Vanuatu & Fiji
Oceania’s continental championship set to be played across two venues
Preview
In over 50 years, just 11 editions of the OFC Nations Cup have been staged and this year’s event will be the first since 2016.
Oceania’s premier international tournament was first held in 1973, but struggled to become a regular event and all the early titles were won by either New Zealand or Australia. In 2004, the tournament became quadrennial and that was the last edition won by Australia, who joined the Asian Football Confederation two years later.
Tahiti were shock winners in 2012 and qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup the following year, but normal service resumed in 2016 with New Zealand edging past Papua New Guinea on penalties after a goalless draw.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 event, which was due to be staged in New Zealand, but after an eight-year hiatus the Nations Cup will kick-off on June 15 and feature eight teams across two venues – Port Vila in Vanuatu, and the Fijian capital of Suva.
Seven were given places in the finals with Samoa emerging successfully from a one-off qualification tournament held in Tonga in March that also featured the hosts and the Cook Islands. The OFC’s other full member, American Samoa, did not enter, preferring to prioritise the region’s World Cup qualifiers later this year under new coach David Jones.
With the OFC staging 11 competitions and 16 events this year, including the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in early September, resources may be stretched for a number of contenders. With the winners no longer qualifying for the defunct Confederations Cup, the competition has lost some lustre and holders New Zealand – facing their busiest international calendar in two decades – initially considered not defending their title before subsequently relenting. Darren Bazeley’s side will be favourites, but they will face some stiff competition.
The finals were originally set to take place in an official FIFA window but got moved to their own international window (like the Euros), and as a result New Zealand will be without star man Chris Wood – fresh from scoring 14 Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest – due to a date clash with his wedding.
The All Whites also face the tougher of the two groups. Home support boosted Vanuatu’s representatives in a run to the semi-finals of last year’s OFC Champions League, and the national team gained valuable experience after taking part in the recent inaugural round of the FIFA Series. A 6-0 trouncing from Guinea was followed by a 3-2 loss to Brunei and Emerson Alcantara’s side will be outsiders in Group A.
The second semi-final spot behind likely winners New Zealand should
