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| Months as Worst in the World : | 22 |
| When : | November 1996 – April 1997 (4 months) July 1997 – July 1997 (1 month) October 1997 – October 1997 (1 month) December 1997 – December 1997 (1 month) July 1998 – July 1998 (1 month) May 2008 – June 2009 (14 months) |
| All-Time Worst in the World Ranking : | 14th |
| Cook Islands on FIFA | |
| Cook Islands on OFC | |
| National FA Website |
After a few short spells in the rankings doldrums in the mid-1990s, the Cook Islands longest spell at the bottom began in May 2008 and lasted for 14 months. They escaped thanks to a friendly double-header against Tonga, with two matches in three days away to their South Pacific rivals.
Grabbing a 1-1 draw in the first of those would have been enough to secure a rise up the rankings, but to follow that up with a 2-1 win in the second was the stuff of dreams. The results are all the more remarkable when you consider that the population of Tonga is some ten times larger than that of the Cook Islands.
| Cook Islands Article Links | ||
|---|---|---|
 More Success! – American Samoa 1 Cook Islands 1 |
 Another win for a World’s Worst: Samoa 3 Cook Islands 2 |
 Dealings Down Under – Oceania World Cup Qualifiers |
| Matches played as Worst in the World | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11th June 2009 | Friendly |  |
Tonga 1-1 Cook Islands | |
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| 13th June 2009 | Friendly | |
Tonga 1-2 Cook Islands | |
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The Worst in the World 