2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)
Tournament details
Dates6 September 2024 – 24 March 2025
Teams11 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played18
Goals scored73 (4.06 per match)
Attendance77,489 (4,305 per match)
Top scorer(s) Chris Wood (9 goals)
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OFC Qualifiers
FIFA World Cup

The Oceanian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification process took place from 6 September 2024 to 24 March 2025.[1] The 2026 tournament was the 16th edition of Oceanian qualifiers and marked the first time OFC had a direct qualification slot into the FIFA World Cup.[2]

On 24 March 2025, the Oceanian confederation qualification ended with New Zealand directly qualifying to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and New Caledonia qualifying to the inter-continental play-offs.

Format

The qualification structure was as follows:[1][3]

  • First round: The four lowest-ranked teams in the FIFA Men's World Rankings played a three-match knockout round in September 2024. The winner advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: The winning team from the first round joined the seven highest-ranked teams in two four-team groups in October and November 2024. The top two teams from each group advanced to the third round.
  • Third round: The four teams advancing from the second round played a three-match knockout round in March 2025 with the winner qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and the runner-up advancing to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Entrants

All eleven eligible OFC nations entered qualification.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.

Round Matchday Date Venue(s)
First round Matchday 1 6 September 2024 Samoa
Matchday 2 9 September 2024
Second round Matchday 3 10–12 October 2024 Fiji and Vanuatu
Matchday 4 14–15 November 2024 New Zealand and Papua New Guinea
Matchday 5 17–18 November 2024
Third round Semi-finals 21 March 2025 New Zealand
Final 24 March 2025

The inter-confederation play-offs are scheduled to be played in March 2026.

Draw

The draw for the first two rounds was held at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland on 18 July from 9:00 CEST (UTC+2).[1][4] Although announced prior to their official release, the seeding for the draw was based on the FIFA Men's World Rankings of 18 July 2024 (shown in parentheses below).

For the first round, the four lowest-ranked teams competed in a single-elimination play-off to determine which team advanced to the second round. The highest-ranked team faced the lowest-ranked team and the second-ranked team faced the third-ranked team in the semi-finals, and the winners of those matches faced each other in the final.

For the second round, each group contained one team from Pot 1, two from Pot 2 and one from Pot 3 (which also included a placeholder for the first round winner).

From the July 2024 FIFA World Rankings[5]
Bye to second round Competing in first round
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
  1.  Fiji (153)
  2.  Tahiti (158)
  3.  New Caledonia (160)
  4.  Vanuatu (162)
  1.  Papua New Guinea (168)
  2. First round winner[a]
  1.  Cook Islands (186)
  2.  American Samoa (187)
  3.  Samoa (192)
  4.  Tonga (200)

Note: Teams in bold qualified for the third round. Teams in italics competed only in the first round.

  1. ^ The first round winner was not known at the time of the draw.

First round

First round matches were played 6–9 September 2024 in Samoa.[6] The four lowest-ranked teams competed in a knockout series, and the winner advanced to join the seven highest-ranked teams in the second round.[1]

Bracket

 
Matchday 1Matchday 2 (final)
 
      
 
6 September 2024 – Apia
 
 
 Cook Islands 1
 
9 September 2024 – Apia
 
 Tonga 3
 
 Tonga 1
 
6 September 2024 – Apia
 
 Samoa (a.e.t.)2
 
 American Samoa 0
 
 
 Samoa 2
 

Matchday 1

Cook Islands 1–3 Tonga
Kumsuz 63' FIFA[7]
OFC[8]
  • Tikoipau 27'
  • Polovili 39' (pen.)
  • Kefu 79'
Attendance: 300
Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand)
American Samoa 0–2 Samoa
FIFA[9]
OFC[10]
Attendance: 600

Matchday 2

The winner advanced to the second round.

Tonga 1–2 (a.e.t.) Samoa
  • Sonasi 45+1'
 FIFA[11]
OFC[12]
  • Salisbury 82'
  • Faamatau 105+3'
Attendance: 500
Referee: Mederic Lacour (New Caledonia)

Second round

The second round took place from 10 October to 18 November 2024 with two groups of four teams playing each other once in a league format.[1] Matches were played in Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.[13]

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  New Caledonia 3 2 1 0 7 4 +3 7 Advance to the third round — — — 3–1
2  Fiji 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 5 1–1 — — —
3  Solomon Islands 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3 2–3 0–1 — —
4  Papua New Guinea 3 0 1 2 5 8 −3 1 — 3–3 1–2 —
Source: OFC[14]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
New Caledonia 3–1 Papua New Guinea
 FIFA[15]
OFC[16]		 Semmy 78'
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)
Solomon Islands 0–1 Fiji
FIFA[17]
OFC[18]		 Krishna 13'
Attendance: 2,000
Solomon Islands 2–3 New Caledonia
 FIFA[19]
OFC[20]
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand)
Papua New Guinea 3–3 Fiji
 FIFA[21]
OFC[22]
Attendance: 1,428
Fiji 1–1 New Caledonia
 FIFA[23]
OFC[24]
  • Katrawa 59'
Attendance: 877
Papua New Guinea 1–2 Solomon Islands
 FIFA[25]
OFC[26]
Attendance: 1,284
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  New Zealand 3 3 0 0 19 1 +18 9 Advance to the third round — 3–0 8–1 —
2  Tahiti 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6 — — 2–0 —
3  Vanuatu 3 1 0 2 5 11 −6 3 — — — 4–1
4  Samoa 3 0 0 3 1 15 −14 0 0–8 0–3 — —
Source: OFC[14]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
New Zealand 3–0 Tahiti
 FIFA[27]
OFC[28]
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Médéric Lacour (New Caledonia)
Vanuatu 4–1 Samoa
 FIFA[29]
OFC[30]
  • Viliamu 55'
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Ben Aukwai (Solomon Islands)
Samoa 0–3 Tahiti
FIFA[31]
OFC[32]
Attendance: 638
Referee: Kavitesh Behari (Fiji)
New Zealand 8–1 Vanuatu
 FIFA[33]
OFC[34]
  • Tasip 17'
Attendance: 10,113
Referee: Ben Aukwai (Solomon Islands)
Tahiti 2–0 Vanuatu
  • Spokeyjack 8' (o.g.)
  • Mathon 67' (pen.)
 FIFA[35]
OFC[36]
Attendance: 395
Referee: Médéric Lacour (New Caledonia)
Samoa 0–8 New Zealand
FIFA[37]
OFC[38]
Attendance: 5,327
Referee: Veer Singh (Fiji)

Third round

The third round took place in New Zealand on 21 and 24 March 2025.[1] The winner qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the runner-up advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.[13]

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
21 March 2025 – Wellington
 
 
 New Caledonia 3
 
24 March 2025 – Auckland
 
 Tahiti 0
 
 New Caledonia 0
 
21 March 2025 – Wellington
 
 New Zealand 3
 
 New Zealand 7
 
 
 Fiji 0
 

New Zealand defeated New Caledonia 3–0 and qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. New Caledonia advanced to the inter-confederation playoffs.

Semi-finals

New Caledonia 3–0 Tahiti
 FIFA[39]
OFC[40]
Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
Attendance: 1,948
Referee: CK Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand)
New Zealand 7–0 Fiji
 FIFA[41]
OFC[42]
Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
Attendance: 20,947

Final

The winner qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The loser advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

New Caledonia 0–3 New Zealand
FIFA[43]
OFC[44]
Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Attendance: 25,132
Referee: Ben Aukwai (Solomon Islands)

Inter-confederation play-offs

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)

The runner-up, New Caledonia, will join one team each from AFC, CAF, and CONMEBOL and two from CONCACAF in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men's World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup [45]

Qualified teams

The following teams from OFC qualified for the final tournament.

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup
 New Zealand Third round winners 24 March 2025 2 (1982, 2010)

Goalscorers

There were 73 goals scored in 18 matches, for an average of 4.06 goals per match.

9 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

  • Brian Kaltak (against New Zealand)
  • Johnathan Spokeyjack (against Tahiti)

Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following infractions:[46]

  • Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious infractions)
  • Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions are carried forward to further qualification rounds, but not the finals or any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during qualification:

Team Player Infraction(s) Suspended for match(es)
 Fiji Aporosa Yada vs Solomon Islands (10 October 2024) vs Papua New Guinea (14 November 2024)
vs New Caledonia (17 November 2024)
 New Caledonia Morgan Mathelon vs Papua New Guinea (10 October 2024)
vs Tahiti (21 March 2025)		 vs New Zealand (24 March 2025)
 Samoa Alton Leiataua vs American Samoa (5 September 2024) vs Tonga (9 September 2024)
vs Vanuatu (12 October 2024)
Alex Malauulu vs American Samoa (5 September 2024)
vs Tonga (9 September 2024)		 vs Vanuatu (12 October 2024)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "FIFA Headquarters to host OFC preliminary draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026". Oceania Football Confederation. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Road to the FIFA World Cup 26 set to begin". FIFA. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Journey to historic FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off in South America". FIFA. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  4. ^ "FIFA to stage OFC preliminary draw for the FIFA World Cup". FIFA. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  5. ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2024". FIFA. 18 July 2024.
  6. ^ "OFC Competition Calendars Confirmed for 2024". Oceania Football Confederation. December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Cook Islands vs Tonga". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Cook Islands vs Tonga". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  9. ^ "American Samoa vs Samoa". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  10. ^ "American Samoa vs Samoa". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Tonga vs Samoa". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Tonga vs Samoa". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Hosts and venues confirmed for FIFA World Cup 26™ Qualifiers of the Oceanian Zone". Oceania Football Confederation. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b "FIFA World Cup 2026 - OFC Qualifiers Round Two". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  15. ^ "New Caledonia vs Papua New Guinea". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  16. ^ "New Caledonia vs Papua New Guinea". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Solomon Islands vs Fiji". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Solomon Islands vs Fiji". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Solomon Islands vs New Caledonia". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Solomon Islands vs New Caledonia". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Papua New Guinea vs Fiji". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Papua New Guinea vs Fiji". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  23. ^ "Fiji vs New Caledonia". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Fiji vs New Caledonia". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  25. ^ "Papua New Guinea vs Solomon Islands". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  26. ^ "Papua New Guinea vs Solomon Islands". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  27. ^ "New Zealand vs Tahiti". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  28. ^ "New Zealand vs Tahiti". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  29. ^ "Vanuatu vs Samoa". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  30. ^ "Vanuatu vs Samoa". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Samoa vs Tahiti". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Samoa vs Tahiti". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  33. ^ "New Zealand vs Vanuatu". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  34. ^ "New Zealand vs Vanuatu". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  35. ^ "Tahiti vs Vanuatu". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Tahiti vs Vanuatu". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  37. ^ "Samoa vs New Zealand". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Samoa vs New Zealand". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  39. ^ "New Caledonia vs Tahiti". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  40. ^ "New Caledonia vs Tahiti". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  41. ^ "New Zealand vs Fiji". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  42. ^ "New Zealand vs Fiji". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  43. ^ "OFC Final". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  44. ^ "Final". Oceania Football Confedetation. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  45. ^ "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  46. ^ "Regulations: FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition" (PDF). FIFA. June 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
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