OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 1999

The fourth edition of the OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament took place in 1999. The winner of the tournament would face the third-best side from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in a play-off to compete at the 2000 Olympic Games men’s football tournament in Sydney, Australia. As hosts of the Games, three-time defending champions Australia did not participate.

The tournament was held in Auckland, New Zealand and was contested between seven nations, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and the hosts. Four teams were split into one group, and three into the other, with the top two nations in each group progressing through to the semi-finals.

The Solomon Islands and Fiji advanced to the knockout stage from Group A with resounding victories against Samoa and Tonga, with the Solomons finishing top after a 2-0 win over Fiji. Hosts New Zealand recorded big victories over Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu to advance top, while PNG managed a 2-0 against Vanuatu to secure a semi-final spot.

It was a rather one sided affair in both semi-finals, the Solomon Islands beating Papua New Guinea 3-1, before New Zealand beat Fiji 5-2. New Zealand proved too good in the final though, claiming their maiden OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament title with a 4-1 victory over the Solomon Islands.

In the OFC–CAF play-off, New Zealand took on South Africa in a two legged tie. The first leg was hosted at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, after a promising start from New Zealand they eventually fell to a 3-2 defeat. In the second leg, South Africa secured a 1-0 victory, winning the tie 4–2 on aggregate to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics.