OFC U-17 Championship 2013

Nick Forrester of New Zealand tres to tackle Franco Acosta of Uruguay at FIFA U-17 World Cup at Ras Al Khaimah Stadium (Photo by Ian Walton – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The fifteenth edition of the OFC U-17 Championship took place in 2013 and doubled as qualification for the 2013 FIFA U-17World Cup™ in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament was held in Luganville, Vanuatu with all matches played at the Chapuis Stadium. Six teams contested the final round of the championship, including qualification winners the Cook Islands.

New Zealand won all five of their matches but made to work hard against hosts Vanuatu edging them 2-1 to secure a fourth successive and fifth OFC U-17 Championship title. New Caledonia finished as runners-up with Vanuatu taking out third place.

Photo Credita: OFC Media

Drawn into Group B, New Zealand faced Uruguay in their opening match of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, going down 7-0 in a challenging start to the tournament. New Zealand were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Italy in the second match before bowing out of the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Ivory Coast.