The previous five editions have all brought plenty of drama and excitement and, with the eve of the latest installment just a matter of weeks away, oceaniafootball.com thought it was a good time to take a look back at the history of the tournament.
2007
The structure and title of the competition was altered – it was previously known as the OFC Club Championship and held as a 10-day tournament at one venue – to a home-and-away format featuring two groups of three teams. Group A saw Waitakere United and Auckland City both take comfortable wins over Mont Dore of New Caledonia. Waitakere progressed to the final due to superior goal differential and Fijian club Ba comfortably made it through from Group B. Waitakere qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan on the away goals rule after the aggregate score in the final was locked at 2-2 with Ba. Waitakere went on to lose 3-1 to Iranian team Sepahan at the Club World Cup.
2008
New Zealand’s two powerhouses again dominated Group A with Waitakere edging out their arch rivals to make the final. Solomon Islands club Kossa became that country’s first O-League finalist and shocked Waitakere with a 3-1 first leg win in Honiara. But, with their backs against the wall, Waitakere stepped up in the return leg at Trusts Stadium, taking a resounding 5-0 win to end Kossa’s Club World Cup hopes and retain their Oceania title. Waitakere were again eliminated from the Club World Cup in the first round play-off, losing a tense match 2-1 against A-League club Adelaide United in Japan.
2009
Now in its third year, the 2009 O-League was as intriguing as ever with both groups going down to the last match to determine the finalists. Auckland finished three points clear of crosstown rivals Waitakere in Group A while Solomon Islands’ Koloale edged out Papua New Guinea’s Hekari United in Group B to advance through to the home-and-away final. But Auckland proved too strong, winning 7-2 in the first leg in Honiara before Koloale regained some pride with a 2-2 draw in the return. Auckland then put in Oceania’s best ever showing at a Club World Cup with a remarkable fifth-place finish in the United Arab Emirates. They beat hosts Al-Ahli 2-0 in the first round play-off before losing to Mexico’s Atlante 3-0 in the quarter-finals. City then defeated African champions TP Mazembe 3-2 in the fifth place play-off to complete a remarkable campaign.
2010
The format of the competition was expanded to include eight teams instead of six and featured a title win by a team from outside New Zealand for the first time. The sides were split into two pools of four and each group was hotly contested, Waitakere pipping Auckland to top spot in Group A on goal difference and Hekari edging Fijian outfit Lautoka in Group B by a point. Hekari then shocked Waitakere in the first leg of the final with a 3-0 win in front of over 15,000 fans in Port Moresby. Waitakere hit back to win the return 2-1 but it was not enough as Hekari took the title 4-2 on aggregate. They became the first non-New Zealand or Australia side to represent OFC at a Club World Cup at last year’s event in the United Arab Emirates but were beaten 3-0 by hosts Al-Wahda in the first round play-off.
2011
Last season’s edition saw Auckland wrestle the title back off Hekari but it was another side, Vanuatu’s Amicale, they had to meet in the final to do so. The New Zealand team’s passage to the two-legged final was far smoother than their opponents, City winning Group B by six points over nearest rivals Waitakere. In contrast, Amicale had a much tougher fight on their hands to win Group B, beating Koloale to first place by just a point. Lautoka were the early front-runners in the group and looked favourites to make the final but the Fijians suffered an alarming dip in form and their chances took a massive blow with a 5-1 loss to Amicale in the penultimate round. Auckland were made to work hard by Amicale for a 2-1 win in the first leg of the final in Port Vila but the second leg was a far more open affair and the home side ran out 4-0 winners for a 6-1 aggregate victory. City will now go on to represent Oceania this year at the Club World Cup, which is set to return to Japan and will take place from December 8 to 18.

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