New Caledonia, ranked 150th by Fifa, are hoping to secure a place at the World Cup in Guadalajara this week. They face Jamaica and then, should they win, DR Congo.
An Unlikely World Cup Dream
Qualifying would be a first for the French territory. Their opportunity to qualify is thanks to the expanded World Cup format, which granted Oceania an automatic qualification place for the first time. New Zealand claimed that spot after overcoming a stubborn New Caledonia 3-0 last March.
Players Balancing Work and Football
Titouan Richard is two games away from playing in the World Cup. He plays in the seventh tier of French football. Richard had been balancing training and matches with work and studies. He worked at Intermarché, a French supermarket chain, while studying communication but is now unemployed.
“It’s a good thing I don’t have a job at the moment,” he jokes. He has previously had to take unpaid leave to represent the national team.
New Caledonia captain César Zeoula, one of the few contracted players in the team, plays in the fifth tier with US Chauvigny. “Sometimes [the trips] are a pain, but you have to do it,” he says.
Federation Support for Players
Players gather in Paris before being flown over by the federation for a 20,000km journey east. Making the opposite journey used to be more difficult. “Back in the day, it was very hard to come to the Métropole because being far from family, with the flight prices, it wasn’t a given. Now it is a lot easier,” Zeoula says.
The federation has encouraged its players to move to the mainland in recent years. New Caledonia manager Johann Sidaner said one of his objectives was set.