The Tahiti–Cook Islands football rivalry is a sports rivalry that exists between Pacific neighbours Tahiti national football team and Cook Islands national football team.
Tahiti set the world record for the biggest win in international football against the Cook Islands 30–0 in 1971. In September 2026, the Cook Islands won their first ever match against Tahiti 3–2.
History The Cook Islands' second ever international match was away against Tahiti in 1971 South Pacific Games, where they would lose 30–0, setting the tournament record and world record for the biggest senior international win. The latter lasted 30 years, until it was broken in 2001 by Australia 31–0 American Samoa.
The two would meet again 24 years later in the 1995 South Pacific Games, where the Cook Islands were drubbed 11–0. The Cook Islands would then host Tahiti for the first time, playing at the Avarua Tereora Stadium in the 1998 Polynesia Cup, losing 5–0. They would meet again in the same competition in 2000, this time hosted in Tahiti, where the home side would win 2–0
They furthermore faced each other in 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Tahiti winning 6–0 and 2–0 respectively. In their encounter at the 2007 South Pacific Games, the lowest scoring match to date was played, with Tahiti winning by a narrow 1–0 margin.
They would meet at the 2011 Pacific Games, Tahiti winning 7–0. After a 12-year hiatus, the two played their first international series in 2023, Tahiti taking both matches 9–1 and 3–0 respectively, although the Cook Islands scored their first goal of the fixture in its 52-year history at the time through defender Avi Enoka.
The second international series in 2026 is ongoing. Tahiti won the first match 1–3, but in the second match, the Cook Islands caused an upset, winning 3–2 and taking their first victory over Tahiti and any team outside of OFC's 'bottom four' and non-FIFA, with captain Benjamin Mata scoring a brace alongside a direct freekick goal from Tremaine Rimene-Albrett.
Friendly series 2023
Tahiti won 2−0–0 on series.
2026
References