Small New Caledonia is surprisingly just two victories away from the World Cup.
This article was first published on October 14, 2025
GIBRALTAR — Germain Haewegene wears a playful, enthusiastic smile. The New Caledonia forward has just netted the second goal in his team’s 2-0 friendly victory over Gibraltar, yet he is aware that a lengthy night lies ahead. A bus is scheduled to pick up him and his domestic teammates at 2:30 a.m. for a 30-hour, 12,000-mile journey back home—just 72 hours after they traveled in the opposite direction for their friendly on October 8.
Haewegene stands outside the visitors’ locker room at Gibraltar’s Europa Point Stadium, holding an apple—eschewing protein shakes or rehydration gels typical for many players—but he is eager to discuss his goal, the pride of representing his South Pacific nation, and why even a taxing return trip to the French-controlled archipelago is not a source of complaint.
“It is a joy to play football and a great joy to score a goal, which I dedicate to my son and my wife,” Haewegene shared with ESPN. “I feel pride for my country and also for my teammates, who worked hard to secure this victory.”
“Yes, we don’t have much time before we head home, but we will pack our bags and arrive at the airport early. It’s not an issue. This is the first time New Caledonia has played in Europe, and we won, so we are very pleased. We don’t worry about the journey.”
New Caledonia’s most significant journey has only just begun, and the ultimate destination, as improbable as it may seem, could be the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Known as “Les Cagous” after the indigenous flightless bird found on the numerous islands that make up the country, New Caledonia secured its spot in next March’s FIFA interconfederation playoffs by reaching the final of the Oceania qualification campaign, where they were defeated 3-0 by New Zealand earlier this year. However, their semifinal victory over Tahiti had already guaranteed them a place in the playoffs.
“It is always special to defeat Tahiti,” midfielder Jekob Jeno remarked. “They are our main rivals.”
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Tahiti and New Caledonia are separated by 2,900 miles of ocean, making it arguably the longest-distance “local” rivalry in sports. While New Zealand claimed Oceania’s sole direct World Cup spot, New Caledonia will head to Mexico for the interconfederation playoffs in Guadalajara and Monterrey, aware that they are just two wins away from the World Cup.
The team comprises part-time players from New Caledonia’s 10-team Super Ligue and several who compete no higher than the fifth tier of French football. Only Jeno, who joined Romania’s Unirea Slobozia this summer, plays for a top-level team outside Oceania. Bolivia has also qualified for the playoffs and will be joined by two Concacaf nations and one each from Asia and Africa; New Caledonia, ranked 150 by FIFA, understands they face a significant challenge to become the smallest nation ever, surpassing Iceland, to qualify for the World Cup by securing one of the two final qualification spots.
“The step is substantial,” coach Johann Sidaner told ESPN. “Perhaps we have a 1% chance of qualifying for the World Cup. But we will give 100% to achieve it.”
Their aspiration may have been years in the making, but New Caledonia is relatively new to international football, having become a FIFA member in 2004 after receiving permission from the French Football Federation four years earlier to apply for membership. As one of France’s Overseas Territories, its citizens hold French nationality and can vote in French presidential elections. Despite being over 10,000 miles away, the close ties to France explain why nearly half of Sidaner’s squad plays in the country and why the 48-year-old left a position at his hometown club Nantes to take on the role of New Caledonia coach in 2022.
“It was an easy choice for me,” Sidaner stated. “The culture of the people is welcoming, friendly, and they have a passion for football. It is easy to manage this football team.”
AS Magenta, the reigning champions of the New Caledonia Super Ligue, will participate in this season’s Coupe de France and have already been drawn for a home match in the seventh round in November—the same stage at which teams from Ligue 2 enter the competition—so fans from Saint-Etienne, Nancy, or Montpellier could face an epic road trip.
However, the French connection can present challenges. When Gibraltar confirmed the friendly against New Caledonia last month, the announcement featured flags from Gibraltar and New Caledonia displayed together on the Gibraltar FA website, leading to a near diplomatic incident.
“We were contacted by UEFA within 20 minutes of the story going live to change the flag [and add France] due to a complaint from New Caledonia,” a Gibraltar source informed ESPN. “The New Caledonia flag can only be displayed alongside the French tricolor, which necessitated a quick update!”
The flag sensitivity also resulted in Gibraltar needing to purchase a new flagpole for the match, as both French and New Caledonian flags had to be flown, with strict instructions that the French flag took precedence over the island nation’s. It was only in 2008 that France allowed the football team to have its own anthem instead of La Marseillaise, which remains New Caledonia’s official national anthem, so it is against this backdrop of French oversight that New Caledonia’s footballers are literally putting their country on the map.
“Perhaps we can represent ourselves as New Caledonia through our football,” midfielder Jeno expressed. “Our football is not professional, but it is football, and each year, we are making progress.”
“We understand how significant the team is to the people of New Caledonia. We are their passion, and our advancement is beneficial for everyone. I am fortunate: I have a career in Europe and a good contract in Romania, but the guys back home, they work in their jobs, they go to work in the morning and train at night.”
“They have had to take time away from their families, their jobs—regular jobs, like working in a supermarket—to come to Gibraltar, but we all do it for New Caledonia.”
Haewegene, the charismatic goal scorer, chuckles when asked if he could be a full-time professional in New Caledonia with AS Magenta, before revealing his remarkable “real” job.
“Professional? Ha ha, no!” Haewegene replied. “I play for the biggest team in New Caledonia, but we are not professional. My job is a Paralympic coach—I guide blind or visually impaired sprinters. I went to the Paralympics last year to assist the French athletes. I can run 100 meters in 11.3 seconds: I’m fast. Very fast!”
So how does a national team from the South Pacific, a country 1,200 miles east of Sydney, Australia, end up facing one of Europe’s smallest nations in a friendly match? It’s a game that pits the 200th ranked team in the world (Gibraltar) against one positioned just 50 places higher.
Gibraltar’s stadium is part football ground and part cricket pitch, tightly framed by the imposing Rock of Gibraltar, a substantial red-and-white lighthouse, and the Straits of Gibraltar, the 9-mile-wide stretch of water that separates Europe from Africa. However, having not played since their defeat against New Zealand in Auckland in March, New Caledonia simply needed to compete.
“My role is to arrange matches for national teams, and the New Caledonia coach asked me to find an opponent in Europe in October,” Gaël Mahé, a FIFA match agent, told ESPN. “But it’s not straightforward. There aren’t many options, especially since there are World Cup qualifiers happening right now, and the larger national teams can find opponents much more easily.”
“For the New Caledonia players, half of whom play in their own country, they are traveling halfway around the world for 30 hours, but Gibraltar was willing to play the match, so it was a suitable solution.”
It is 4 a.m. in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, when Sidaner’s team kicks off against Gibraltar at 7 p.m. local time. Having only arrived on Sunday evening, the jet lag is likely to be particularly challenging for the home-based players. A team room equipped with table tennis and video games has been arranged at the squad’s hotel; some players occupy their time shopping, while coach Sidaner relaxes on the terrace outside the hotel with a beer.
A relaxed atmosphere surrounds the team, but once the match begins, there is also a determination and energy that catches Gibraltar off guard. New Caledonia is quick and dynamic, deserving their victory with second-half goals from Jean-Jacques Katrawa and Haewegene.
“It was a significant victory for us because we have defeated a European team for the first time,” coach Sidaner stated. “We haven’t played together for a long time, so this will be a very important step for our plans for the playoffs.”
“We are elevating the level of expectation with these World Cup 2026 qualifying playoffs, and we are only 150 days away from a historic date for New Caledonian football. But for this kind of result, this kind of performance, this is why I chose to coach New Caledonia. For these special moments.”
A training camp in France is scheduled for January, with hopes of at least one competitive match before the trip to Mexico in March, but after defeating Gibraltar, the players are eager to celebrate the occasion. Sidaner’s squad gathers on the steps outside the stadium post-game; some are on their phones, a couple of them sneak a vape, and others take selfies and photographs. Then they board the bus, pack their belongings, and prepare for the challenging journey home.
The itinerary takes them from Malaga, Spain, to Paris, followed by a connecting flight to Singapore, and finally to Noumea—all in coach class—but there is only joy among the players as they dance on the bus.
“Every young boy dreams of playing in a World Cup—it is a dream,” Haewegene remarked. “That is our dream, and we know we have a chance.”
