New season of the glorious OFC Champions League brings (another) new format of the competition. There are four stages of the competition: preliminary stage, group stage, semi final, final. Preliminary stage stay as it was in last few seasons: champions of four lowest countries will play in round-robin tournament with, as of this season, two teams progress on to the next stage. Group stage sees the increase in number of teams - instead of 12, there will be 16 teams: 2 from preliminary round + two each from remaining (top) seven nations. But, there's another change: each group will be hosted by one of it's clubs! This scheme looks like one CFU use in it's tournaments. Group winners progress on to semi final. Semi final and final will be played on home-away basis. I think I already wrote here they could take a look at CFU and their way. I am happy, more teams included, more cities and countries get to see the games, more teams play at home. Everyone profits from this! Auckland City is the defending champions, having won their world record-breaking sixth consecutive continental title (seventh total).
According to Wikipedia, 8 of the 14 clubs that start in the Group Stage and 3 of the 4 clubs that start in the Preliminary Stage are known so far.
Just like in Europe, OFC had it's premier competition draw held with seven teams unknown. Qualifying Stage Cook Islands Winner (COK) Utulei Youth FC (ASA) Lupe Ole Soaga (SAM) Veitongo FC (TGA) Top two teams progress to the next stage, host to be determined, to be played early 2017. Group Stage Group A AS Magenta (NCL) Hekari United (PNG) AS Central Sport (TAH) Qualifying Stage Runner-Up Group B Team Wellington (NZL) Fiji Winner (FIJ) Hienghene Sport (NCL) Qualifying Stage Winner Group C Auckland City FC (NZL) Vanuatu Winner (VAN) Lae City Dwellers (PNG) Solomon Islands Runner-Up (SOL) Group D AS Tefana (TAH) Solomon Islands Winner (SOL) Fiji Runner-Up (FIJ) Vanuatu Runner-Up (VAN) Hosts of each group to be determined. Groups A and B to be played in 25 February - 4 March window and groups C and D 11 - 18 March window. Group winners progress to the semi-final stage.
Starting with the Playoff Round, all the draws for the UEFA Champions League are done after all the clubs are known. The only rounds of the UEFA Champions League with draws done before all the clubs are known are Qualifying Round 2 and Qualifying Round 3. Qualifying Round 1 and Qualifying Round 2 have their draws done at the same time. The clubs that start in Qualifying Round 1 have no chance at reaching the Group Stage, and I don't think it's a big deal to do the draw for Qualifying Round 2 before all the clubs are known. The draw for Qualifying Round 3 is done between the two legs of Qualifying Round 2 and assumes the seeded clubs will all advance from Qualifying Round 2. This can lead to clubs with low coefficients being seeded in Qualifying Round 3 because of who they beat in Qualifying Round 2. For example, in 2013-2014 Shakhtyor Karaganda of Kazakhstan had a 2.941 coefficient. In Qualifying Round 2, they beat BATE Borisov of Belarus, who had a 39.175 coefficient. In Qualifying Round 3 for Champions, Shakhtyor Karaganda was seeded with the second best coefficient of the 20 clubs using the coefficient they borrowed from BATE Borisov. If all the clubs were ranked by their coefficient without borrowing a coefficient from a club they beat, Shakhtyor Karaganda would have had the third worst coefficient of those 20 clubs. Even if a club that is unseeded in Qualifying Round 2 advances three rounds to the Group Stage, that club probably won't get more than a couple of points in the Group Stage.
Group stage hosts named: Magenta will host group A in Noumea, Hienghene Sport will host group B in Kone (both of New Caledonia), while Auckland City and Tefana (in Papeete) will host groups C and D respectively. I expected OFC will spread it into four countries, but this is OK too. Massive step forward. There's still to be decided who will host the Qualifying stage.
Qualifying stage kicked-off today in Tonga. Utulei Youth Lupe o le Soaga 3-4 Veitongo - Puaikura 0-4 Next matches will be played Tuesday: Puaikura - Lupe o le Soaga Veitongo - Utulei Youth Top two teams will qualify to Group stage.
Puaikura - Lupe o le Soaga 2-1 Veitongo - Utulei Youth 3-1 Puaikura 6 Lupe o le Soaga 3 Veitongo 3 Utulei Youth 0 Puaikura qualified to Champions League for the very first time while second qualifier will be known after Lupe o le Soaga - Veitongo clash where Veitongo needs a win to qualify. Puaikura is #1 and will face Team Wellington, Ba and hosts Hienghene Sport.
Hekari, only non AUS/NZL team to win OCL, had been disqualified from OCL due to rows with (what looks like to be) dictatorship in PNGFA/OFC. https://www.oceaniafootball.com/hekari-united-disqualified/
Qualifying stage completed, Lupe o le Soaga qualifies as #2 after 1-1 draw against tournament hosts while Puaikura swept the group. Group Stage Group A AS Magenta (NCL) TO BE DETERMINED (PNG) AS Central Sport (TAH) Lupe o le Soaga (SAM) Group B Team Wellington (NZL) Ba (FIJ) Hienghene Sport (NCL) Puaikura (COK)* Group C Auckland City FC (NZL) Malampa Revivors (VAN)* Lae City Dwellers (PNG) Western United (SOL) Group D AS Tefana (TAH) Marist Fire (SOL) Rewa (FIJ)* Erakor Golden Star (VAN)* * competition proper debut Competition continues in 25 Feb - 4 March window with matches in groups A and B (both to be hosted by NCL teams in Noumea and Kone respectively). Other two groups will be played 11 - 28 March.
Madang of Papua New Guinea will replace Hekari in group A. This is their debut so each of four groups have one team set for their CL debut.
Team Wellington is in trouble finding funds for travel to New Caledonia so they made public appeal. They look to get 25k dollars. Their group starts this weekend.
Group A, day 1 Madang Fox - Central 3-7 Lupe Ole Soaga - Magenta 1-2 Magenta and Central play each other on Tuesday (20:05 local time), Central has it all in their hands - better goal-differential, weaker opponent on last day. Group B, day 1 Puaikura - Team Wellington 1-4 Ba - Hienghene 1-1 Wellington faces Hienghene on Wednesday, Ba faces Wellington on Saturday. Both groups are being hosted by New Caledonia and are played on different days.
Group A, day 2 Lupe Ole Soaga - Madang Fox 3-4 Magenta - Central 4-2 Hosts sit atop with 6 points, face Madang tomorrow and need a point to qualify. Group B, day 2 Puaikura - Ba 0-1 Team Wellington - Hienghene 3-1 Team Wellington and Ba will face off in "final", day after tomorrow, where Ba needs a win to qualify - Wellington qualifies if they win/draw. Wellington won each of their eight group stage matches in the competition.
Magenta qualifies from group A with Team Wellington winning group B. Magenta trashed Madang 5-0, Wellington destroyed Ba by astonishing 8-0. Next two groups start next weekend in Auckland City and Pirae, Tahiti.
Auckland City came back to beat Western United 2:1. Auckland City scored the winner in the 86th minute after Western United got a red card in the 79th minute.
Auckland City qualified to semifinals. One team to qualify left - Tefana or Marist Fire. Tefana has 6 pts, Marist has 3 pts. They play each other. If Erakor win their match, Marist has to win by at least two goals, else they need just to win. I hope draw sets Auckland - Wellington semifinal, it would be boring to see another final between them (it would be third time in a row).
Auckland City clinched first place with 11-0 rout of Malampa Revivors - new biggest win of the Champions League era. Tefana and Marist drew 2-2 so Tefana qualified to semis. Semifinalists are: Magenta (New Caledonia) Team Wellington and Auckland City (New Zealand) Tefana (Tahiti) I'd love to see Kiwi derby in semis.
It was too easy: Auckland will face Tefana while Team Wellington will face Magenta. Both NZL teams will host second legs. Winner of Tefana - ACFC hosts first leg of the final.
I think OFC staff don't want to grow up the competition )) How can be possible that both NZL clubs to play second leg home? another NZL final? Wait for 3rd NZL team in OCL or an invitation for australian clubs ... to put some problems for Auckland City and Team Wellington/Waitakere United in this competition.
Auckland City - Team Wellington 3-0 Auckland has one hand and four fingers on seventh consecutive continental title. "Disgusting" domination.
It would nice to have Team Wellington to clinch it back but somehow I doubt it with Auckland City's possession game. The Auckland team has a really good coach.