New Caledonia are making their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ debut in Poland
Captain Julia Honakoko has already written herself into New Caledonian football history
The forward is a product of the FIFA-supported FCF Academy
New Caledonia opened their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026™ campaign with a 5-0 loss to China PR on 7 September. Spain await in Sosnowiec on 10 September, before Nigeria in Lodz three days later. It is a demanding start against three established names in the global women’s game, but Les Cagous are no strangers to a challenge.
For New Caledonia, many of those challenges start well before kick-off. Based deep in the South Pacific, the territory has had few opportunities to test itself against teams from other confederations, or gain experience at the highest international level. Even so, New Caledonian football is making clear progress, fuelled by the ambition of the New Caledonian Football Federation (FCF) and by players such as Julia Honakoko.
At the FIFA Series last April, Honakoko underlined that progress. Against Indonesia, the forward and U-20 captain became the first New Caledonian player to score against opposition from outside Oceania. Historic and symbolic, the goal was also a milestone for women’s football in the island nation.
“That moment filled me with pride, but also with a sense of responsibility,” Honakoko said of the goal. “Being the first means opening a path. What matters most is that others can follow it and go even further. I hope this goal is remembered as more than just a statistic. I want it to be seen as a sign of the progress being made in New Caledonian women’s football, and as proof that our players can make their mark internationally.”
The FIFA Series helped us get a clearer picture of the gap between our amateur football and international standards. But it also showed us that the gap shouldn’t stop us being ambitious. We have to use it as motivation
That goal was one marker of progress. Qualification for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026™ is another. Neither came about by chance. Both reflect the talent of local players and the work being done to help them fulfil their potential. Created with support from FIFA and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), the FCF Academy is central to that momentum. As the main pathway into the national teams, it brings together and structures the work behind New Caledonia’s football development.
The FCF Academy comprises a women’s section, established in 2019, and a men’s section, launched in 2021. It brings together the country’s brightest prospects, scouted from the age of 13, and gives them the tools to develop through initiatives such as training camps abroad. The project took another step forward in 2025 when the academy joined FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme.
Talent Development Scheme: New Caledonia
“The biggest lesson I took from it is that talent can open a door, but hard work, discipline and consistency are what keep you at the highest level,” Honakoko said. “At the academy, I learned that one good training session or one good match is not enough. You have to keep delivering, hold yourself to high standards when no one is watching and keep working even when progress is hard to see.”
“I also learned that no one develops on their own. A player may have great qualities, but she needs teammates, educators, coaches, officials, her family and everyone who makes football possible. Football is a team sport on the pitch, and it is one off it too.”
That outlook has stayed with Honakoko throughout her career. From her club AS Wetr, where she started in the U-6 squad playing alongside boys, to the New Caledonia national team, she has drawn on the people around her and learned from those who helped shape her development. One of them is her brother Macané, a former New Caledonia international. Having benefited from that support, Honakoko is now giving back as an educator at the club where her journey began.
“That role means a great deal to me. I was supported as a child, and now it's my turn to support the next generation. I want to pass on the importance of hard work, respect, confidence and the joy of playing,” she explained. “I pay particular attention to young girls because I want them to know they belong on a football pitch. If my journey can help them join a club, believe in themselves or keep chasing their dream, that would be the greatest achievement for me.”
I want young girls to know that they have a place in football, in sport and, more broadly, in any field they want to enter. Where they come from, their neighbourhood, their island or the resources available to them should never limit their ambition
In Poland, Honakoko is representing more than a team. She is carrying the hopes bound up in her own journey and what it could mean for young girls back in New Caledonia. After opening one door with her historic goal against Indonesia, she has another chance to show how far a young New Caledonian can go with belief, talent and the right support.
“We haven’t come here just to play three matches. We’ve come to represent New Caledonia, its people, clubs, neighbourhoods, communes, tribes and islands, and everyone who keeps women’s football going, often with very little,” she said.
“I want to show a positive image of New Caledonian youth: young people who work hard, set goals, respect their roots and are ready to test themselves against the world. We want to represent the diversity of our territory and show that, despite our remoteness and small population, we have passion, talent and character.”