The opening Group matches have been completed on the Road to Canada, Mexico and the United States FIFA World Cup 26™ for the eight remaining Oceania hopefuls.
Group A action in Suva saw New Caledonia and Fiji strike first with Johann Sidaner’s New Caledonia side beating Papua New Guinea 3-1 and Rob Sherman’s Fijian team edging Solomon Islands 1-0.
Check out the standings below:
It all means that PNG will have to make the most of home ground advantage when the FIFA World Cup 26 ™ Oceania Qualifiers Group A action resumes in Port Moresby next month.
The Solomon Islands plays New Caledonia, before PNG entertains Fiji on November 14. Three days later PNG meet the Solomon Islands and Fiji plays New Caledonia with the top two teams in the Group qualifying for the semi-finals
The opening matches in Group B concluded in Port Vila yesterday with hosts Vanuatu beating Samoa 4-1, a day after New Zealand dispatched Tahiti 3-0.
Check out the standings below:
The action moves to Hamilton, New Zealand where the hosts will face Vanuatu, and Tahiti will play Samoa on November 15. Then three days later in Auckland, Vanuatu and Tahiti meet before New Zealand plays Samoa.
The semi-finals and final will be held in New Zealand in March 2025 with the winner qualifying directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026. ™ It is the first time Oceania has direct entry to the World Cup and in another first, the runner-up will have a chance to qualify via an Intercontinental playoff.
It will be a busy month ahead for the eight head coaches as they plot their strategies for what will be an exciting conclusion to the Group phase of the FIFA World Cup 26 ™ Oceania Qualifiers.