The Northern Mariana Islands national football team first played in 2006.  The team is one of the youngest and least talked about in world football.

The islands are the newest member of the Asian Football Confederation, but are not yet affiliated to FIFA and cannot take part in the world cup. The team left the Oceania Football Confederation in 2009 and hopes to progress to gain FIFA membership.

The islands have a political union with the United States. The country uses the dollar and speaks English. 15 islands make up the country. Most of the population live on a single island, Saipan.  Another four islands have some residents and the remaining 10 are uninhabited.

Until 2009, the islands only played against neighbours Guam.  The islands are one of the few teams that lowly Guam have beaten.  The two nations’ record includes a 9-0 victory for Guam in 2007.