OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2019

New Zealand celebrate qualifing for Tokyo. OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifier 2019, Final, New Zealand v Solomon Islands, Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji, Saturday 5th October 2019. Photo: Shane Wenzlick /

The ninth edition of the OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament took place in 2019 to decide the OFC representative for the men’s football tournament at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. The tournament was hosted by Fiji and was contested between eight nations. The format consisted of two groups of four, with the top two in each group progressing to the semi-finals.

The Solomon Islands and New Zealand qualified from Group A, while hosts and defending champions Fiji, were joined by Vanuatu from Group B. Myer Bevan scored twice in the first semi-final to lead New Zealand to a commanding 6-1 win over Fiji.  The Solomon Islands joined them in the final with a tight 1-0 victory over Vanuatu.

New Zealand’s Myer Bevan up against Solomon Islands Molis Junior Gagame. OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifier 2019, Final, New Zealand v Solomon Islands, Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji, Saturday 5th October 2019. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / www.phototek.nz

New Zealand continued their dominance in the final, defeating the Solomon Islands 5-0 at Churchill Park in Lautoka to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games and secure their fourth OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament Title.  Two goals in the final for New Zealand saw Bevan finish as the tournament’s top-scorer with twelve goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020 Olympic Games to be postponed to 2021, but New Zealand impressed when the men’s football tournament finally got underway. Drawn alongside South Korea, Romania and Honduras in Group B, New Zealand saw an opportunity to create some history, defeating the Koreans in their opening match 1-0, courtesy of a Chris Wood goal in the 70th minute.

KASHIMA, JAPAN – JULY 22: Chris Wood #9 of Team New Zealand scores their side’s first goal during the Men’s First Round Group B match between New Zealand and Republic of Korea during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kashima Stadium on July 22, 2021 in Kashima, Japan. (Photo by Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Leading 2-1 against Honduras, New Zealand looked set to record back-to-back wins and secure their spot in the knockout stages, however two late goals from their CONCACAF opponents saw them suffer a 3-2 defeat. Thankfully results went their way in the final group match, as they held Romania to a goalless draw to progress into the quarterfinals of the Olympics for the first time.

Up against Japan, New Zealand were resilient and showed plenty of fight, as they held their AFC opponents to 0-0 draw after 90 minutes and extra time. However, they loss on penalties to hosts Japan 4-2, despite the defeat they still marked their best finish at an Olympic Games.