Despite acknowledging their underdog status, the Bula Boys are leaving nothing on the table this month as they strive for what would be one of the greatest upsets in FIFA World Cup history.
For the first time, FIFA has granted direct qualification for the World Cup to its smallest confederation—Oceania (OFC)—providing smaller countries with an opportunity to participate in soccer’s premier event.
This encompasses Fiji, ranked at number 148 globally, which would significantly be the lowest-ranked team to qualify for a World Cup.
It's certainly a huge challenge," Coach Rob Sherman says to aynur1015.blogspot.com. "But one we're ready to take on.
The challenge has intensified due to the lack of Fiji's top football player, Roy Krishna, who suffered a severe ACL injury back in December.
For a team predominantly made up of players with limited professional experience—including individuals such as builders and even a policeman—Sherman laments the absence of "a touch of professionalism."
"He's an extremely influential person, Roy, and greatly admired by the guys... his absence is felt not just because of his impact on the field," he mentioned.
Nevertheless, the situation calls for Fiji to step up to the challenge, and they are resolved to make this happen.
This month, the smallest FIFA confederation will be the first to complete its qualification process.
On Friday, Tahiti will take on New Caledonia in a semifinal featuring two Francophone teams, followed by Fiji facing the powerhouse side from New Zealand. Both games will be held in Wellington.
The two winning teams will advance to Auckland’s iconic Eden Park, with one of them securing a spot in the 2026 championship hosted jointly by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Considering the prize money involved, which is beyond the wildest dreams of many amateurs, it’s hardly surprising that Fiji is putting all their efforts into this endeavor.
This involves the hiring of Sherman, who previously served as the technical director at both Football Australia and Melbourne Victory. His focus has been on enhancing tactical and technical skills.
Following their advancement into the final four, Sherman gathered his team in Fiji for an intensive two-week training session last month, during which he started narrowing down the roster for another gathering in Auckland.
He finds "promising" friendly victories in New Zealand encouraging, noting the team’s 3-0 win against Auckland United and their 1-0 victory over Eastern Suburbs, as athletes adapt to a more sophisticated tactical approach.
"The main challenge lies in the fact that the boys lack significant tactical awareness... during domestic games, it tends to be quite a disorganized match," he explained.
Gradually yet steadily, those who frequently participate adjust to a strategic approach and a playing method... however, it commonly shifts to two attackers and one defender moving backward, as once they return to local soccer, their tactical sharpness isn’t consistently maintained, causing them to regress somewhat.
Holding such a camp allows us to reaffirm our strategy for the game.
Just five of Fiji's final squad are based overseas, including Scott Wara, in the English seventh tier, and NSW pair Jerome Narayan and Leroy Jennings.
The Welshman is well aware that spending an entire month in camp is one of his advantages over New Zealand. This is because New Zealand will only have one major training session before the game, due to the lengthy travel required for several overseas-based professionals.
New Zealand can pride themselves on having one of football's most in-form forwards, Chris Wood, with his tally of 18 goals in the English Premier League this season, along with numerous players excelling in various top-tier European leagues.
"Sherman pointed out that the New Zealand boys have all moved abroad, now playing in respectable teams," he noted.
We've concentrated all our efforts on curbing New Zealand’s strong points and potentially exploiting one or two of their vulnerabilities, should they have any.
