OFC Men’s Champions League 2008

The seventh edition of the OFC Champions League was held in 2008 and was contested between six teams. Two New Zealand clubs qualified automatically for the group stage once more, and were joined by the league champions of Tahiti, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, with Vanuatu champions Tafea FC qualifying through the preliminary tournament.

The format remained the same with two groups of three where each team played each other home-and-away before the top team in each group progressed to a two-legged final. For the second consecutive edition defending champions Waitakere United pipped Auckland City by a point to progress from Group A, whilst Solomon Islands champions Kossa FC joined them from Group B after finishing unbeaten. The two clubs met home and away over a two-legged final, with Kossa FC claiming the early advantage after winning the first leg 3-1 at home in front of 20,000 fans at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.

Waitakere United had work to do but turned the tie on its head with a 5-0 win in the second leg at Trusts Arena to win the final 6-3 on aggregate and claim the club’s second successive OFC Champions League title. Waitakere United earnt the right to represent OFC at the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup™ in Japan as continental champions.

Despite opening the scoring through Paul Seaman, succumbed to a late winner to fall 2-1 at the first hurdle to 2008 AFC Champions League runners-up Adelaide United in the quarter-final play-off.