A Tiny Country – One Step Away from Qualifying for the World Championship

2025-03-22 16:10 © AFP

In the 2026 World Cup, football fans may witness a surprising national team.

With FIFA significantly increasing the number of participants, such hope has ignited for the New Caledonia team.

The team from the island with a population of 270,000 is performing well in the qualifiers and recently triumphed over Tahiti with a score of 3-0.

Now, the Caledonians are awaiting a crucial match against the New Zealand eleven.

If New Caledonia, ranked 152nd in the FIFA rankings, manages to create an upset, they will break the record for the lowest-ranked team in World Cup history.

So far, the lowest rank in the tournament was held by North Korea in 2010 (105th place).