From an Irish perspective, Tahiti really is on the other side of the globe, a pinprick in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

The largest island in French Polynesia, they are the reigning Oceania Nations Cup champions. But in the great scheme of things, the word minnow does not do their status justice.

That's what makes their appearance at the Confederations Cup so bemusing.

Tahiti will face African Cup of Nations champions Nigeria tonight. The West Africans can count on a population of over 100 million as well as a sizeable diaspora but Tahiti's population is less than 180,000.

To put Tahiti's size into context, its population might outstrip Co Leitrim but it is smaller than many of Ireland's larger counties. 

And for a land not known for being football mad, it only has one professional player in its Confederations Cup squad. Marama Vahirua has spent over a decade in the French league, although he spent last season on loan at Greek club Panthrakikos. He has yet to represent Tahiti in a competitive match.

The rest of the squad follow the San Marino and Andorra template of having mainstream jobs, while playing for local semi-professional clubs on the island. Some of the day jobs include accountants, truck drivers and teachers.

Consequently they have never come close to qualifying for major international competitions, although they did reach the World Cup at U20 level in 2009 where they finished bottom of their group, conceding 21 goals in three games.

Even their 2012 Oceania Nations Cup win deserves an asterisk. They might have won all their games en route to the trophy but they did not face the best team in the region, New Zealand, after the Kiwis had been shocked by New Caledonia in the semi-finals.

Nigeria is a daunting challenge. So will Uruguay. But on Thursday they will have to face World and European champions Spain who were sublime in the first half of their win against Uruguay last night.