The Samoa U16 women's football team created history on September 18, 2024, by becoming the first Samoan football team to qualify for a global FIFA World Cup. Lead by Head Coach Juan Chang Urrea, this remarkable achievement came after their 2-0 victory over New Caledonia in the semifinals of the OFC U-16 Women's Championship held in Suva, Fiji. The team's journey was based on the mantra of "believe" instilling a mindset of resilience and determination that propelled them through each match, ultimately culminating in their historic qualification for the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup. This not only highlights their talent but also marks a significant moment for women's football in Samoa.
No Samoan football team had ever qualified for a FIFA World Cup tournament at either age-group or senior level. However in June 2024 Samoa dominated the OFC Women’s U-16 Championship – Qualifying held in Auckland, New Zealand. Samoa dispatched Papua New Guinea 11-0 and American Samoa 11-0 to secure the final place at the OFC Women’s U-16 Championship in Fiji in September.
Samoa were the last team to qualify for the Oceania tournament but quickly became the giant killers of it, going through the group stage without conceding a goal.
The first game saw Samoa open their campaign with a dominant 10-0 win over the Cook Islands. It was a statement win that put all teams at the tournament on notice.
Samoa were made to work hard by traditional rivals Tonga for their second win of the competition. This win marked the first time Samoa had won two matches in their OFC U-16 Women’s Championship history and defeating Tonga 2-0 cemented their place at the top of Group A.
In their last group stage game Samoa took on the home nation Fiji. Fiji needed at least a draw to advance, but it was not to be. Samoa broke the nil all deadlock with a long range strike to take a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute of the game. Samoa held on to win and qualify for the semi-final against New Caledonia.
A lot was at stake in the semi with the winner guaranteed a spot at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. However two goals inside the opening ten minutes was enough to see Samoa through against a resilient New Caledonia side.
The win advanced Samoa to the final and the Samoa U16 women's team secured their spot in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in Morocco in 2025. Prior to this achievement, no Samoan team, male or female, had ever qualified for a FIFA World Cup.
