2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup qualification
The 2024 OFC Nations Cup qualifying round served as qualification for the 2024 OFC Nations Cup. This tournament marked the first time since 2002 that qualification for the OFC Nations Cup was not held in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for OFC. Tonga was confirmed as qualification hosts on 1 December 2023.[1] The tournament took place from 20 to 26 March 2024.
Format
Three teams played a single round-robin tournament held in Tonga. All matches were held at the Teufaiva Sport Stadium in Nuku'alofa. The winner qualifies for the 2024 OFC Nations Cup, to join the other seven teams which received byes into the group stage.
Entrants
Three teams entered qualification. This edition marks the first time since the 1996 edition that American Samoa will not enter the tournament.[2] Numbers in brackets refer to each team's ranking in the December 2023 FIFA World Rankings.[3]
| Entering qualification | Did not enter qualification | Ineligible as associate member |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows.
| Matchday | Date |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 20 March 2024 |
| Matchday 2 | 23 March 2024 |
| Matchday 3 | 26 March 2024 |
Venue
2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup qualification (Tonga) |
Nuku'alofa |
|---|---|
| Teufaiva Sport Stadium | |
| Capacity: 10,000 | |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samoa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 1–0 | — | |
| 2 | Cook Islands | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | — | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Tonga (H) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | 1–4 | — | — |
Matches
| Samoa | 1–0 | Cook Islands |
|---|---|---|
| Taualai 88' | Report |
| Cook Islands | 1–0 | Tonga |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament[upper-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanuatu[upper-alpha 2] | Host | 1 December 2023 | 9 (1973, 1980, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) |
| Fiji | Automatic qualification | 24 January 2024 | 8 (1973, 1980, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) |
| New Caledonia | 24 January 2024 | 6 (1973, 1980, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2016) | |
| New Zealand | 24 January 2024 | 10 (1973, 1980, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) | |
| Papua New Guinea | 24 January 2024 | 4 (1980, 2002, 2012, 2016) | |
| Solomon Islands | 24 January 2024 | 7 (1980, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2016) | |
| Tahiti | 24 January 2024 | 9 (1973, 1980, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2016) | |
| Samoa | Qualifying winner | 23 March 2024 | 2 (2012, 2016) |
- Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
- From 1973 and 1980, Vanuatu competed as New Hebrides.
Goalscorers
There were 7 goals scored in 3 matches, for an average of 2.33 goals per match.
2 goals
1 goal
- Taylor Saghabi
- Ethan Stowers
- Va'a Taualai
- Dilo Tumua
- Kulisitofa Kite
Source: OFC[4]
References
- "OFC Competitions Calender Confirmed for 2024". Oceania Football. December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- "Draws Finalised for OFC Men's Nations Cup and Qualifying Tournament". Oceania Football. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- "Men's Ranking". FIFA.com. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- "OFC Men's Nations Cup 2024 - Qualifying". Oceania Football. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- "Match Report of Tonga vs Samoa - 2024-03-20 - OFC Nations Cup - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
- "Match Report of Samoa vs Cook Islands - 2024-03-22 - OFC Nations Cup - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
- "Match Report of Cook Islands vs Tonga - 2024-03-26 - OFC Nations Cup - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-06-22.