Young, proud, and ‘ready to roll’: Sāmoa women pursue glory

Sāmoa’s national women’s team is “ready to roll” for the 2025 OFC Women’s Nations Cup, which kicks off in Fiji on Friday.

With eight teams competing from 4 to 19 July, the tournament will showcase the best female football talent from the Pacific.

Representing their nation with pride, Sāmoa aims to improve upon their consecutive fourth-place finishes in the last two Women’s Nations Cups in 2018 and 2022.

Head coach Juan Chang Urrea is looking forward to a breakthrough performance from his squad, which includes 11 teenagers.

“Preparation has been good, the girls are ready to roll,” Urrea says.

“We have a lot of youth in our team, so I'm sure they're ready to take the pitch.”

Sāmoa have been placed in a challenging Group A with the Cook Islands, Tahiti, and defending champions, Papua New Guinea.

Urrea acknowledges the difficulties that lie ahead but sees them as chances for his players to gain valuable experience.

“Definitely a tough pool. We are taking this opportunity for our girls to grow in the game,” he says.

“We understand it's a tough pool, everyone is there to win it, so we're just going to focus on the day and what we can do today in order to get better tomorrow.”

Group B is just as competitive, with hosts and 2022 runners-up Fiji, alongside powerhouse nations Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga.

In the 2022 tournament, Sāmoa topped Group A after an unbeaten run but narrowly missed their chance to reach the final.

“The girls did an amazing job four years ago,” Urea reflects on their last campaign.

“We have high expectations for this team, and what we do today will build the foundation for tomorrow.”

Urrea is dedicated to building the future of the game, with the development of Sāmoa’s talents at the centre of this year’s campaign.

Sāmoa team's drills and training were held at OFC Office in Tāmaki Makaurau ahead of their travels to Fiji. Photo/PMN/Eroti Navuku

With half of the squad under 20 years old, the tournament serves as a crucial platform for the upcoming generation of Sāmoan footballers.

“Our main goal in this tournament is to make Sāmoa proud with our actions on and off the field,” Urrea says.

“We want to represent Sāmoa with pride in everything we do.”

Among Sāmoa’s promising young talents are 16-year-old defenders Mia Afoa and Breanna Kitiona, who are set to make their senior international debuts in Fiji.

“I’m excited to grow with a new team, to learn and develop as an individual player, and to see how much better I can get at a higher level,” Kitiona says.

Sāmoa kick off their OFC Women’s Nations Cup campaign against PNG this Friday at Churchill Park in Lautoka, 3pm local time. Photo/PMN/Eroti Navuku

Both Kitiona and Afoa will represent Sāmoa at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco later this year, with Urrea as their coach.

This historic qualification marks a significant achievement for the island nation, and Kitiona will captain the U17 side.

“There were a lot of tears, we all just made history and so it's like you feel like you just grew your relationship as a team and it was just like such an exciting moment for everyone.”

Kitiona says Urrea has had a positive impact on her growth as a football player and looks forward to continuing to grow in her career.

“It’s great, I’ve been growing with him since I started playing for Sāmoa and I know what he expects. It’s good to grow with the same coach for youth level right till national level.”

With Urrea focussed on the tournament in Fiji , he is proud of his team’s contributions to football within Oceania.

“Everyone is key to this puzzle, but it's pretty exciting to have two of our under-17 girls here with us,” Urrea says.

“It's pretty amazing to see the growth that the country has had and the federation has had over the last couple of years. It's been unreal to see the under-17s qualify for the World Cup.

“Seeing Sāmoa with the best teams in the world is something that we worked really hard to achieve so we want to take it with both hands knowing that we belong there.”

Group Stage Fixtures

V Papua New Guinea - 4 July 2025, 3pm local time

V Cook Islands - 7 July 2025, 12pm local time

V Tahiti - 10 July 2025, 12pm local time