World Cup 2026: Will Nauru, a small Pacific island, finally play football?

Nauru has tried to develop football before, but it never took off. The closest it came to playing an international match was when representative teams faced an expatriate team from the Solomon Islands in 1994 and a refugee team in 2014.

Its complicated past goes some way to explaining why the world’s most popular sport has struggled to gain traction.

Located in the Pacific Ocean 2,500 miles northeast of Australia, Nauru’s historic wealth was built on its vast deposits of phosphates from fossilized bird poo.

Nauru, which was a dependency of Australia until independence in 1968, was heavily mined in the late 20th century. The minerals dry up, leaving the country once isolated as Pleasant Island, with large parts of its central region uninhabitable and extremely challenging to farm.

This results in most of the 12,000-strong population clustered around the coastal fringes on an island with usable space at a premium that measures just 21 square kilometers. And even as it shrinks, its existence is threatened by climate change and rising sea levels.

Its barren land means the country imports more than 90% of its food – much of which is processed, resulting in 69% of the population being obese and nearly 40% having type 2 diabetes.

A major source of its income is the Australian immigration detention center that it has held for most of this century.

Daily life on the island can be a struggle and sport is a powerful release for many, but the sport of choice is Australian Rules, played by 30% of locals. Also popular are athletics and weightlifting, which have competed in the Nauru Olympics.

Nauru will host the Micronesian Games in 2028 – a multi-sport event that will include football and showcase the island’s desire to raise international profile through sport.

“They’re trying to change the image for the better and get more involved in the sport,” said Pomroy, Nauru Soccer’s technical director and one of eight volunteers working to develop soccer on the island.

“They (Nauru) want people to see the country in a more positive light rather than a joke punchline.

“Whether it’s football, Australian rules, rugby, basketball, cricket, weightlifting… just being a part of building a healthy Nauru is enough.

“But being a football lover, the only way I know how to make an impact is through football.”

And the Briton, who is originally from Stevenage and worked at his hometown club when they were in non-league, has a track history to prove it.

He previously set up a charity in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap which turned into a professional academy that has so far produced 47 players who have progressed to play professionally in Asian countries and also runs successful programs in India bringing football to underserved communities.

All his projects pose different challenges. One of the first challenges on Nauru was getting some soccer on the island.