The Tuvalu national football team joined the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006. The team is not a FIFA member and cannot enter the world cup. Tuvalu has wanted to join FIFA since 1987.
The country is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and Australia. With only 11,500 residents, it is the third smallest sovereign state in the world. Only the Vatican and Nauru are less populous, making Tuvalu the least populated nation with an international football team.
Tuvalu play most of their competitive matches in the Pacific Games and South Pacific Games. The 1979 South Pacific Games saw the team play three games and create two national records. Tuvalu claimed a record 5-3 win against Tonga and an 18-0 defeat to Tahiti.
South Africa 2010 was a momentous tournament for Tuvalu. The team made history by becoming the first non-FIFA team to play in a world cup qualifying game. Oceania had used the 2007 South Pacific Games as the first stage of qualifying, a competition Tuvalu had the right to enter. The team performed well, scoring a first world cup goal in a 1-1 draw with Tahiti. After four games, the team had not done enough to progress.
After their world cup début, Tuvalu petitioned FIFA for affiliation. To date this has not been granted. The team has shown that it can play a meaningful part in a world cup. There are bigger teams that have much worse records. It is a matter of time before FIFA accepts Tuvalu. Official recognition would see improvements from the team and would give a boost for the sport at amateur and domestic level.