OFC U-17 Championship 2007

New Zealand v England – FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007 Group B – Jeju World Cup Stadium (Photo Credit: Action Images / John Sibley)

The 12th edition of the OFC U-17 Championship took place in 2007 and doubled as qualification for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup™ in South Korea. The tournament was held in Tahiti and was contested between four nations. Six-time defending champions Australia did not participate due to their transfer to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.

Kosta Barbarouses was the star of the tournament scoring five goals, including a hat-trick, as New Zealand went unbeaten through the round-robin format to claim a second OFC U-17 Championship title and first in 10 years.

New Zealand returned to the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time since 1999. However, it proved to be a tough return to the top, with the OFC representative losing all three matches in Group B, failing to reach the knockout stages in South Korea.