Official Site of MISF

The Marshall Islands, the last country in the world without a football team, are set to play our first 11-a-side fixtures.

We will take on the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Ozark United U19’s in the Outrigger Cup tournament, this August.

The matches will take place away from the islands in Springdale, Arkansas — home to the largest Marshallese population outside of the nation itself.

Although still to be confirmed, the national squad will include players of Marshallese descent who grew up in the United States and Europe, who may have played football at college level, as well as players of American descent who grew up in the Marshall Islands themselves.

We have launched a Kickstarter to help fund the event programme, and in return we’re offering exclusive rewards, including limited-edition international match worn jerseys, personalised thank you messages from the team, virtual match day tickets, and even the chance to be part of the event in person!

For too long, our small, proud and sometimes forgotten Pacific nation has been the only country on earth that has remained absent from the global soccer community.

Historically, there has been no funding or recognition for the world’s favourite sport in the Marshall Islands. This has meant no pitches, equipment, coaches, referees and, most importantly of all, very few footballers even kicking a soccer ball. For the past few years, we have done everything in our power to change this. And, in 2025, we want to write the Marshall Islands name in the history books!

With the help of our worldwide fanbase, we will make history by hosting our first-ever international soccer match in August 2025. This will mark the beginning of something truly incredible: the road to official recognition for Marshall Islands Soccer, international competition with our friends in other nations, and finally the opportunity to give our youth a pathway in the beautiful game.

It will be no mean feat to compete against the invited teams. 2 of which are FIFA member nations.Turks & Caicos and the US Virgin Islands are members of the Confederation of North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and we will be joined by Ozark United U19, North West Arkansas’ newest professional sports team and future members of the USL.

The event itself is the Outrigger Challenge Cup, and will take place during the week commencing 11th August 2025. The matches will take place at the Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium, Springdale High School – and the schedule is below.

The full fixture list for the 2025 Outrigger Challenge Cup is as follows:
● Wednesday, 13th August – US Virgin Islands v Turks & Caicos Islands – 7pm kick-off
● Thursday, 14th August – Marshall Islands v US Virgin Islands – 5pm
● Thursday, 14th August – Turks & Caicos Islands v Ozark United under-19s – 8pm
● Saturday, 16th August – Marshall Islands v Turks & Caicos Islands – 1pm
● Saturday, 16th August – US Virgin Islands v Ozark United under-19s – 4pm

All games to be played at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium, Springdale
All kick-off times set at Central Standard Time

What is the Outrigger Challenge Cup?

The first edition of the Outrigger Challenge Cup was a futsal tournament that took place in Majuro, RMI in July 2024 with teams from Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. This year it will be an 11v11 format, with Turks & Caicos, US Virgin Islands, Ozark United U19’s and the hosts the Marshall Islands competing.

The Outrigger takes its name from the outrigger canoe that has traditionally been used by Micronesian people to navigate the region. For thousands of years it has been bringing people closer together, and the Outrigger Challenge Cup has been designed to bring together remote soccer communities and provide a platform for them to show their talents on the world stage.

Get involved

Hosting this tournament is a huge undertaking, and the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation are seeking companies who wish to be part of this historic event through sponsorship. Please reach out to the Federation if you are interested.

Why Springdale, AR?

Since hosting our inaugural Women’s National Team training camp in Springdale in February 2024, the Soccer Federation has been using Springdale, North West Arkansas as our North American base.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of local organizations in the area who are allowing us to host this event.

Whilst it is our ultimate aim to host soccer matches in our home nation, specifically in Majuro, whilst we are not members of a regional confederation opposing teams are unwilling to travel to RMI to play.

By successfully hosting this event, we hope to demonstrate our worthiness and readiness to regional confederations.