Soccer OFC: Palau was once affiliated with the OFC and played in an OFC Champions League match

In this article we will analyze how football develops on this small island in Oceania.

Writer by Sports & News Continental | From New Zealand, OFC

#Episode9 OFC SOCCER ANALYSIS

Palau holds significant geopolitical importance due to its Treaty of Free Association with the United States, which allows the US to maintain military bases in the country and defend it. Furthermore, it has a rich history of occupation by powers such as Spain, Germany, and Japan.

Koror FC participated in the first edition of the OFC Champions League in 1987, formerly the Oceania Club Championship. The Palauan team was eliminated in the first round of the qualifying tournament, losing 6-2 to Tafea of ​​Vanuatu.

Several years later, the national team joined the OFC, but never played in any official competitions. Koror was the only representative of the country (including the national team) to play an official OFC match.

Palau was an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) between 2007 and 2009. However, despite this affiliation, the national team did not participate in any official OFC competitions. The 2008 OFC Nations Cup, which also served as a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup, was a substantially different tournament, with a new round-robin format featuring home-and-away matches and only four teams participating. Palau, although an affiliate, did not register for the competition and therefore did not play any official OFC matches.

The national football team has now participated in regional competitions. The team, organized by the Palau Football Association, has a history of playing in the Pacific. However, most of its matches have been played at the Micronesia Games, where the Palau national team often competes against other Pacific nations. The team won the competition in 1998 and placed third in 2014, demonstrating some regional strength. Venue: PCC Track and Field Stadium, Koror (4k) The Palau national team, which is not affiliated with FIFA, had its first recorded matches in 1998, during the Micronesia Games. In this tournament, which hosted Palau and featured teams of nine players for an 80-minute period, the team finished third. In 2014, the team competed again at the Micronesia Games, finishing second after losing to Pohnpei in the final. To cover the cost of the trip, the team had part of its expenses covered through online crowdfunding. Other notable performances include a 2-0 victory over Chuuk in 2018, which secured third place at the Micronesian Games that year.

The Palau national football team has no history of participating in the Pacific Games, although Palau does participate in other sports, such as returning in 2023 with three bronze medals.

Palau has an internal soccer league, the Palau Soccer League. It is an amateur competition, but it offers an organized environment for local players. The league is the focal point for the practice and development of the sport in the country.

The league operates irregularly, with seasons occurring in different years, without a fixed annual calendar. The format is generally a single round, where teams face each other once, with the top teams advancing to the playoffs or a final.

The most recent champion in the league's history is Surangel and Sons Co., a team that dominated the competition for many years. Some of the notable champions and clubs that have participated in the league include:

Surangel and Sons Co.

Team On Fire

Melekeok FC

Kramers FC

New Stars FC

Lyon FC

Koror

Belau FC

Palau National Team U-15 (Palau's U-15 team has competed in the league on a few occasions)

Due to its affiliation with and strong cultural influence from the United States, baseball is the most popular sport, both for playing and watching. Basketball and fishing are also very popular in the country.

Initiatives such as the OFC's, with FIFA's support, to add regional content to FIFA+ and also the possible creation of the OFC Professional League will professionalize the region's elite and consequently bring the spotlight to countries where football is still.

In short, although football has a history of playing in the Micronesia Games and having OFC affiliation between 2007 and 2009, they are not late to take the next step, which would be to reactivate the national team and make the league official. They are close to participating in the 2028 OFC Nations Cup qualifiers, and their experience in the Micronesia Games, combined with their few years of OFC membership, are great allies.