2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)
Tournament details
Host countryQatar
Dates17–30 March 2022
Teams7 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)2 (in 1 host city)
Tournament statistics
Matches played11
Goals scored37 (3.36 per match)
Attendance0 (0 per match)
Top scorer(s)New Zealand Chris Wood (5 goals)
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OFC Qualifiers
FIFA World Cup

The Oceanian section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams which are members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). A total of 0.5 slots in the final tournament were available for OFC teams, which equated to one inter-confederation play-off slot.[1]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania, the qualification was held as a centralised tournament in Qatar (host country of the World Cup) from 17 to 30 March 2022.[2]

Format

[edit]

In November 2021, the OFC confirmed the format for the qualifiers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The qualifying stage was to be a single match on 13 March 2022 between the two lowest-ranked participating OFC nations in the FIFA World Rankings, with the winner advancing to the group stage, but Tonga withdrew from the qualification match causing Cook Islands to automatically enter the group stage. Then eight remaining teams were drawn into two groups of four, playing single leg round-robin. The top two teams from each group advanced to a single leg knockout stage. The final winner advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Entrants

[edit]

On 28 July 2020, the OFC confirmed that the qualifications would involve all eleven OFC teams.[4] On 29 November 2021, the date of the group stage draw, FIFA reported that nine of the eleven FIFA-affiliated national teams from the OFC would enter qualification, as American Samoa and Samoa had withdrawn.[2] On 29 January 2022, two months after the group stage draw but two months before the competition was to begin, Tonga also withdrew due to the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami.[5][6] On 19 March 2022, Vanuatu withdrew after the tournament had started due to the majority of players testing positive for COVID-19.[7][8] On 23 March 2022, Cook Islands also withdrew after the tournament had started due to players testing positive for COVID-19.[9]

From the November 2021 FIFA World Rankings[10]
Entering qualification Withdrew before playing
  1.  New Zealand (110)
  2.  Solomon Islands (141)
  3.  New Caledonia (153)
  4.  Tahiti (159)
  5.  Fiji (161)
  6.  Papua New Guinea (164)
  7.  Cook Islands (NR)

Schedule

[edit]

Qualifying was initially expected to begin in September 2020,[11] but many international matches scheduled for the FIFA window in that month were cancelled in June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the inter-confederation play-offs were also moved from March to June 2022.[12]

In November 2020, the OFC announced a further delay in the qualifying process until June 2021.[13]

In March 2021, the confederation announced that this timeframe would not be achievable either, outlining a potential option organise a competition in January 2022, keeping the FIFA International Match Calendar dates in March available for preparation matches ahead of the inter-confederation play-off in June.[14][15] Fiji and New Caledonia were proposed as possible venues.[16]

By September 2021, continued delays meant that the OFC felt it was "not possible at this time to organise a qualifying competition within the Oceania region" and, as an alternative, they requested FIFA's approval for the qualification to be held in Qatar in March 2022.[17][18] This was confirmed by FIFA on 29 November 2021.[2]

Venues

[edit]

The matches were played at two stadiums in the city of Doha.

Doha
class=notpageimage|
Location of the host city of the qualification.
Al-Arabi Stadium
(Grand Hamad Stadium) 		Qatar SC Stadium
(Suheim bin Hamad Stadium)
Capacity: 13,000 Capacity: 15,000

Qualification match

[edit]

A qualification match was due to be held between the two lowest-ranked teams (Tonga and the Cook Islands) to determine the eighth team to compete in the group stage. The match was cancelled after Tonga withdrew due to the effects of the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami; the Cook Islands advanced to the group stage.[5]

Summary

[edit]
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Tonga  Canc.  Cook Islands

Match

[edit]
Tonga Cancelled Cook Islands
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)

Tonga withdrew, and therefore the Cook Islands advanced by walkover.

Group stage

[edit]

The seven highest ranking OFC teams which entered the competition were given a bye to the group stage alongside the winner of the qualification match. The teams were divided into two groups, each containing four teams. Each team played every other team in their group once in a round-robin format, and the winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.[2]

Draw

[edit]

The group stage draw was held in Zürich, Switzerland, on 29 November 2021, 21:00 CET (30 November, 09:00 NZDT).[19][20] The identity of the qualification match winner was not known at the time of the draw. The draw began with pot 2 and finished with pot 1, with teams being allocated to the groups sequentially (firstly A, then B). The first two teams drawn were assigned to position 4, while the next two were assigned to position 3, and the first two from pot 1 to position 2. The two highest ranked teams, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands, were assigned to positions A1 and B1, and were therefore not drawn in the same group.[21]

From the November 2021 FIFA World Rankings[22]
Pot 1 Pot 2
  1.  New Zealand (110)
  2.  Solomon Islands (141)
  3.  New Caledonia (153)
  4.  Tahiti (159)
  1.  Fiji (161)
  2.  Vanuatu (163)
  3.  Papua New Guinea (164)
  4. Qualification match winner

The draw resulted in the following groups:

Group A
Pos Team
A1  Solomon Islands
A2  Tahiti
A3  Vanuatu
A4  Cook Islands [a]
Group B
Pos Team
B1  New Zealand
B2  New Caledonia
B3  Fiji
B4  Papua New Guinea
  1. ^ The identity of the team was not known at the time of the draw.

The fixtures for the group stage were decided based on the draw results, as follows:

Group stage schedule
Matchday Dates Matches
Matchday 1 17–18 March 2022 4 v 1, 2 v 3
Matchday 2 20–21 March 2022 1 v 3, 4 v 2
Matchday 3 24 March 2022 1 v 2, 3 v 4

Group A

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Solomon Islands French Polynesia Vanuatu Cook Islands
1  Solomon Islands 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 3 Advance to final stage — 3–1 Canc. —
2  Tahiti 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 0 — — Canc. —
3  Vanuatu 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[a] — — — Canc.
4  Cook Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0–2[a] Canc. — —
Source: FIFA, OFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Due to COVID-19 outbreaks in their respective squads, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands both withdrew during this stage. The remaining matches involving either team were cancelled, and the result of Cook Islands vs Solomon Islands was excluded from the standings.
Cook Islands Not counted
(0–2)		 Solomon Islands
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
  • Kaua 20'
  • Hou 45+1'
Attendance: 0

The result was eventually excluded from the group standings after the withdrawal of the Cook Islands.[9]

Tahiti Cancelled Vanuatu
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)

The match was cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Vanuatu squad.[23] Vanuatu withdrew on 19 March, resulting in the cancellation of the remaining matches involving them.[7]

Cook Islands Cancelled Tahiti
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)

The match was cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Cook Islands squad.[24] The Cook Islands withdrew on 23 March.[9]

Vanuatu Cancelled Cook Islands
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Solomon Islands 3–1 Tahiti
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0

Due to the withdrawals of the other two teams and the cancellation or nullification of all other matches, this match was played as a single-leg play-off, with provisions for extra time and penalties in the event of a tie after normal time.[9]

Group B

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification New Zealand Papua New Guinea Fiji New Caledonia
1  New Zealand 3 3 0 0 12 1 +11 9 Advance to final stage — — 4–0 7–1
2  Papua New Guinea 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6 0–1 — — 1–0
3  Fiji 3 1 0 2 3 7 −4 3 — 1–2 — —
4  New Caledonia 3 0 0 3 2 10 −8 0 — — 1–2 —
Source: FIFA, OFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Papua New Guinea 0–1 New Zealand
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0
New Caledonia 1–2 Fiji
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0
Papua New Guinea 1–0 New Caledonia
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Joel Hopken (Vanuatu)
New Zealand 4–0 Fiji
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Salman Falahi (Qatar)
New Zealand 7–1 New Caledonia
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0
Fiji 1–2 Papua New Guinea
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0

Final stage

[edit]

In the single-leg matches of the final stage, if a match was level at the end of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes each) to decide the winner. If still tied after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out.[25]

Bracket

[edit]
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
27 March 2022 – Doha (Al-Arabi S.)
 
 
 Solomon Islands3
 
30 March 2022 – Doha (Al-Arabi S.)
 
 Papua New Guinea2
 
 Solomon Islands0
 
27 March 2022 – Doha (Al-Arabi S.)
 
 New Zealand5
 
 New Zealand1
 
 
 Tahiti0
 

New Zealand defeated Solomon Islands 5–0 and advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Semi-finals

[edit]
New Zealand 1–0 Tahiti
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0

Final

[edit]

The final winner advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Solomon Islands 0–5 New Zealand
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 0

Inter-confederation play-off

[edit]
Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–OFC play-off)

The inter-confederation play-offs was determined by a draw held on 26 November 2021. The winner from OFC qualification was drawn against the fourth-placed team from CONCACAF qualification third round.[26] The play-off was played as a single match in Qatar on 14 June 2022.[27]

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Costa Rica  1–0  New Zealand

Goalscorers

[edit]

There were 37 goals scored in 11 matches, for an average of 3.36 goals per match.

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Update on FIFA Club World Cup and OFC preliminary competition for Qatar 2022". FIFA. 29 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Format set for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 OFC preliminary competition". Oceania Football Confederation. 29 November 2021.
  4. ^ OFC Media Officer (28 July 2020). "OFC tournaments update". OFC (Press release). Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Tonga withdraw from FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 OFC preliminary competition". FIFA. 29 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Tonga out of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 OFC preliminary competition following disaster". Oceania Football Confederation. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Vanuatu withdraws from the FIFA World Cup Oceania Qualifiers". Vanuatu Football Federation. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Vanuatu withdraw from Oceania World Cup qualifying; Cook Islands also hit by Covid-19". Stuff. 19 March 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "Update on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Oceania Qualifiers". Oceania Football Confederation. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. ^ "FIFA Men's Rankings – November 2021 (OFC)". FIFA.com. 26 November 2021.
  11. ^ "New Zealand Football successful with bid to host the 2020 OFC Nations Cup". Stuff. 10 January 2020.
  12. ^ "FIFA Council unanimously approves COVID-19 Relief Plan". FIFA.com. 25 June 2020.
  13. ^ "OFC announces schedule changes for early 2021". Oceania Football Confederation. 5 November 2020.
  14. ^ "OFC confirms schedule changes". Oceania Football Confederation. 4 March 2021.
  15. ^ "INTERNATIONAL MATCH CALENDAR 2020–2024" (PDF). FIFA.
  16. ^ "OFC Competitions 2022 Calendar (updated 4/6/2021)" (PDF). Oceania Football Confederation. Fédération Tahitienne de Football. 4 June 2021.
  17. ^ "OFC update on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Oceania Qualifiers". Oceania Football Confederation. 16 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Match schedule set for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 OFC preliminary competition". Oceania Football Confederation. 10 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Date set for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 OFC Preliminary Draw". Oceania Football Confederation. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Date set for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 OFC Preliminary Draw". FIFA. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  21. ^ "OFC Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022: Draw Procedures" (PDF). FIFA. 29 November 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  22. ^ "FIFA Men's Rankings – November 2021 (OFC)". FIFA.com. 26 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Statement on Tahiti v Vanuatu match". Oceania Football Confederation. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Statement on COVID-19 cases impacting FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Oceania Qualifiers – Group A". Oceania Football Confederation. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Regulations FIFA World Cup 2022 Preliminary Competition: Including COVID-19 Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  26. ^ "European and intercontinental play-off draw results and reaction". FIFA. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  27. ^ Allen, William (26 November 2021). "2022 World Cup inter-confederation play-off draw: fixtures and format". as.com. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
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