OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2025
The OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2025 was held in Honiara, Solomon Islands with eight nations competing for the regional title and three qualification spots at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026™ in Qatar.
2024 finalists Fiji were joined by Papua New Guinea, Tahiti and the Cook Islands in Group A. The opener ended 1-1 between Papua New Guinea and Cook Islands, while Fiji captain Maikah Dau’s free-kick sealed a 2-1 win over Tahiti in their first match.
Match day two brought plenty of goals with Papua New Guinea beating Tahiti 6-1 and Fiji sweeping aside the Cook Islands 5-0. Tahiti responded on the final day with a 5-0 victory of their own over Cook Islands, while Fiji’s 2-0 win over Papua New Guinea confirmed their place as group winners.
Defending champions New Zealand lined up with Samoa, New Caledonia and hosts Solomon Islands in Group B. New Zealand started with a 5-0 win over Samoa, while New Caledonia beat Solomon Islands 5-2 in two impressive match day one performances.
The group’s headline clash between New Zealand and New Caledonia ended in a goalless stalemate, whilst Solomon Islands kept their hopes alive with a 4-0 win over Samoa.
New Caledonia later defeated Samoa 5-0, and New Zealand closed the group stage with an 8-0 victory over Solomon Islands, sending both into the last four.
The semi-finals saw favourites New Zealand joining New Caledonia in booking their place in the final. The latter getting the better of Fiji in an exciting clash that went all the way to penalties. New Caledonia’s captain Slyvain Ipeze making a heroic save to give his team a 5-4 shootout victory.
In the second semi-final New Zealand overcame Papua New Guinea 2-0 – both goals coming in the second period as Papua New Guinea made the Kiwis work hard for their place in the final.
Samoa finished 7th after a 5-3 penalty shootout win over the Cook Islands following an intense goalless draw, while Tahiti secured 5th place with a 3-2 against win against the Solomon Islands. In the Playoff for 3rd place, Fiji held off a strong second-half from Papua New Guinea to win 1-0 and seal World Cup qualification.
Hosted at the impressive National Stadium in Honiara, the final saw two teams determined to lift the trophy, with New Zealand securing a 2-0 victory over New Caledonia in a fiercely contested affair.
Despite dominating possession in the first half, New Zealand were made to wait until just before half-time to open the scoring, taking the lead through Jack Clegg. The second half saw New Caledonia push for an equaliser, but New Zealand’s defence held firm. A late volley from Ben Perez-Baldoni struck the back of the net, ending New Caledonia’s dreams and ensuring New Zealand retained their title.
Both finalists joined Fiji in booking their place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026™ in Qatar.
Awards:
Fair Play Award: Samoa and Tahiti
Golden Ball: Ethan Dyer (New Zealand)
Golden Glove: Sylvain Ipeze (New Caledonia)
Golden Boot: Ben Perez Baldoni (New Zealand)
