FIFA Countries Not in the UN
One of the most fascinating statistics I have ever heard is that the membership of FIFA is greater than that of the UN. At present, the international governing body of soccer has 207 member states, while the international governing body of politics has a mere 192.
What countries, I’ve wondered, could make up this elite group of non-UN, pro-FIFA members?
Well, it turns out most are officially territories of other countries. With the exception of the home countries, they are also low-ranking members of FIFA. So, while their impact on the sporting world may be minimal (with the exception of breaking records as in American Samoa’s 31-0 loss to Australia in 2001), they maintain status as icons of political and soccer trivia.
The full list:
Home Nations
- England
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
- Wales
Countries Which are Officially Territories of Other Countries
- Puerto Rico (USA)
- American Samoa (USA)
- Guam (USA)
- U.S. Virgin Islands (USA)
- Macao (China)
- Hong Kong (China)
- Montserrat (UK)
- Bermuda (UK)
- British Virgin Islands (UK)
- Cayman Islands (UK)
- Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
- New Caledonia (France)
- Faroe Islands (Denmark)
- Cook Islands (its foreign affairs are represented by New Zealand in the UN)
- Aruba (Netherlands)
Countries Whose Official Existence is Politically Sensitive
- Palestine
- Chinese Taipei (aka Taiwan)
February 26th, 2007 07:30
You forgot Anguilla & Netherlands Antilles.
February 26th, 2007 19:23
Thanks, hadn’t thought of those!
July 1st, 2007 14:13
Then there are some areas that field teams in regional tourneys but are not recognized by FIFA. I’ve only heard of the Carribean teams recognized by CONCACAAF. Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martins and Sint Maartens, etc. Are there others elsewhere? Does Zanzibar compete in the African Cup of Nations?
July 1st, 2007 14:23
Jason - Good question. According to Wikipedia, Zanzibar cannot qualify for the African Cup of Nations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanzibar_national_football_team