Greenland National Team Announces Application to Play Soccer in CONCACAF

North Americans everywhere, invest in winter coats.

Mar 25, 2013; Mexico City, MEXICO; General view of FIFA soccer ball at United States training session at Estadio Azteca in advance of World Cup qualifying match against Mexico. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The North American family of soccer-playing nations may soon have a new member—and to say its climate is different from the rest of CONCACAF is an understatement.

Greenland has formally applied to become CONCACAF's 42nd member, the autonomous territory's soccer federation announced in a Tuesday afternoon Facebook post. The frigid, sparsely populated island has had a national soccer team outside the jurisdiction of FIFA since 1980.

"Greenland is taking a historic step on the international football scene by officially applying for membership in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)," the body wrote in Danish, translated through Google Translate. Attached were letters in Greenlandic and Danish confirming the application.

A decade has passed since Bonaire, a special municipality of the Netherlands, became the newest CONCACAF member in 2014.

Greenland, which is under Danish jurisdiction, has sought to join UEFA in the past but has been met with roadblocks due to a lack of infrastructure. The territory normally plays nearby Scandinavian teams like the Faroe Islands and Iceland; its last game against a CONCACAF member was a 3-2 loss to Bermuda in July 2023.

Approximately 56,000 people live in Greenland despite its status as the world's largest island. Its national stadium, Nuuk Stadium, seats 2,000.