By their own admission they’re a long shot, but the Bula Boys are giving it everything this month as they attempt one of the biggest shocks in FIFA World Cup history.
For the first time, FIFA has afforded its smallest confederation – Oceania (OFC) – direct qualification to the World Cup, giving some of the smallest nations a shot at sport’s biggest stage.
That includes Fiji, the world No.148, which would be by a distance the lowest-ranked side to ever make it to a World Cup.
“Obviously it is a massive challenge,” coach Rob Sherman tells AAP. “One we’re up for.”
The task has been exacerbated by the absence of Fiji’s greatest footballer, Roy Krishna, who was struck down with a dreaded ACL injury last December.
For a squad almost entirely full of amateur talent – including builders, a policeman and others – Sherman decries the loss of “that little bit of professionalism”.
“He’s a very influential figure, Roy, and highly respected by the boys … not having him round is is a loss, not only for his on-field influence,” he said.
Still, the occasion demands that Fiji rise to the moment, and they are determined to do so.
This month, FIFA’s smallest confederation will be the first to finalise its qualifying.
On Friday, Tahiti face New Caledonia in an all-Francophone semi-final before Fiji play regional heavyweights New Zealand, with both matches in Wellington.
The two winners will then head to Auckland’s famed Eden Park, where one team will book their place at the 2026 tournament hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
Given the stakes, including prizemoney amateur players could only dream of, it’s little wonder Fiji are throwing what they can at the effort.
That includes the recruitment of Sherman, a former technical director at Football Australia and Melbourne Victory, who has been focused on tactical and technical development.
After securing their place in the last four, Sherman brought together his squad in Fiji for a fortnight-long camp last month where he began whittling the numbers for a further camp in Auckland.
He hails “encouraging” friendly wins in New Zealand, a 3-0 defeat of Auckland United and 1-0 over Eastern Suburbs, as players adjust to a more nuanced game plan.
“One of the big challenges is the boys aren’t hugely tactically aware … when the boys play domestically, it’s just a chaotic game,” he said.
“Slowly and surely, the ones who regularly come in, adapt to a tactical plan and a style of play … but it is often two forward, one back, because when they go back to domestic football, it’s not always that tactically astute so they slip back a little bit.
“Having a camp like this is giving us a chance to re-emphasise our game plan.”
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.
It is not lost on the Welshman that enjoying a month in camp is one of his benefits, compared to New Zealand, who will enjoy just one main training hitout together ahead of the match, given the long transit for many overseas-based pros.
New Zealand boast one of the sport’s most in-form strikers, Chris Wood, who has 18 English Premier League goals this term, among several others in strong European leagues.
“Look at where the Kiwi lads are, they’re all overseas, all in decent clubs,” Sherman said.
“All our preparation has been focused on trying to limit New Zealand’s strengths and maybe capitalise on one or two of their weaknesses, if they have any.”