OFC U-20 Championship 1997

The eleventh edition of the OFC U-20 Championship took place in 1997 and doubled as qualification for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship™ in Malaysia. The tournament was hosted by Tahiti and contested between four nations.

Australia had little trouble topping the group to reach the final, with 10-0 wins over Fiji and Tahiti, before beating New Zealand 3-0 to cement their spot in the final. Trans-tasman rivals NZ joined them after a 3-1 win over Fiji in their final group match.

Despite a gritty display from New Zealand, Australia prevailed 2-1 in the final to claim a second consecutive and eighth OFC U-20 Championship title. Australia went on to represent OFC at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship™ in Malaysia.

Australia topped their group thanks a draw against Canada, a 1-0 win against Hungary and a brilliant four goals performance from Kostas Salapasidis in their final match against Argentina to prevail 4-3. Their run was ended by Japan who edged Australia 1-0 in the round of 16.