Northern Mariana Islands national football team results

Northern Mariana Islands men's national football team
FIFA ranking
Current N/A – not FIFA member
Elo ranking
Current 234 (4 July 2016)
Highest 213 (30 July 1998)
Lowest 234 (2 July 2016)
First international
 Northern Mariana Islands 8–0 Palau "B" Palau
(Koror, Palau; 27 July 1998)
Biggest win
 Northern Mariana Islands 2–1 Macau 
(Dededo, Guam; 23 July 2014)
Biggest defeat
 Guam 9–0 Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands
(Hagåtña, Guam; 1 April 2007)
 Palestine 9–0 Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands
(Kathmandu, Nepal; 4 March 2013)
World Cup
Appearances None
Best result N/A – not FIFA member
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances None
South Asian Football Federation Cup
Appearances None
Best result 2015 – qualifying

This is a list of all the recorded matches played by the Northern Mariana Islands national football team, which represents the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in international men's football. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in the Northern Mariana Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association, which is a member of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) and an associate member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The federation is not a member of the world governing body FIFA and so whilst the national team is eligible to enter AFC and EAFF-run competitions, they are currently ineligible for global competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup. As such, they do not have an official FIFA ranking. However, the team have been consistently ranked as one of the worst teams in the world on the Elo ratings and are in fact, at July 2016 rated as the worst men's senior international team in the world in a ratings system that also includes a number of other non-FIFA teams.

Following the completion of the preliminary qualifying round for the 2017 EAFF East Asian Cup the team have won only one official competitive match against international opposition and have a goal difference of −78 in official matches. The team have never qualified for the finals of a major tournament and beyond friendlies and qualifying matches, their only official competition has been in an exhibition tournament in the regional Micronesian Games in 1998, which they won, to date their only tournament success.

Results

This is a list of all the football matches, both official and unofficial played by the Northern Mariana Islands national football team since their debut at the exhibition tournament held in conjunction with the 1998 Micronesian Games. Matches played prior to 2007 were played under the auspices of Northern Mariana Islands Soccer Federation and are considered unofficial since the team included several foreign contract workers based on Saipan. The sole requirement to be eligible for the team was two-year residency, but this requirement was not strictly enforced. Similarly, some of the other teams in the tournament included foreign workers.[1] Additionally, for the matches played at the Micronesian games, where the official name of the tournament was the "W.C.T.C. Shell Soccer Exhibition", the matches were 9-a-side (not 11-a-side) on a smaller field and may have been less than 90 minutes duration.[1]

As far as is known, this was the first occasion on which a representative team was assembled. The NMISF had been registered as an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) since 1983, though apparently it had not participated in any international events prior to 1998. The NMISF became defunct around 2002-3 and there was then a hiatus until a new organizing body, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NMIFA), was founded in 2005. The NMIFA has fielded senior men's and women's representative teams since 2007, and has been affiliated to the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) as an associate member since 2006 (becoming a full member in 2008), and to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as an associate member since 2009. It is not a member of FIFA at present.[1]

Unofficial

These matches are the total games played under the auspices of Northern Mariana Islands Soccer Federation. As of July 2016, the 1998 Micronesian Games represents the Northern Mariana Islands only success at an international tournament of any sort.

1998 Micronesian Games

1999 Micronesia Cup

The Northern Mariana Islands final game prior to the folding of the Northern Mariana Islands Soccer Federation was in the 1999 Micronesia Cup. The status of this tournament is unclear, RSSSF list it among the Micronesian Games results, though they also describe it as the "first Micronesian Cup".[2] Given that there was no Micronesian games in 1999, it seems likely this was an independent competition.

Official

Following an 8-year absence from the international scene, and having become an associate member of the East Asian Football Federation in 2006, the Northern Mariana Islands returned to international competition. Bar a friendly against Guam all their competitive matches were in unsuccessful attempts to qualify for the EAFF East Asian Championship.

2000s

2007

Guam won by an aggregate of 12–2 and advanced to stage two of the preliminary competition.

2008
2009

2010s

Having lost their first seven official competitive matches in the 2000s, the Northern Marianas Islands saw a comparative uptick in their performances. While they continued to struggle to compete in EAFF qualifying, the 2010s have seen the team record their first official draw in a friendly with Guam in 2010 and their first official victory in a shock defeat of Macau in 2014. In addition to continuing to compete in the EAFF qualifiers, the team also attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to qualify for one of the last additions of the AFC Challenge Cup.

2010
2012
2013
2014
2016

Summary record

By venue

As at 4 July 2016:

Venue Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Diff Win % Loss %
Home301257−20%670%
Away92072241−1922%78%
Neutral1440103056−2629%71%
Total26611957104−4723%73%

By year

As at 4 July 2016:

Year Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Diff Win % Loss %
199854014053580%20%
1999210137-450%50%
20072002212-100%100%
2008100123-10%100%
20093003312-90%100%
201010101100%0%
20123003216-140%100%
20133003019-190%100%
20143102210-833%67%
20163003219-170%100%
Total26611957104−4723%73%

By competition

As at 4 July 2016:

Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Diff Win % Loss %
AFC Challenge Cup3003019−190%100%
EAFF East Asian Cup1310121161−508%92%
Friendly3012312−90%67%
Micronesian Cup100107−70%100%
Micronesian Games65014353883%17%
Total26611957104−4723%73%

By opponent

Last match updated:  Chinese Taipei on 4 July 2016.
Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Diff Win % Loss %
 Bangladesh100104−40%100%
 Chinese Taipei100118−70%100%
 Guam8017734−270%100%
 Macau4103515−1025%75%
 Mongolia3003116−150%100%
   Nepal100106−60%100%
 Palestine100109−90%100%
Official Total1911171492-785%89%
 F.S. Micronesia100107−70%100%
 Guam210142250%50%
 Palau110012111100%0%
Palau Palau "B"1100808100%0%
Pohnpei State Pohnpei11001129100%0%
Yap State Yap1100808100%0%
Unofficial Total*750243123171%29%
Overall Total26611957104-4723%73%
Key
>50% Wins
50% Wins
<50% Wins

*: Unofficial matches include all games played prior to 2007 regardless of opponent on the grounds that eligibility criteria for selection fell short of acknowledged international standards.

Competitive record

The Northern Mariana Islands have only entered three formal international competitions, the AFC Challenge Cup, the EAFF East Asian Championship and the Micronesian Games. As non-FIFA members, they are not entitled to enter the FIFA World Cup. The Marianas Cup is not noted as a separate competition in this section as it is the name given to a perennial trophy contested each time the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam meet.

AFC Asian Cup

The team were eligible to enter the AFC Asian Cup through the AFC Challenge Cup from 2011. However, they did not enter the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup so did not qualify. In failing to qualify for the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup they also failed to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

AFC Asian Cup AFC Asian Cup qualification record
Hosts / Year Pld W D* L GS GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 to Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Not a member of the AFC Not a member of the AFC
Qatar 2011 Did not enter Did not enter
Australia 2015 Did not qualify 3003019
United Arab Emirates 2019 Did not enter** Did not enter**
Total0000003003019

**: As the first two rounds of qualifying for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup were also the first two rounds of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Northern Mariana Islands were ineligible.

AFC Challenge Cup

Having been accepted as an associate member in 2009, the Blue Ayuyus attempted to qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup once, in 2013. They were unsuccessful in qualification, losing all three matches without scoring a goal. The AFC Challenge Cup has been discontinued by the AFC, with all nations now entering qualifying for the AFC Cup due to the expansion of the Asian Cup to the 24-nation format from the 16-nation one after the 2015 edition.[3][4]

AFC Challenge Cup AFC Challenge Cup qualification record
Hosts / Year Result Pld W D* L GS GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Bangladesh 2006 to Nepal 2012 Did not enter Did not enter
Maldives 2014 Did not qualify3003019
Total0000003003019

EAFF East Asian Championship

The EAFF East Asian Championship has been the primary source of competitive football for the Northern Mariana Islands since they reemerged onto the international scene and were accepted as a member of the EAFF. They have attempted to qualify for each edition of the EAFF East Asian Championship since they were admitted to the federation, each time without success.

EAFF East Asian Championship AFC Challenge Cup qualification record
Hosts / Year Result Pld W D* L GS GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Japan 2003 to South Korea 2005 Not a member of the EAFF Not a member of the EAFF
China 2008 Did not qualify2002212
Japan 2010 Did not qualify3003312
South Korea 2013 Did not qualify200228
China 2015 Did not qualify3102210
Japan 2017 Did not qualify3003219
Total0000001310121161

Micronesian Games

Micronesia made their international debut at the 1998 Micronesia Games, though the tournament was not a formal part of the games, merely and exhibition. The formal name of the football tournament was the W.C.T.C. Shell Soccer Exhibition. The team were successful, winning the tournament, but have not entered since, although football has only sporadically been included in the games programme.

Micronesian Games
Hosts / Year Result Pld W D* L GS GA
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands 1969 to Guam 1994 Football not included in games' programmes
Palau 1998 1st6501435
Northern Mariana Islands 2002 to Palau 2010 Football not included in games' programmes
Federated States of Micronesia 2014 Did not enter
Federated States of Micronesia 2018 To be determined
Total6501435
*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicates 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Morrison, Neil (12 November 2014). "Northern Mariana Islands Representative Football Team ("The Blue Ayuyu")". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Pratama, Naufaldi; Jovanovic, Bojan (23 July 2015). "Micronesian Cup 1999". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Revamp of AFC competitions". Asian Football Confederation. January 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". Asian Football Confederation. April 16, 2014.
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