OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2023

New Zealand qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifier 2023 Final, New Zealand v Fiji, North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, Saturday 9th September 2023. Copyright Photo: Shane Wenzlick

The tenth edition of the OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament took place in 2023 to decide the OFC representative for the men’s football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. The tournament was hosted by New Zealand and saw seven nations play across Auckland. One group featured three teams, while the second featured four, with the top two in each progressing to the semi-finals.

Hosts New Zealand were joined by Fiji in qualifying from Group A, while the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu progressed from Group B. New Zealand had far too much for Vanuatu in the first semi-final, winning 8-0 with the help of two goals each from Jesse Randall, Oskar Van Hattum, and Aryan Raj.

A 3-0 victory over the Solomon Islands secured Fiji a spot in the final of the OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In the most one-sided final in competition history though, New Zealand thrashed Fiji 9-0 at North Harbour Stadium to claim their fifth OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament title. Riley Bidois was the star of the show, scoring four goals, including a first half hat-trick, and finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with five. The victory ensuring New Zealand a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games.