2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC Third Round

Last updated

The third round of OFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification began on 7 November 2016 and ended on 5 September 2017. [1]

Contents

Format

A total of six teams which had advanced from the OFC Nations Cup (second round) were drawn into two groups of three teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winners of each group advanced to the OFC Final, played home-and-away over two legs, and the winners of the final advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Qualified teams

Group
(Nations Cup)
WinnersRunners-upThird-placed teams
A Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg  New Caledonia Flag of French Polynesia.svg  Tahiti
B Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji

Seeding

The draw for the third round was held on 8 July 2016, 11:00 NZST (UTC+12), at the OFC headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. [2]

The seeding was based on the results of the 2016 OFC Nations Cup (second round):

Each group contained a seeded team, a team from Pot 1, and a team from Pot 2. The same group compositions as the OFC Nations Cup were not allowed by the draw (i.e., Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Tahiti in one group, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Fiji in the other group). The fixtures of each group were confirmed by the OFC after the draw, taking into account the need for New Zealand to have a bye in June 2017 for playing in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and Papua New Guinea to have a bye in November 2016 for hosting the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. [2]

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the inter-confederation play-offs. Italicised teams qualified for the OFC final but lost.

Seeded teamsPot 1Pot 2

Group stage

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7): [3]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of New Zealand.svg New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg Flag of Fiji.svg
1Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 431060+610Advance to OFC Final 2–0 2–0
2New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg  New Caledonia 41214515 0–0 2–1
3Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 40133851 0–2 2–2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
New Zealand  Flag of New Zealand.svg2–0New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg  New Caledonia
  • Rojas Soccerball shade.svg42', 72'
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
QBE Stadium, Auckland
Attendance: 8,131
Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

New Caledonia  New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg0–0Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Stade Yoshida, Koné
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: George Time (Solomon Islands)

Fiji  Flag of Fiji.svg0–2Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Churchill Park, Lautoka
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

New Zealand  Flag of New Zealand.svg2–0Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Attendance: 10,133
Referee: Kader Zitouni (Tahiti)

Fiji  Flag of Fiji.svg2–2New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg  New Caledonia
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Churchill Park, Lautoka
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Kader Zitouni (Tahiti)

New Caledonia  New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg2–1Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg Flag of French Polynesia.svg Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg
1Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands 43016609Advance to OFC Final 1–0 3–2
2Flag of French Polynesia.svg  Tahiti 420274+36 3–0 [lower-alpha 1] 1–2
3Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea 41036933 1–2 1–3
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. FIFA awarded Tahiti a 3–0 win as a result of the Solomon Islands fielding the ineligible player Henry Fa'arodo, after Tahiti had defeated the Solomon Islands 1–0. Fa'arodo failed to serve a one-game ban after receiving two yellow cards in the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. [4]
Tahiti  Flag of French Polynesia.svg3–0
Awarded [note 1]
Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Stade Pater, Pirae
Attendance: 2,200
Referee: Médéric Lacour (New Caledonia)

Solomon Islands  Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg1–0Flag of French Polynesia.svg  Tahiti
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)

Papua New Guinea  Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg1–3Flag of French Polynesia.svg  Tahiti
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)

Tahiti  Flag of French Polynesia.svg1–2Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Stade Pater, Pirae
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Matthew Conger (New Zealand)

Solomon Islands  Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg3–2Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara
Attendance: 14,700
Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia)

Papua New Guinea  Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg1–2Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby
Attendance: 2,035
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)

Final

The draw for the final (which decided the order of legs) was held on 15 June 2017, 16:00 NZST (UTC+12), at the OFC headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. [5]

The winners of the final advanced to inter-confederation play-offs. Dates were set for the two-legged final as being on 1 and 5 September 2017.

Team 1 Agg. Team 21st leg2nd leg
New Zealand  Flag of New Zealand.svg8–3Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands 6–1 2–2
New Zealand  Flag of New Zealand.svg6–1Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
Attendance: 10,230
Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)
Solomon Islands  Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg2–2Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)

New Zealand won 8–3 on aggregate and advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Goalscorers

There were 41 goals scored in 14 matches, for an average of 2.93 goals per match.

4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal

Notes

  1. FIFA awarded Tahiti a 3–0 win as a result of the Solomon Islands fielding the ineligible player Henry Fa'arodo, after Tahiti had defeated the Solomon Islands 1–0. Henry Fa'arodo failed to serve a one-game ban after receiving two yellow cards in the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. [4]

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References

  1. "2018 WCQ Stage 3 Schedule & Results". Oceania Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Stage 3 draw complete". Oceania Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016.
  3. "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Several member associations sanctioned for incidents during FIFA World Cup qualifiers and friendlies". FIFA.com. 19 December 2016.
  5. "New Zealand at home first in OFC play-off". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.