Olympic (Chatham Cup winners) verus Auckland City (National League winners) again? Would have to be played early season with Champions League kicking off in late March in the Solomons.
Three teams will contest the OFC Men’s Champions League – Qualifying 2025 tournament, to be held in the Cook Islands from February 8-14 – Royal Puma FC of American Samoa, Vaipuna SC of Samoa and Tupapa Maraerenga FC of Cook Islands.
The winner will advance to the OFC Men’s Champions League 2025, which will take place in Solomon Islands, from March 30 to April 12.
Olympic (Chatham Cup winners) verus Auckland City (National League winners) again? Would have to be played early season with Champions League kicking off in late March in the Solomons.
Three teams will contest the OFC Men’s Champions League – Qualifying 2025 tournament, to be held in the Cook Islands from February 8-14 – Royal Puma FC of American Samoa, Vaipuna SC of Samoa and Tupapa Maraerenga FC of Cook Islands.
The winner will advance to the OFC Men’s Champions League 2025, which will take place in Solomon Islands, from March 30 to April 12.
Usually it's the grand finalists of the League that do the playoff - so should be Birkenhead and Auckland City
Last year Chch Utd won the Chatham Cup and weren't in the playoff
Twitter post from Auckland City earlier today saying they will be NZ's representative at next year's OFC Champions League
So NZ Football must've scrapped the playoff and just awarded it to the Grand Final champions? or Birko decided they're not interested?
I imagine Wellington Olympic will feel a bit hard done by if NZ Football have decided to do away with the playoff as they would've qualified for this year's Champions League if this was done last year
Just going back to my post from sending month or so ago - Does anyone know why Auckland City got automatic entry to the OCL this year rather than having to do a playoff as in previous years?
There didn't seem to be any word prior to the GF that there was no playoff this year - I know the Niche Cache talked about it as if there would be one in an article or podcast of theirs.
The only thing I can think of is that Birkenhead didn't want to contest a playoff for whatever reason - could be financial, or maybe they're expecting a player exodus they wouldn't be able to fill by Feb/March or whenever the playoff would have been.
The only thing I can think of is that Birkenhead didn't want to contest a playoff for whatever reason - could be financial, or maybe they're expecting a player exodus they wouldn't be able to fill by Feb/March or whenever the playoff would have been.
It looks like the National Playoffs are optional in 2025. (They were not in 2023 and 2024 hence the two ACFC vs Wellington Olympic ties) New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia and Solomon Islands don't appear to be running one while Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Tahiti seem to be running one.
Make it a 12 team comp and allowing runner ups to enter like they used to! Small enough to keep it a centralised tournament still. Associations 1-3 get 2 teams, associations 4-7 get 1 team, associations 8-11 get 1 team in the qualifying stage (of which 2 qualify). Create an actual league coefficient/ranking system like in other confeds. Just my idea.
Yes but fully professional outfits (pseudo Island national teams even) stand less chance of being embarrassed by Bayern, Benfica & Boca Juniors than amateurs.
The new expanded CWC is a tougher tourney than previous versions, where the European champion went straight through to the semis. FIFA doesn't want 10 goal plus scorelines.
Better to expand the Champions league then and add the Pro league teams in with the respective domestic league winners. It shouldn't be a closed shop in my opinion, any domestic champion should have a pathway to the CWC & Intercontinental cup
The OFC Professional League will become the qualifying pathway for Oceania’s representative at the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the newly formatted, quadrennial 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
This year's OCL champion will likely still get Intercontinental Cup qualification, maybe the 2026 OCL champion too depending on when an OPL champion is crowned.
But yeah it will very much ruin ACFC's business model either way - if they don't enter the OPL then no more CWC for them, but if they do enter then surely they will no longer qualify for the pokie money anymore - could be risky to go pro and lose the pokie money if they don't end up winning the OPL
Significant upset in qualifiers! Tupapa Maraerenga beat Vaipuna 2-1 and qualify! Last two years they lost 7-1 and 4-0 to the Samoan champs, but this time qualify! First Cook Islands team to make it since 2022, and first Samoan team to get knocked out in qualifiers since 2012-13
Especially a surprise after Vaipuna had beaten Royal Puma 4-0 and Tupapa had drawn with the same team 3-3.
I kind of feel like if the Phoenix/Auck will only enter their "2nd" teams, then the NZ places should go to Auckland City etc to increase our number of clubs playing pro.
Having A-League reserve teams in this league would immediately deligitimise it. While it's very unlikely to ever rival the A-League in quality or finances, having Auckland or Wellington Reserves involved means it can only ever be inferior, never mind the Champions League/Club World Cup complications those clubs bring.
Tiga beat Rewa 4-2, slightly surprising result, Rewa had a red card and Tiga scored a flurry of quick goals to take it out to 4-1.
Auckland City beat Pirae 1-0. Manickum scoring on the rebound late in first half. AC managed the second half well enough but conceded a pen, young keeper saved on debut. But could have scored a second goal really.
Thats some stadium they have in Honiara. Chinese govt money i believe. Do they want to build something on Auckland? LOL
It's very controversial in the Solomons. Split the country somewhat. Taiwan had previously been a big sponsor in SI, but their big neighbour has taken their place.
I guess the Chinese found more govt ministers to bribe, by way of a secret Swiss/Panama bank account.
This geo political power play stuff in the Pacific, explains Australia's involvement in the new OFC professional league.
Ifira Black Bird cruise to 3-0 win against Tupapa Maraerenga - pretty expected.
Hekari United dominate the hosts Central Coast 3-0 - very impressive indeed (esp considering the power of home advantage in the OFC) and should mean they'll feature in the knockouts.
Good game so far this, 0-0 at half time. Pirae started the brighter but Rewa have shifted momentum since, their striker Orobulu (from Solomon Islands) had some good chances and they might be a bit disappointed not to be ahead at HT.
Very scrappy and tense game as you'd expect with both teams having lost their opening game.
Injury to Piraes keeper meant a big break and then 23 added minutes on the 90, in about the 100th Pirae won and scored a penalty and it ends 1-0.
Rewa are all but eliminated; they need to beat Auckland City AND have Tiga beat both Auckland City and Pirae AND finish above ACFC and Pirae on goal difference.
Todays results: 1-1 draw between Ifira and Hekari while Central Coast thrashed Tupapa 7-0.
Hekari will surely beat Tupapa so they're through and will probably top the group, meaning Auckland City likely play either Ifira or Central Coast (who play next with Central Coast needing to win and Ifira only needing a draw)
