15 months till the All Whites first qualifying games (doubling as OFC Nations Cup games) for Russia 2012.
The new All Whites manager will have 13 months from his first game in charge vs. Uzbekistan in September until the first World Cup qualifier October 2015. Then follows a 13 month qualification campaign. Lets hope 13 is not an unlucky number....
Exciting times! Hope the AW's can get in plenty more friendlies before October next year.
Anyone know when or if OFC will decide to implement the amendment to qualifying at the Stage 3 and 4 semis and finals as below?
OFC World Cup / Nations Cup Schedule:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticl...
The 2018 FIFA World Cup™ Qualifying Tournament will double up as the OFC Nations Cup and will be organised as follows:
Stage 1 Preliminary Round 4 teams, round robin, central tournament (Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga)
Stage 2 Group Stage 8 teams, 2 groups, 6 home-and-away matches per team (Winner above + NZ, Fiji, New Caledonia, PNG, Solomons, Tahiti, Vanuatu)
Stage 3 Semi-Finals 4 teams, 2 home-and-away matches per team
Stage 4 Final 2 teams, 2 home-and-away matches per team
Seeding and groups to be confirmed by regulation.
Stage 1 – Preliminary Round
Venue TBC
Dates 8-16 June 2015
Teams American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga
Format Round robin – League system
Qualification The winner qualifies to Stage 2
Stage 2 – Group Stage
Dates Match Day 1 and 2 5-13 October 2015
Match Day 3 and 4 21-29 March 2016
Match Day 5 and 6 30 May – 7 June 2016
Format 2 groups of 4 teams playing a round robin, home-and-away basis
Qualification The winner and runner-up of each group qualifies to Stage 3
Stage 3 – Semi-Finals
Dates 29 August – 6 September 2016
Format Group winners will be paired up with runners-up to play 2 matches on home-and-away basis
Qualification The winner of each semi-final series qualifies to Stage 4
Stage 4 – Finals
Dates 7-18 November 2016
Format 2 semi-final winners will play 2 matches on home-and-away basis
Qualification The winner of the final playoff series qualifies for both the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 and 2018 FIFA World Cup™ Intercontinental Playoff in November 2017.
Stage 3 – Group Stage Finals
Dates Match Day 1 and 2 29 August/6 September 2016
Match Day 3 and 4 3-11 October
Match Day 5 and 6 7-18 November
Format Group winners will play each other on home-and-away league system basis
Qualification The winner of the league qualifies for the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 (as the OFC Nations Cup winner) and 2018 FIFA World Cup™ Intercontinental Playoff in November 2017.
Russia 2018 not Russia 2012