Oceania’s journey to the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup begins in Samoa on Friday, when four OFC nations meet in Apia to determine who will advance to the region’s group stage.
Hosts Samoa are joined by American Samoa, Cook Islands and Tonga, with only one side able to take their place in Group B when qualifying continues in Fiji and Vanuatu next month.
Main photo: Rival coaches (from left) Shani Simpson (American Samoa) Kilifi Vele (Tonga) Jess Ibrom (Samoa) and Tuka Tisam (Cook Islands). Photo credit: OFC Media / Phototek.
They and seven more Oceania nations, including New Zealand, are chasing the dream of reaching the World Cup finals to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Opening the action on Friday at the Football Federation Samoa Football Stadium will be Cook Islands and Tonga, with the winner advancing to meet either American Samoa or Samoa in the final match on Monday.
Cook Islands: ‘Ready to go’
Cook Islands coach Tuka Tisam is taking charge of the men’s team for the first time and is confident his side’s preparation will put them in good stead as they look to overcome Tonga and keep their World Cup dream alive.
“The boys are very excited for this upcoming match against Tonga. The excitement is there; they can feel the pressure that’s coming, so they’ll be excited for this first game.
“The boys just have to go out there and play. All the training, all the work has been done by management, so I think they’re ready to go on match day,” Tisam said.
Tonga: ‘Planning is the key’
On the opposite bench on Friday morning will be Kilifi Uele. The Tongan coach has built a squad from talent based around the region but is happy with what he has at his disposal.
“For us, the officials and the team, we’re all very excited for this World Cup campaign.
“I think the key is our planning process that we follow. We’re here now, so we’re looking forward to it and so excited,” he said.
The second match on Friday sees hosts Samoa take on American Samoa.
Neither nation participated in Oceania qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup 2022, making this year the first time in almost a decade that either side has embarked on a campaign.
American Samoa: ‘We’re slowly getting there’
Shani Simpson is coaching an American Samoa squad that has a mix of experience and youth and he feels this could benefit his side as they look to upset the odds in Apia.
“Half of the squad — the veteran players — is slowly realising the magnitude of what we’re doing here.
“The younger players, you know, they’re young, they’re ignorant, they’re enthusiastic, they know the World Cup but the veteran players know the reality of it — they understand the emotions, the pressure, the significance of one mistake or one successful idea and we’re slowly, as a group, getting there,” Simpson said.
Samoa: ‘A defining experience for us’
Leading the host nation is Jess Ibrom, returning to work for Football Federation Samoa after a stint coaching the Cook Islands. Ibrom is aware of the additional pressure for his team that comes with being hosts.
“It’s a defining experience to have this World Cup qualification campaign here in Apia, Samoa. It’s been a long time coming for varying reasons, mostly COVID, so we’re really looking forward to this one.
“We’ve got a number of players who have been through a number of campaigns, Pacific Games, OFC Nations Cup etc. You know, we’ve got a good blend of younger players, more experienced players, like Andrew Setefano, who’s been through this a number of times.
“World Cup qualification is the pinnacle event for any country, so we understand what it means to the people of Samoa, and we’ll be working really hard to represent the country very well tomorrow,” Ibrom said.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first with a guaranteed qualification spot for an Oceania side after a restructuring of the tournament format to 48 participating teams.
The runners-up in the Oceania qualifiers in March 2025 will get a second chance to reach the finals, going into the FIFA Intercontinental play-off tournament.
Acknowledgement
We thank OFC Media for providing information for this story.
Fixtures
Games to be played on Friday September 6, 2024
OFC Men’s World Cup qualifiers
Cook Islands v Tonga
Football Federation Samoa Football Stadium, Apia, 10am (NZT)
American Samoa v Samoa
Football Federation Samoa Football Stadium, Apia, 2pmm (NZT)
How the qualification process works
Round One
OFC’s four lowest-ranked teams, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga, decides which team progresses to the next round, joining nations in Group B.
The FIFA World Cup official draw held in Zurich in July determined two groups of four:
Group A
- New Caledonia
- Papua New Guinea
- Solomon Islands
- Fiji
Group B
- New Zealand
- Tahiti
- Vanuatu
- Winners of round 1
Round Two
The FIFA international window in October will see Suva, Fiji host Group A matches and Port Vila, Vanuatu host Group B matches.
Make a note in your diary for Thursday October 10, for back-to-back matches in Suva with New Caledonia playing Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands meeting Fiji in Group A.
The next day, New Zealand and Tahiti meet in Port Vila and on Saturday October 12, VFF Freshwater Stadium will be packed to the rafters as Vanuatu play the winner of Round One.
The group stage will be completed during November’s FIFA international window, with New Zealand and Papua New Guinea hosting the final round of matches, after which the top two teams will advance to the semi-finals.
Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea will host Match Day 4 in Group A on Thursday November 14 and Match Day 5 on Sunday November 17.
FMG Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand, will host Match Day 4 in Group B on Friday November 15 and Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, in Auckland will host Match Day 5 on Monday November 18.
Semi-finals and final
The Oceania Qualifiers will conclude in New Zealand during the March 2025 FIFA international window and determine which side qualifies directly for the FIFA World Cup.
The winner of Group A will face the runner-ups of Group B and the winner of Group B will face the runner-ups of Group A in the semi-finals, on Friday March 21, before the two winners meet in what shapes to be one of the biggest matches in OFC history on Monday March 24, with the winner earning direct entry to the FIFA World Cup.
The runners-up will earn a second chance to qualify for the FIFA World Cup via the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff – a six-nation tournament to determine the final two qualifying teams.
This story was first published on September 5, 2024.
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