OFC Futsal Championship 1996

The second edition of the OFC Futsal Championship took place in 1996 with the winner guaranteed a spot at the 1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship™ in Spain. The tournament was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, and was contested between four nations in a round-robin format. Hosts Vanuatu were joined by defending champions Australia, Fiji, and Western Samoa.

Defending champions Australia made a statement in their opening game with a 5-0 victory over Fiji, followed by a 23-1 humbling of Western Samoa. Hosts Vanuatu won their first two matches against the same opposition, but fell to a 4-1 defeat to Australia on match day three, pushing the defending champions ahead in the race for back-to-back titles.

Australia went on to close the tournament with a further three victories, including another decisive 5-3 win over Vanuatu on the final day, claiming their second consecutive OFC Futsal Championship title with a unbeaten record, and qualifying for the 1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship™. Three wins and a draw over Fiji and Western Samoa helped Vanuatu finish as runners-up for the second edition, while Fiji claimed third-place.

The OFC Futsal Championship winners travelled to Spain later that year to attend their second World Cup. Australia were joined in Group A by hosts Spain, Ukraine and Egypt. After a memorable first World Cup appearance four years earlier, 1996 was one to forget, Australia suffered three defeats with their biggest an 11-2 loss to Ukraine.