OFC U-16/U-17 Championship

The OFC U-16 Championship is a biennial football tournament for players under the age of 16. The tournament decides the only two qualification spots for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and its representatives at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years.

OFC U-16/U-17 Championship

Organising body	OFC
Founded	1983
Region	Oceania
Number of teams	11
Current champions	New Zealand (10th title)
Most successful team(s)	Australia  New Zealand (10 titles each)
2024 OFC U-16 Championship

Between 1983 and 2017, the tournament was open to teams under-17 years of age and was called the OFC U-17 Championship. Since 2018, the age limit was reduced to under 16 years of age, the tournament is called the OFC U-16 Championship.

Eligible teams

All member nations of the Oceania Football Confederation are allowed to enter a team. Teams that have participated in the tournament so far were:

•  American Samoa
•  Cook Islands
•  Fiji
•  New Caledonia
•  New Zealand
•  Papua New Guinea
•  Samoa
•  Solomon Islands
•  Tahiti
•  Tonga
•  Vanuatu
•  Australia (member of AFC since 2007)
•  Chinese Taipei (member of AFC since 1989)

Results

The list of winners:^[1]

U17 format

Edition	Year	Host		Final				Third Place Match
				Champion	Score	Second Place		Third Place	Score	Fourth Place
1	1983 Details	Auckland, New Zealand		Australia	Round robin	New Zealand		Chinese Taipei	Round robin	New Caledonia
2	1986	Kaohsiung, Taiwan		Australia	Round robin	New Zealand		Chinese Taipei	Round robin	Papua New Guinea
3	1989	Australia		Australia	Round robin	New Zealand		Chinese Taipei	Round robin	Fiji
4	1991 Details	Napier, New Zealand		Australia	Round robin	New Zealand		Fiji	Round robin	No fourth place[2]
5	1993	New Zealand		Australia	3–0	Solomon Islands		New Zealand	unknown	Fiji
6	1995	Vanuatu		Australia	1–0	New Zealand		Vanuatu	3–0	Solomon Islands
7	1997	New Zealand		New Zealand	1–0	Australia		Solomon Islands	3–0	Fiji
8	1999	Ba & Nadi, Fiji		Australia	5–0	Fiji		Solomon Islands	unknown	New Caledonia
9	2001 Details	Apia, Samoa & Port Vila, Vanuatu		Australia	3–0 6–0 (9–0) two-legged match	New Zealand
10	2003 Details	Pago Pago, American Samoa, Sunshine Coast, Australia [3] & Nouméa, New Caledonia		Australia	3–1 4–0 (7–1) two-legged match	New Caledonia
11	2005 Details	New Caledonia		Australia	1–0	Vanuatu		Solomon Islands	3–1	New Caledonia
12	2007 Details	Pirae, Tahiti		New Zealand	Round robin	Tahiti		Fiji	Round robin	New Caledonia
13	2009 Details	Auckland, New Zealand		New Zealand	Round robin	Tahiti		New Caledonia	Round robin	Vanuatu
14	2011 Details	Albany, New Zealand		New Zealand	2–0	Tahiti		Solomon Islands	2–0	Vanuatu
15	2013 Details	Luganville, Vanuatu		New Zealand	Round robin	New Caledonia		Vanuatu	Round robin	Fiji
16	2015 Details	Apia, Samoa & Pago Pago, American Samoa		New Zealand	1–1 (5–4 pen.)	Tahiti		Vanuatu	6–0	New Caledonia
17	2017 Details	Papeete, Tahiti		New Zealand	7–0	New Caledonia
	2021 Details	TBC, Fiji		Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[4]
18	2023 Details	Suva & Ba, Fiji		New Zealand	1–0	New Caledonia		Tahiti	3–0	Fiji

U16 format

Edition	Year	Host		Final				Third Place Match
				Champion	Score	Second Place		Third Place	Score	Fourth Place
1	2018 Details	Honiara, Solomon Islands[5]		New Zealand	0–0 (5–4 pen.)	Solomon Islands [note 1]		Tahiti	2–1	Fiji
2	2024 Details	Papeete, Tahiti		New Zealand	3–1	Fiji		New Caledonia	1–1 (5–4 pen.)	Tahiti

Notes

1. The Solomon Islands, which originally finished second in the 2018 OFC U-16 Championship, were found by the OFC to have deliberately fielded overage player Chris Satu during the tournament. As a result, they had forfeited all results and their place in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.^[6] The decision was appealed by the Solomon Islands Football Federation, and the OFC Executive Committee decided to uphold the appeal on the grounds that the federation had not knowingly broken the rules as Satu had a government issued passport showing his eligibility.^[7]

Performances by country

Team	Titles	Runners-up	Third place	Fourth place
New Zealand	10 (1997*, 2007, 2009*, 2011*, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024)	6 (1983*, 1986, 1989, 1991*, 1995, 2001)	1 (1993*)	—
Australia	10 (1983, 1986, 1989*, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003*, 2005)	1 (1997)	—	—
Tahiti	—	4 (2007*, 2009, 2011, 2015)	2 (2018, 2023)	1 (2024)
New Caledonia	—	4 (2003*, 2013, 2017, 2023)	2 (2009, 2024)	5 (1983, 1999, 2005*, 2007, 2015)
Solomon Islands	—	2 (1993, 2018*)	4 (1997, 1999, 2005, 2011)	1 (1995)
Fiji	—	2 (1999*, 2024)	2 (1991, 2007)	6 (1989, 1993, 1997, 2013, 2018, 2023)
Vanuatu	—	1 (2005)	3 (1995*, 2013*, 2015)	2 (2009, 2011)
Chinese Taipei	—	—	3 (1983, 1986*, 1989)	—
Papua New Guinea	—	—	—	1 (1986)

* = As hosts

Note: no third or fourth place finishes in 1991 (no fourth place finish only), 2001, 2003 and 2017.

Participating nations

Legend

• 1st – Champions
• 2nd – Runners-up
• 3rd – Third place
• 4th – Fourth place
• SF – Semi-finalists
• GS – Group stage
• PR – Preliminary Round
•  ×  – Did not participate
•  ×  – Withdrew
•      – Hosts
•      – Not affiliated to OFC
• Q – Qualified for upcoming tournament

Team	1983	1986	1989	1991	1993	1995	1997	1999	2001	2003	2005	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015	2017	2018	2023	Total
American Samoa	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	GS	GS	GS	×	×	×	GS	PR	GS	PR	PR	GS	9
Australia	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	AFC member								11
Chinese Taipei	3rd	3rd	3rd	AFC member																3
Cook Islands	×	×	×	×	×	×	GS	GS	×	GS	GS	×	×	GS	GS	GS	PR	PR	QF	10
Fiji	GS	GS	4th	3rd	4th	GS	4th	2nd	GS	GS	GS	3rd	×	GS	4th	GS	GS	4th	4th	18
New Caledonia	4th	×	×	×	×	×	×	4th	×	2nd	4th	4th	3rd	GS	2nd	4th	2nd	GS	2nd	12
New Zealand	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd	3rd	2nd	1st	×	2nd	GS	×	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	17
Papua New Guinea	×	4th	×	×	×	×	×	GS	GS	×	GS	×	×	GS	GS	GS	SF	GS	×	9
Samoa	×	×	×	×	×	×	GS	GS	GS	GS	×	×	×	×	PR	GS	GS	GS	QF	9
Solomon Islands	×	×	×	×	2nd	4th	3rd	3rd	GS	GS	3rd	×	×	3rd	×	GS	SF	2nd	×	11
Tahiti	GS	×	×	×	GS	×	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	2nd	2nd	2nd	×	2nd	GS	3rd	3rd	14
Tonga	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	GS	GS	GS	GS	×	×	GS	PR	GS	PR	PR	QF	10
Vanuatu	×	×	GS	×	GS	3rd	GS	GS	GS	GS	2nd	×	4th	4th	3rd	3rd	GS	GS	QF	15

Men's U-17 World Cup Qualifiers

Legend

• 1st – Champions
• 2nd – Runners-up
• 3rd – Third place
• 4th – Fourth place
• QF – Quarterfinals
• R2 – Round 2
• R1 – Round 1
•      – Hosts
•      – Not affiliated to OFC
• Q – Qualified for upcoming tournament

Team	1985	1987	1989	1991	1993	1995	1997	1999	2001	2003	2005	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015	2017	2019	2023	2025	Total
Australia	QF	QF	R1	QF	QF	QF		2nd	QF	R1	R1	AFC member									10
Fiji																				Q	1
New Caledonia																	R1		R1	Q	3
New Zealand							R1	R1				R1	R2	R2	R1	R2	R1	R1	R1	Q	11
Solomon Islands																		R1			1

References

1. "Oceania U-17 World Cup Qualifiers". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
2. Only three teams took part in the competition that year (Oceania Preliminary Competition for the U-17 World Cup 1991)
3. Solomon Islands were originally selected as the host nation for Group B of the tournament, but agreed to move the Group to Australia due to safety concerns. (Oceania Preliminary Competition for the U-17 World Cup 2003)
4. "OFC confirms schedule changes". Oceania Football Confederation. 4 March 2021.
5. "OFC Competition calendar set for 2018". Oceania Football Confederation. 31 October 2017.
6. "OFC Disciplinary Committee releases decision on eligibility". Oceania Football Confederation. 16 February 2019.
7. "Solomon Islands player eligibility appeal upheld". Oceania Football Confederation. 4 May 2019.

External links

• OFC Official Website