OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2026
Eight proud national teams competed in the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2026 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, chasing the regional title and three coveted places at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2027™ in Qatar.
Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Samoa contested Group A with Fiji finishing top of the group after an unbeaten campaign, while hosts Papua New Guinea claimed second place to secure a semi-final berth.
The opening matchday saw Fiji and Papua New Guinea record impressive victories without conceding, defeating New Caledonia and Samoa respectively. Fiji continued their dominant form on the second matchday with a 5-0 victory over Samoa to book their place in the semi-finals, while Papua New Guinea edged 2025 finalists New Caledonia 1-0 in a tense encounter.
On the final Group A matchday, Fiji defeated Papua New Guinea 3-0 to complete the group stage unbeaten without conceding a goal while Samoa and New Caledonia shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
Group B featured defending champions New Zealand, Tahiti, Solomon Islands and qualifying winners Vanuatu. New Zealand topped the group unbeaten after scoring 18 goals across three matches, while Solomon Islands secured second place with a decisive 3-1 victory over Tahiti.
Tahiti opened their campaign with a strong 4-2 win over Vanuatu, while New Zealand recovered from a tense 1-0 first half to defeat Solomon Islands 5-1. Solomon Islands then ended Vanuatu’s semi-final hopes with an exciting 2-1 victory in the second match-day, while New Zealand cruised past Tahiti 6-1, with Zach Cashmore scoring four goals, three coming in the first twenty minutes.
The final Group B matchday saw Tahiti and Solomon Islands battle for the remaining semi-final spot, with the Solomon Islanders proving too clinical, securing the win 3-1 to springboard them into the semis. New Zealand finished their Group B campaign with a 7-0 win over Vanuatu to boost their confidence heading into the semi-finals.
Drama in the semi-finals saw Fiji overcome Solomon Islands 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a hard-fought draw, securing a place in the final and qualifying for their third FIFA U-17 World Cup. Defending champions New Zealand also booked their place in Qatar with a 3-0 victory over hosts Papua New Guinea, setting up an exciting final against Fiji.
Vanuatu claimed seventh place with a convincing 7-1 win over Samoa, while Tahiti and New Caledonia met in the fifth-place play-off with Tahiti defeating New Caledonia 3-2.
On the final day of the tournament, Papua New Guinea chased a historic first qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, while Solomon Islands aimed to return to the global stage for the first time since 2019. An impressive comeback from the Solomon Islands saw the third-place play-off decided by penalties, with Solomon Islands prevailing to claim the final FIFA U-17 World Cup qualification spot.
The tournament concluded with a final between the two unbeaten nations New Zealand and Fiji at PNG Football Stadium. New Zealand proved too strong, producing a clinical 5-0 victory to retain the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship title and finish the tournament undefeated.
Awards:
Fair Play Award: Solomon Islands
Golden Glove: Eddie Aefi (Solomon Islands)
Golden Boot: Zach Cashmore (New Zealand)
Golden Ball: Ben Trenberth (New Zealand)
