Jaiyah Saelua - the first openly transgender woman to compete in a World Cup qualifier for men - opens up on her historic journey and her ambitions to inspire the next generation

Jaiyah Saelua has opened up on her journey that saw her create history by becoming the first openly transgender woman to play a World Cup qualifier for men.

Saelua started training with the American Samoa national team at the age of 14, and made her debut in their 2014 World Cup qualifier against Tonga.

The side had never previously won a match and were joint-bottom of FIFA's world rankings, but Saelua put in a player of the match performance as they picked up a 2-1 victory.

They ultimately fell short in their bid to make the World Cup in Brazil, but their qualification journey has been documented in a film named Next Goal Wins that is due to be released in UK cinemas on Boxing Day.

The film is directed by Taika Waititi, who married British pop star Rita Ora last year, and sees Saelua play a key role throughout.

Saelua has identified as a fa’afafine since adolescence which is part of Samoan culture and translates as 'in the manner of a woman', and she is proud to have shared her story alongside her team-mates on the big screen.

'We get a really beautiful and delicate dive into the fa’afafine identity that is specific to Samoan culture but also really prevalent in the Pacific region,' she told The Athletic.

'The fa’afafine identity is not so much of a coming-out moment, it’s more of a coming-of-age experience. We start to realise we’re different but we’re from a society and a culture that has a place for us and respects us for being different.'

While the film looks back at the true story of American Samoa's attempt to qualify for the World Cup, it also contains some fictional elements.

One of the inaccuracies is the way Saelua's relationship with Dutch-American coach Thomas Rongen is portrayed.

Rongen, who is played by Michael Fassbender, is a heavy drinker who misgenders and deadnames Saelua, played by fa’afafine actor Kaimana, in the film. Saelua admitted this is not a true reflection of their relationship, but felt it was important to highlight the issues that members of the LGBTQIA+ community encounter in everyday life.

'From the very beginning, we understood that Taika had expressed right away that he would make it his own and we understood that to be our characters will be in the movie but they aren’t necessarily going to be 100 per cent accurate to who we are and we accepted that,' she continued.

'As a Pacific Islander, I don’t think I would have accepted it from any other director in Hollywood, as Taika is one of the only Pacific Island directors at this level who can take the liberties of telling Pacific stories and making it his own and making jokes about us, but with us.

'It’s also important that these uncomfortable situations that trans people and LGBTQIA+ people actually go through are visible and included in the film.'

In reality, Saelua was embraced by Rongen, and has gone from strength to strength since.

She did not compete in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers while she went through her medical transition, but she was recalled to the men's team for the 2019 Pacific Games, playing alongside Nicky Salapu, the veteran who was famously in goal when American Samoa were beaten 31-0 by Australia in 2001.

Saelua, who plays at centre back, is still going strong at the age of 35, and describes herself as 'the Sergio Ramos of Oceania football', owing to her physical approach on the pitch.

Saelua wants to keep playing until the 2027 Pacific Games, but does have one eye on her post-playing career, as she hopes to become a coach and a FIFA ambassador.

She is also aware of the impact her story has on others, and is determined to keep inspiring the next generation.

'I was never passionate about being the voice of anything. I was just a fa’afafine who loved to play football. I was raised in a society that allowed me to reach the highest level in football,' she said.

'I quickly realised there is a need for advocacy in the realm of queer people in sport and I thought to myself, "If not me, then who?". I realised how big an impact I could make in the world and how inspiring my story could be to a lot of people, particularly young people.

'It empowers and motivates me to keep doing what I do.'