The Unique Champions League Qualifiers In The Pacific
The UEFA Champions League, the pinnacle of club football, the best if the best battle it out every year to be crowned champions. In the past we have seen the likes of Messi and Ronaldo grace the competition; now we have Haaland and Mbappe. Top players, at the top of their games. If the European competition doesn’t take your fancy there’s always Asian, Africa, South American, and North American competitions to choose from. Little is said about the Oceanic variety of this competition.
Of course, the competition is on a much smaller scale, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; the big names of football are not playing, so less is said about it. However, if you talk to people from the region, a different tale is told. Natives of the Pacific love their Champions League, and all it stands for. Not only is it a place for clubs and players to showcase their talents to the rest of Oceania, but it has also allowed the region to be centre stage on the world stage. Just ask Auckland City, earning that famous 1-1 draw with Argentinian giants Boca Juniors.
OFC Champions League Logo
The Champions League is pretty simple as a concept: win the necessary games to reach the final. Win the final and lift the trophy. Why is this relevant now? It is relevant because the preliminary round of the OFC Champions League has just wrapped up. The scale of the tournament is much smaller than that of its namesakes, with just 11 teams from 11 OFC member associations entering. A preliminary round is followed by the main stage, which consists of two groups of four, seven of which are already decided.
Who Is Competing And Format
Teams from association nations Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu are all awarded one berth each for the group stage. The remaining four associations battle it out for the final berth. American Samoa, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tonga meet in the preliminary round group stages.
The preliminary group format means each team play each other once, with only the team finishing top progressing to the main group stage of the OFC Champions League. The restrictions the OFC faces, however, are mainly travel-based. It is very expensive to have each team travel to each nation, instead all four teams come together at a centralised venue to play out all fixtures, that’s three games in a week.
This season, the centralised venue was Samoa, and all four teams arrived and played fixtures at the same venue. Somewhat a common occurrence in this part of the world. So, what teams participated and how did they fare?
Apia Stadium Samoa
Representing the host nation, we find Vaivase-Tai, from the Cook Islands, represented by Tupapa Maraerenga, American Samoa, represented by Pago Youth and finally, Tonga was represented by Nukuhetulu. All teams play their games on the same day, all on the same pitch, at different times of the day.
Group Stage Results
The opening tie saw hosts Vaivase-Tai take on Pago Youth, the battles of the Samoans. A tightly fought affair with both teams coming away with a respectable point. A point that may have done more damage to each side’s hopes of progression than it did good. The reason being, on the same day, Tupapa faced Nukuhetulu and came away with a comfortable 3-0 victory. One match day complete, and Tupapa of the Cook Islands sit pretty at the top of the standings.
Three days later, the second round of matches was played. The day of draws. Pago Youth and Nukuhetulu battled it out in an entertaining 2-2 draw, a game in which the Tongan outfit scored a 90th-minute equaliser through their captain Unaloto Aho. Again, later in the day, Tupapa and Vaivase-Tai also drew. Another match with late drama, but not in a positive sense; instead of a goal, a red card was shown to Tupapa’s Dallas Rongokea in the 89th minute. Tupapa held on for the last few minutes with 10 men to earn a valuable point and remain at the top of the table going into the third matchday.
The teams had just two days off before they returned to the pitch to play the final games. Tupapa were looking good for progression, sat atop the group with four points whilst Pago Youth and Vaivase-Tai had just two points after back to back draw. Nukuhetulu were bottom with a solitary point with slim chances of progression.
The first game of the final day saw Nukuhetulu face Vaivase-Tai, in what turned out to be the game of the preliminary group. An eight-goal thriller with a red card, any neutral would get excited at a game like this. It was the Samoan hosts that took the points, even though they played the whole second half with ten men. That result ensured that Nukuhetulu were out, and it left the Samoan’s on five points and top of the group; they just needed either a draw or a one-goal winning margin by American Samoan Pago Youth to progress.
The final game kicks off with both sides needing a win, or they will be eliminated. An early strike from Daniel Bunch gave Tupapa the lead, but just 13 minutes later, Joshua Karika was shown a red card. Was this going to be the start of the downfall? Tupapa looked into the face of adversity and said ‘NO’. Instead of defending what they already had, the Cook Islanders pushed forward, scoring twice more in what turned out to be a pretty comfortable 3-0 victory. A result condemning Pago Youth and spectating hopefuls Vaivase-Tai, and seeing Tupapa progress into the main stage of the OFC Champions League.
Preliminary Group Winners Tupapa Maraerenga
Progression And What To Expect
Tupapa can now prepare themselves for entering the group stage proper, which is set to take place in August. Similar to the preliminary group, this group stage proper is also played at a centralised location, this year in Fiji.
Will the Cook Islanders be able to compete for the trophy? Possibly, but the bookies’ favourites will undoubtedly be Auckland City. Perennial winners of the trophy and continuing in the OFC Champions League after declining to join the new OFC Pro League, it looks odds on for the New Zealand outfit to retain their crown.
The decision for Auckland City not to switch to the OFC Pro League after being invited came as a surprise to many. The OFC Pro League has claimed the qualification berth for the FIFA Club World Cup for Oceania, which has removed the possibility of Auckland City representing the region even if they were win the OFC Champions League.
A competition that may be getting overlooked with the introduction of the new Pro League, but a competition with long-standing traditions and one not to be forgotten about.
Written and Researched by BSc Cavan Campbell
