Yeah if OFC is going to get at least one guaranteed spot at the big table from now on then there's no motivation to force the move to Asia. The dream is more meaningful games for the All Whites though so that's where a combined Asia/OFC nations league like Coochie suggested would be amazing. But baring in mind the fixture against NZ is probably a big deal for a lot of the OFC sides and a true chance to test their strength much like our exciting intercontinental playoff every 4 years. So it would be a bit mud to take that away from OFC. If we do get more windfall money regularly it would be cool to use some for the occasional hosting of some 4 team mini tournaments against competitive opposition maybe, like that one we went to India for a few years ago
Yeah if OFC is going to get at least one guaranteed spot at the big table from now on then there's no motivation to force the move to Asia. The dream is more meaningful games for the All Whites though so that's where a combined Asia/OFC nations league like Coochie suggested would be amazing. But baring in mind the fixture against NZ is probably a big deal for a lot of the OFC sides and a true chance to test their strength much like our exciting intercontinental playoff every 4 years. So it would be a bit mud to take that away from OFC. If we do get more windfall money regularly it would be cool to use some for the occasional hosting of some 4 team mini tournaments against competitive opposition maybe, like that one we went to India for a few years ago
My hope is NZ stay in OFC with the normal OFC qualifying H&A in last 18 months or so of a 4 year WC cycle.
But in that first 1-2 years of the cycle you play a combined OFC/East Asia Champions League, with various different divisions like UEFA, CONCACAF & CAF (Africa now have). Each division about 6 teams, with pro/rel between the divisions, and a final. So would take about 5 FIFA windows (2-3 games each window) to complete the tourney
Hopefully AWs in top division play Socceroos, Japan, Sth Korea etc H&A. Fiji, PNG, Solomons etc are playing in the lower divisions against India, Indonesia, Laos or whoever. Difficulty would be AFC fitting in around their Asian Cup & WC qualifying programmes.
But I see the next Asian Cup (China) is as early as June next year. So are AFC planning a Nations League to start after that? Before their Stage 1 WC qualifying presumably starts sometime 2024?
With this idea OFC basically as it is now. No change to OFC WC qualifying. It's just that in the first 2 years of a 4 year cycle (normally a wasteland for the AWs of a few friendlies) there would actually be meaningful games played including in NZ. And that’s the big bonus, actual good quality games in NZ! Games that hopefully mean something as AWs try to make the final of their division or avoid relegation to next division down. You may not get ever Euro based player making themselves available, all the time. But you’d get most, esp since so few of them have now played a big game in NZ for the AWs. Nov 2017 is already a long time ago
Note pre Covid Infantino/FIFA were very very keen on this Global Nations League format. With 8 top teams from the various Nations League meeting for their own mini WC tourney (basically replacing the Confeds Cup). There were some mystery backers (same backers as proposed expanded 32 team CWC) offering huge cash. So FIFA very keen, but to make it work all the Confederations need to have their own Nations League. CONMEBOL, AFC & OFC as yet don't have them.
And of course lately the talk has been of a biennial WC, which hopefully is just talk, as that still won't bring the AWs to NZ any more often - which is really what well want.