Vanuatu’s women’s national team arrives at the 2025 OFC Women’s Nations Cup with a clear and simple mantra: defend well, and success will come.
It’s a philosophy instilled by veteran coach Jean Robert Yelou, who is guiding the team into their third appearance at the tournament.
The 22-player squad is anchored by talent from across the archipelago, notably featuring eight players from Penama Tigers, Vanuatu’s dominant women’s club side. While the Tigers were absent from this year’s OFC Women’s Champions League, their strong presence in the national squad underlines the growing strength of Vanuatu’s domestic competition.
“Training is going well,” said Yelou.
“Any team that goes to participate or play in OFC competitions aims to do well. For me, preparing the team is important, and we’ll give our best — especially in the technical side — and try to prepare players to go further in the next stage.”
Vanuatu’s last outing in the 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup offered valuable lessons. Drawn into a challenging group, the side held Tahiti to a goalless draw before falling 3-1 to Papua New Guinea, the eventual champions. Finishing 9th overall, the squad showed glimpses of promise but left with unfinished business.
In early 2024, the team competed in the OFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers in Samoa, pushing their limits once again. The side suffered narrow losses (1-0) to eventual semi-finaliost Samoa and 2-1 to Tonga before a heavy 5-0 defeat by tournament winners New Zealand. Although they didn’t advance to the knockout rounds, the experience proved vital in developing confidence and cohesion among the squad’s younger players.
“Most of my players play in the local league,” Yelou said.
“I have some key players in the team. For us, the team will rely on them.”
That includes three players from Vanuatu’s 2017 Pacific Mini Games gold medal-winning squad, among them veteran forward Jane Alatoa, who famously netted the winning goal in the final against Fiji. Their experience will be critical in guiding a new generation of talent aiming to take the next step.
Drawn into Group B, Vanuatu faces a testing path, coming up against Tonga, Solomon Islands, and host nation Fiji. The tournament is important for gaining valuable FIFA ranking points ahead of the start of the FIFA World Cup qualification campaign at the end of the year.
“I always have respect for the other teams, so we take one team at a time,” said Yelou.
“All the teams play different styles. It’s a good pool, and we’ll try to put some things in place to give a good challenge.”
Watch the full interview here:
Vanuatu fixtures
v Tonga | 5th July 2025, 4PM local time
v Solomon Islands | 8th July 2025, 4PM local time
v Fiji | 11th July 2025, 7PM local time
