Football in French Polynesia

The sport of football in French Polynesia is run by the Fédération Tahitienne de Football.^[1][2][3][4] The association administers the national football team.^[5][6] With 146 association football clubs and over 11,200 registered players, football is the most popular sport among the inhabitants on the island of Tahiti.^[7]

Football in French Polynesia
Country	French Polynesia
Governing body	Fédération Tahitienne de Football
National team(s)	men's national team
Club competitions
Ligue 1 Ligue 2 Ligue 2 Moorea Ligue 2 Raiatea Jeux des Marquises Festival des Îles Coupe Tahiti Nui
International competitions
OFC Cup OFC Champions League FIFA World Cup OFC Cup

League system

The league system in French Polynesia is divided into 4 tiers/divisions. The premier division is the Ligue 1 Vini in which 13 clubs currently compete for the championship. The champions of this league also qualify for the OFC Champions League qualifier stage. The bottom seven teams in this league play in a relegation play-off to decide which two clubs get relegated to the Ligue 2.^[8][9]

In Ligue 2, the bottom clubs either get relegated to the Ligue 2 Moorea or Ligue 2 Raiatea as required. Ligue 2 also contains 8 reserve teams from Ligue 1 Vini. ^[10][11]

Clubs from the Ligue 2 Moorea and Ligue 2 Raiatea are often relegated to Ligue 3 where there are only 3 first team clubs and 6 reserve teams from Ligue 2 and Ligue 1 Vini.^[11]

Level	League(s)/Division(s)
1	Ligue 1 Vini 13 clubs
	↓↑ 2 clubs
2	Ligue 2 5 clubs + 8 Reserve teams
3	Ligue 2 Moorea 8 clubs	Ligue 2 Raiatea 3 clubs
4	Ligue 3 3 clubs + 6 Reserve teams

French Polynesia football venues

Stadium	Capacity	City
Stade Hamuta	10,000	Papeete

References

1. "Tahiti : The world's next big football nation? - HITC Sport". Hereisthecity.com. 2013-11-16. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
2. Lawrence, Amy (2009-09-24). "Tahiti show that football still has a place for tales of the unexpected | Amy Lawrence | Football". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
3. "by Quinn Jones". Espn Fc. 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
4. "Tahiti: A first-hand account of football on the island | The Rio Report - Yahoo Eurosport UK". Eurosport.yahoo.com. 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
5. Montague, James (20 June 2013). "A Soccer Win for Tahiti? A Goal Would Be Terrific". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
6. "Tahiti emerging as strong contenders for Beach Soccer World Cup - Australia Network News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
7. "Fédération Tahitienne de Football".
8. "Summary - Ligue 1 - Tahiti - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
9. . 2013-09-18. Archived from the original on 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
10. . 2013-09-18. Archived from the original on 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
11. "Tahiti 2001/02". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-01-01.