2011 South Pacific Games Football - Cook Islands

The Cook Islands are one of the smallest FIFA member in terms of population and are currently ranked 190^th in the world alongside Tonga and one place above Djibouti. 

If the example of everyone from American Samoa being able to fit inside Old Trafford with a lot of room to spare came as a surprise to you then your jaw will hit the floor with this fact; the entire population (according to the 2006 census) of the Cook Islands can fit inside Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park. 

If you had to pick a side to compete in such international competition as World Cup qualifying from the crowd at an average Plymouth Argyle home match it is highly unlikely that it would make the World Cup finals. 

So spare a thought for the Cook Islands who have never qualified for a World Cup and only qualified for the group stages of the Oceania Nations Cup twice. 

The Cook Islands first venture into international competition came in 1971 when they played Tahiti. Unfortunately this historic first game ended in a 30-0 defeat and it remains their biggest defeat. 

They have featured in the group stages of the South Pacific Games on three occasions but have never made it past the group stages. Their last appearance at the Games in 2007 saw them finish 4^th in their group of 5 although they did manage to pick up 3 points against Tuvalu in a 4-1 win which is their record biggest win. They were drawn in what was perhaps the toughest group, as the two teams which progressed from it ended up as the two finalists (New Caledonia and Fiji). 

The Cook Islands national stadium

Due to Rugby Union and Rugby League being so popular in the Cook Islands, it has been difficult for football to gain much popularity throughout the country. It is perhaps a case of waiting for the sport to be played by more Cook Islanders before the national team can expect any success in international tournaments, even in smaller tournaments such as the South Pacific Games.