Four nations have arrived in the Cook Islands for Round One of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ Oceania Qualifiers, beginning the region’s journey towards the global finals in Brazil. 

Over two match days, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tahiti, and Tonga will compete in a knockout-style format for a spot to join New Zealand, Samoa, and Solomon Islands in Group A of Round Two of the qualifying stage.

Tonga will meet American Samoa in the first semi-final, whilst Tahiti and the Cook Islands will face off in the second. The winners progresses to the Round One qualifying final for a chance to advance to Round Two, whilst the losers will face off in an international friendly, with all matches to be played at the CIFA Academy in Rarotonga.

The coaches shared their thoughts ahead of the tournament, before their opening matches on Saturday.

Tonga

The Tonga Mataliki arrive with a squad blending youth and experience for their campaign in the Cook Islands, with players from their U16 and U19 squads featuring.

They arrive as the highest ranked of the four nations participating in Round One of the OFC qualifiers according to the FIFA Women’s World rankings, at #107.

“For us as a small nation, we believe in the development of our future. We have to take into consideration our local development while also following the trends of football, which is the future of our Oceania Football Confederation. We’re bringing in new players, but we still keep experienced players who have represented the country in the past, so they can have a positive impact on the team as a whole.” said head coach Kilifi Uele.

The team finished seventh at the OFC Women’s Nations Cup in July and are beginning their sixth World Cup qualifying campaign.

“For me, I see this tournament as a first qualifier or mini-tournament. All of us aim to qualify for day three and day four. Football is changing and evolving, and we need to consider the format and structure of how we qualify for the World Cup,” Uele said.

American Samoa

American Samoa make their senior-level OFC women’s debut in 2025, bringing a mix of emerging young talent and seasoned players onto the regional stage.

They didn’t compete at the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2025 in Fiji this year and are participating in just their third-ever World Cup qualifying campaign, after 1999 and 2023. Coach Amanda Cromwell emphasized long-term growth.

“The team is a mix of young emerging talent and veterans, and it’s exciting to see young talent get mentored by older players. We have a mission to grow the game, develop coaching education and youth development on-island, and inspire the future.”

American Samoa will be hoping to make history by winning their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier over the course of their stay in the Cook Islands, having failed to win any of their prior five.

Cromwell also sharesd about the excitement in camp. “The girls are very excited to be here, especially the new players from New Zealand who weren’t involved in the last tournament. The group is very well knitted after a short time, thanks to strong leadership. Everyone is buzzing to get going.

“It’s an amazing honor for all these teams to experience World Cup qualifying. Advancing to stage two would mean the world for American Samoa and the island, and could help allocate more resources, improve coaching, and grow infrastructure for players to continue developing. We’ve never gotten past this stage before, so it will be difficult, but if we manage it, it will be amazing.”

Cook Islands

Hosts Cook Islands arrive determined to give their home-grown talent a chance to shine. Coach Rhys Ruka emphasized the team’s focus for this tournament.

“We pick young players because we have a system and philosophy we want to implement. Combining them with the experience of our captain and older players gives us the best chance. We are here to compete, and we believe in the girls we have selected.”

The Cook Islands are participating in their sixth World Cup qualifying campaign, and are ranked 122 in the world according to FIFA. They finished eighth at the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2025, but believe they can achieve better results across this campaign.

Ruka highlighted what the squad aims to achieve. “In July, the squads changed with players from off-island, which adds unpredictability and excitement. We focus on getting everyone together, keeping them physically ready, and cramming tactical work into a few days. Confidence is built through preparation and belief in the system.”

The Cook Islands are aiming to translate their Nations Cup experience into strong performances, giving their players exposure to high-level competition and building momentum for the future.

Tahiti

Tahiti enter the qualifiers focused on giving their players more international experience and improving their performance on the field. Head Coach Xavier Samin, who recently returned with Captain Gwendoline Fournier from a trip to Auckland FC, said the tournament is an important step for the team.

“The main insight for me is to be more rigorous in training. We need to adapt if we want to play on the world stage. The level of the team is getting better heading into the tournament. Facing these OFC teams is a bigger challenge, but we’ll work hard and give our best. For us, it’s about giving the girls more chances to play internationally.”

Tahiti are the second highest ranked of the four nations competing in Round One of the qualifiers at #119, and are competing in their fourth World Cup qualifying campaign since their first participation in 2010.

They’ll be aiming to show improvement and demonstrate that they can compete consistently across Oceania competitions.

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