The Tahiti national football team formed in 1938. It did not join the Oceania Football Confederation or FIFA until 1990, over fifty years later. The team represents the country of French Polynesia. Tahiti is the name of the largest island of the territory.
The first game Tahiti played was a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in 1952. New Zealand also hold the record for the biggest defeat of Tahiti, a 10-0 rout in 2004. Tahiti’s record victory is an astonishing 30-0 win over the Cook Islands.
Tahiti first entered the world cup in time for the 1994 edition. Despite a strong performance with a draw against the Solomon Islands in the first game and a later 4-2 win over the same team, Tahiti did not qualify. The team has since entered every other world cup but is yet to qualify.
The Tahiti national football team won the OFC Nations Cup in 2012, so appeared the the 2013 confederations cup. The side won the hearts of the majority of the footballing community with their spirit and their friendship. On the pitch the side conceded 24 goals in three games, but did manage a single goal against Nigeria.