Vanuatu head coach Juliano Schmeling has reacted positively to drawing New Zealand in their FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifying group.
“Having another match against New Zealand will be magical, and we need to take this opportunity to grow and improve,” Schmeling told OFC Media.
Vanuatu faced New Zealand twice at the 2024 OFC Nations Cup, losing both times.
“We are coming from our first game 4-0, then the final 3-0, so why not now get prepared to perform even better from our previous two matches,” Schmeling said.
Main photo: Vanuatu’s Juliano Schmeling … ‘magical’ to face the All Whites again. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.
New Zealand will contest Group B of the OFC qualifiers series with Vanuatu, Tahiti and the winner of a preliminary round between Cook Islands, Tonga, American Samoa and Samoa.
Meanwhile, coaches of teams in Group A are optimistic about their chances.
“It’s an exciting group which I think all teams would see as a challenge and an opportunity. We are looking forward to the qualifiers as they are a unique opportunity for the OFC nations,” said Fiji coach Rob Sherman.
Papua New Guinea underperformed at last month’s OFC Nations Cup, but Kapuls coach Warren Moon is positive.
“It’s a great group for us given where we are at on our journey. Whilst it will be a tough challenge it’s not out of the realms of possibility that if we play our way and get it right, we can beat any of these teams on our day,” Moon said.
New Caledonia withdrew from the OFC Nations Cup following the recent civil unrest in the country. However, their coach, Johann Sidaner, is optimistic his side will be competitive.
“It’s a tough group, each confrontation will be a challenge,” Sidaner said.
“The selectors will approach this group stage like the other nations, with the desire to qualify or the semi-finals. To do this we will have to be consistent and rely on the strength that the team has gained during victories at the Pacific Games.
“The team can’t wait to get together again, return to football stadiums and compete,” Sidaner said.
The Solomon Islands are the top seeds in Group A, and caretaker coach Moses Toata says that’s already a positive step for them.
“Fiji, PNG, and New Caledonia are all strong teams. Recent results have shown that we cannot take their challenge lightly,” he said.
“Our ranking does not guarantee our strength; we must build a cohesive team and maximize our performance potential.
“Fiji has been consistent over the last five years and has a good coach in Rob Sherman. They will be looking to excel in the qualifiers. Our preparation is key, and we must leverage our seeded status to our advantage. Training starts next week,” Toata said.
FIFA World Cup OFC qualifying draw
Group A
- Solomon Islands
- Fiji
- New Caledonia
- Papua New Guinea
Group B
- New Zealand
- Tahiti
- Vanuatu
- Winner round 1
Round 1 fixtures
# indicates OFC order of rankings
- Cook Islands (#8) v Tonga (#11)
- American Samoa (#9) v Samoa (#10)
Winners of those games will meet to decide who goes through to Group B.
The qualifying tournament will be played in Apia, Samoa in September.
Qualifying series format
Each country will play every opponent in the group once in matches staged in October and November, with the top two teams from each group progressing to semi-final ties in March 2025.
The Group A winners will play the Group B runners-up and Group B winners will play the Group A runners-up. The winners of those matches will then go head-to-head for the first-ever guaranteed ticket to a FIFA World Cup for an OFC nation.
The runner-up in that contest will progress to the FIFA intercontinental play-off tournament and a chance to give Oceania an historic second FIFA World Cup representative in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026.
Match dates
Dates and venues for the Oceania FIFA World Cup qualifiers have yet to be confirmed.
Acknowledgement
We are grateful for the help of OFC Media in providing information for this story.
This story was first published on July 20, 2024.
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