FIJI football is doing just about everything wrong when it comes to the game in this country.
Make that everything wrong.
And with a population touching 950,000, Fiji still can’t assemble a squad capable of consistently playing competitive football.
The lesson lies in plain sight, look no further than Curaçao, a tiny Caribbean nation of just 150,000 people, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
Curaçao didn’t complain about size, resources, or geography.
They built a system.
They invested in coaching, scouting, youth development, and a clear footballing identity.
They tapped into their diaspora, embraced modern methods, and dared to be ambitious.
Most of their current national-team players were born in Europe, many in the Netherlands and Scandinavia but they all share ties to the island, and the federation welcomed them without hesitation.
Fiji, by comparison, continues to overlook Fijian lineage abroad, recycle old ideas, repeat old mistakes, and romanticise old glories instead of confronting present failures.
The talent exists, it always has.
But talent without structure is just wasted potential.
If a nation one-sixth Fiji’s size can qualify for a World Cup, what exactly is Fiji’s excuse?
Until football’s leadership accepts that the problem isn’t the players, the fans, or the size of the country but the broken system they’ve allowed to rot Fiji will remain stuck, watching smaller nations speed past.
Curaçao’s “Blue Wave” is the reality check the “Bula Boys” need if they ever hope to become World Cup contenders.
Real change begins with honesty.
And the clock is already ticking.
