the tournament as the teams are scheduled to play almost every second day across the two weeks of action.
“Recovery between matches will be crucial,” Coursimault says.
He will make sure his men are ready for the gruelling nature of the competition by taking them for a one-week training camp in Australia just prior to the Games. The Cagous will be away from August 13 to 21 and will take on A-League club Gold Coast United on two occasions during that time.
The Fédération Caledonienne de Football has a good relationship with Gold Coast and the national side has faced the Queensland-based team in a handful of matches over the last couple of years.
Miron Bleiberg’s side will offer ideal opposition in the build-up to the Games as they are a fully-professional outfit and will expose the New Caledonia players to a high level of football.
The 2011 Cagous crop has impressive boots to fill after their predecessors marched to the title four years ago in Samoa without losing a match.
A vital 1-0 win over francophone rivals Tahiti kickstarted their campaign and further successes followed against Tuvalu and Cook Islands before group play was wrapped up with a 1-1 draw against eventual runners-up Fiji.
The Cagous then posted a 3-2 win over Solomon Islands in a highly-entertaining semi-final and earned their fifth title thanks to a 1-0 win over Fiji in the final.
New Caledonia schedule for XIV Pacific Games
August 27
New Caledonia vs Vanuatu
August 30
Guam vs New Caledonia
September 1
Tuvalu vs New Caledonia
September 3
New Caledonia vs American Samoa
September 5
Solomon Islands vs New Caledonia
September 7
First semi-final
Second semi-final
September 9
3rd/4th play-off
Final