The first round of OFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (and 2016 OFC Nations Cup qualification) was played from 31 August to 4 September 2015 in Tonga. [1] [2]
In this round, four teams, as determined by the OFC in March 2014, [3] played a single round-robin tournament held in a single country which was later decided to be in Tonga. [1] All matches were held at the Loto-Tonga Soka Centre in Nuku'alofa.
Samoa, the winner, advanced to the 2016 OFC Nations Cup, held from 28 May – 12 June 2016, to join the other seven teams which received a bye into the group stage. The winner of the OFC Nations Cup, New Zealand, represented the OFC at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Moreover, the OFC Nations Cup served as the second round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, with the top six teams advancing to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifying. [4]
In April 2014 the OFC announced its executive's decision on the teams to compete in the tournament. The four lowest ranked teams (based on FIFA World Ranking and sporting reasons) among the 11 OFC entrants entered the first round: [3]
Note: Bolded team qualified for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup.
| Team | FIFA ranking at start of event [5] |
|---|---|
 American Samoa | 200 |
 Cook Islands | 206 |
 Samoa | 197 |
 Tonga | 198 |
All matches were held at the Loto-Tonga Soka Centre in Nuku'alofa
| Loto-Tonga Soka Centre |
| Nuku'alofa, Tonga |
|---|
| 21°8′S175°12′W / 21.133°S 175.200°W |
| Capacity: 1,500 |
| 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): [6]
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Advance to 2016 OFC Nations Cup/second round | — | 3–2 | — | — | |
| 2 | American Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | — | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Cook Islands | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | 1–0 | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Tonga (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0 | 0–3 | — | — | — |
The match schedule was revealed on 30 July 2015, following a draw held at OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. [7] All times are local, UTC+13.
| Cook Islands | 3–0 | Tonga |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (OFC) |
| Samoa | 3–2 | American Samoa |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (OFC) |
|
There were 17 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 2.83 goals per match.
4 goals
2 goals
Demetrius Beauchamp Justin Manao Johnny Hall Andrew Mobberley 1 goal
Ryan Aloali'i Mitchell Ramin Ott Desmond Fa'aiuaso Faitalia Hamilton-Pama Sione UhatahiListed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Oceanian zone (OFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification.
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