American Samoa’s women’s national team has lived through one of football’s more unlikely stories. From a 21-0 defeat in 1998 to a place in the final round of World Cup qualification, their journey has been shaped by setbacks, resilience and a growing sense of possibility.
At the end of last year, the team entered a World Cup qualification tournament made up of the lowest-ranked sides in the Oceania Football Confederation, the smallest of Fifa’s regional federations. American Samoa were ranked 153rd in the world, placing them at the bottom of the international game’s ladder. With a population estimated at 45,319, the island nation’s entire population would not even fill the smallest stadium set to host matches at next year’s Fifa showpiece.
And yet, the results have begun to change the way the team is viewed. What was once an extreme underdog has started to look more like a dark horse.
A team built like a family
Captain Alma Mana’o says the team’s strength is rooted in American Samoan culture, where “family is above all”. That sense of kinship is visible in the squad itself, with multiple sets of sisters representing the national side.
For Mana’o, that structure is more than symbolic. She sees it as part of how the team functions on and off the field. “This is a family, we have got to get together, hold our sisters accountable and push each other,” she says.
The Mana’o family has already made a mark in Fifa history. According to Alma, the family holds the record for the most family members to participate in Fifa events. She jokes about the scale of that achievement with a smile: “If we can’t win, we’re going to have the most kids!”
It is a line that captures the spirit surrounding the team: practical, self-aware and determined not to be defined by size or ranking.
From heavy defeat to renewed ambition
The scale of American Samoa’s progress becomes clearer when measured against their past. A 21-0 defeat in 1998 remains a stark reminder of where the programme once stood. Since then, the team has had to build its identity in a part of the world where women’s football has often had fewer resources and less visibility than the leading nations of the sport.
That makes their current position especially significant. Reaching the final round of qualification does not guarantee a place at the World Cup, but it does signal a level of progress that would once have seemed remote.
The team’s rise has also given them a new kind of profile. No longer simply a side expected to struggle, they are now being watched as a group capable of pushing further than many imagined. In a qualification pathway designed for the region’s smallest football nations, American Samoa have made themselves part of the conversation.
What comes next
The story is still unfolding, but the broader picture is already clear. American Samoa’s women have become a symbol of persistence, community and incremental change. Their journey from a 21-0 loss to the brink of the final stage of World Cup qualification has turned them into one of the most compelling stories in the OFC competition.
For Mana’o and her teammates, the challenge now is to keep proving that their progress is no fluke. They have already gone from underdog to dark horse. Whether the fairytale continues will depend on what they do next.
