New Zealand fall at final World Cup qualifying hurdle

New Zealand have fallen agonisingly short of qualification for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ after a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica in the Intercontinental Playoff at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Qatar. Joel Campbell’s third minute goal proved the difference in a game New Zealand dominated for large periods despite having Kosta Barbarouses…

New Zealand men’s national football team’s head coach Danny Hay is encouraging his team to “seize the moment” when they face Costa Rica with a place at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ on the line.  New Zealand, who won the Oceania Qualifiers in March, have the chance to become the OFC’s representative at November’s…

AS Pirae have been crowned Coupe du President winners following a 4-2 win over AS Tiare Hinano in the final this weekend. Pirae, who had scored 29 goals in four games to reach the final, got the better of their rivals at the Stade de la FTF. Staying in Tahiti, in men’s football the Coupe…

Three months on from leading the Tahiti men’s national team to a brave 1-0 semi-final defeat at the hands of eventual winners New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Oceania Qualifiers, Sam Garcia is keen to fly the flag for the country once again with his club side AS Vénus. Vénus face AS…

Heimanu Teuira knows he has big shoes to fill after taking over the head coaching role at AS Pirae from Naea Bennett, and is keen to use this week’s OFC Champions League playoff match against AS Vénus as a chance to stamp his style onto the team. After taking Pirae to the FIFA Club World…

Refereeing in Tonga has made a gradual return following the eruption and devastation of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in January this year. It has been a tough situation for the people of Tonga who after a month of rebuilding their lives from the natural disaster, were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic which put restrictions in…

Four Technical Directors from the Oceania region were selected to participate in the FIFA Standard Course for OFC and CAF in Cairo, Egypt between May 31- June 2.   Tahiri Elikana (Cook Islands), Timo Jankowski (Fiji), Paul Isorua (Papua New Guinea) and Moses Toata (Solomon Islands) spent three days in theory-based sessions learning more about…

The Fiji Football Association (FFA) brought smiles on the faces of three families of former football players after they were handed with $500 cheque on Sunday, at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka. This was part of the FFA’s social responsibility programme, which is assisting in the education of the children of former players who are in…

The title chasers in Tahiti face off, there’s quarter-final action from Papua New Guinea and New Zealand’s domestic cups continued in this week’s Oceania competitions wrap. Tahiti’s top two in Ligue 1 Vini faced off at the weekend with a late equaliser keeping AS Venus at the top of the table. Venus went into the…