OFC U-16 Women's Championship

OFC U-16 Women's Championship

Founded	2010
Region	Oceania (OFC)
Number of teams	varies
Current champions	New Zealand (7th title)
Most successful team(s)	New Zealand (7 titles)
2025 OFC U-16 Women's Championship

The OFC U-16 Women's Championship (previously the OFC U-17 Women's Championship or OFC Women's Under 17 Qualifying Tournament) an Oceanic association football tournament held to determine the team that will appear in the Women's U-17 World Cup. The competition is organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and was first held in 2010.

There was no OFC qualifying tournament to the first world cup in 2008, as New Zealand classified automatically as hosts. ^[1]

The inaugural edition, held in New Zealand from 12 to 14 April 2010, was a group stage contested by only 4 of OFC's 11 teams to fill the only spot for the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. It was won by New Zealand, who won all their games without conceding a goal. ^[2] The 2016 edition was the first to play a knock-out stage. New Zealand won its third title. ^[3]

The edition held in August 2017 was an under-16 edition, ^[4] and the tournament was called the OFC U-16 Women's Championship, so was the 2023 edition.

Tournaments

Because the 2014 World Cup was already held in March, no sufficient early date could be found for the OFC qualifier. The tournament was cancelled and New Zealand sent to the World Cup by default.

U17 format

Year	Host		Final				Third place match
			Champions	Score	Runners-up		Third place	Score	Fourth place
2010 details	New Zealand		New Zealand	Group stage	Solomon Islands		Papua New Guinea	Group stage	Tonga
2012 details	New Zealand		New Zealand	Group stage	Papua New Guinea		Cook Islands	Group stage	New Caledonia
2016 details	Cook Islands		New Zealand	8–0	Papua New Guinea		Fiji	3–2	New Caledonia
2020 details	Tahiti		Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [5]
2022 details	Tahiti [6]		Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [7]

U16 format

Year	Host		Final				Third place match
			Champions	Score	Runners-up		Third place	Score	Fourth place
2017 details	Samoa		New Zealand	6–0	New Caledonia		Semifinalists:   Cook Islands and   Fiji
2023 details	Tahiti		New Zealand	1–0	Fiji		Tahiti	5–3	Tonga
2024 details	Fiji		New Zealand	4–0	Samoa		Tonga	1–0	New Caledonia
2025 details	Fiji		New Zealand	3–0	Samoa		New Caledonia	9–0	Solomon Islands

Performances by countries

Team	Winners	Runners-up	Third-place	Fourth-place	Losing semifinalists	Total (top four)
New Zealand	7 (2010, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025)					6
Papua New Guinea		2 (2012, 2016)	1 (2010)			3
Samoa		2 (2024, 2025)				2
New Caledonia		1 (2017)	1 (2025)	3 (2012, 2016, 2024)		5
Fiji		1 (2023)	1 (2016)		1 (2017)	3
Solomon Islands		1 (2010)		1 (2025)		2
Tonga			1 (2024)	2 (2010, 2023)		3
Cook Islands			1 (2012)		1 (2017)	2
Tahiti			1 (2023)			1
Total	6	6	5	5	2	24

Awards

Tournament	Most Valuable Player	Top goalscorer(s)	Goals	Golden Golves	Fair play award
2010		Hannah Wong	8	Not awarded	Not awarded
2012	Briar Palmer	Hannah Carlsen Jasmine Pereira	6	Moeroa Nootai	New Zealand
2016	Michaela Foster	Hannah Blake	14	Francine Lockington	Cook Islands
2017	Maya Hahn	Kelli Brown	14	Lorenza Hnamano	Tonga

Champion's U-17 World Cup record

New Zealand qualified for all the editions of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup:

• In 2008, they receive an authomatic berth as host.
• In both 2014 and 2022 editions, they qualified by default, as no OFC qualifier was held due to concerns about dates.
• For the 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2024 editions, New Zealand qualified as Oceanian champions.
• In 2018, New Zealand finished 3rd becoming their best ever finish at any edition.

• Beginning in 2025, Oceania will have two teams which will feature a team other than New Zealand for the first time.

Legend

• 1st – Champions
• 2nd – Runners-up
• 3rd – Third place
• 4th – Fourth place
• SF – Semifinals
• QF – Quarterfinals
• GS – Group Stage
• R1 – Round 1, Group stage
•    – Hosts

Team	2008	2010	2012	2014	2016	2018	2022	2024	2025	Total
New Zealand	R1	R1	R1	GS	GS	3rd	GS	Q	Q	9
Samoa									Q	1

References

1. "New Zealand ready to welcome the world". FIFA. 8 March 2007. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
2. "Kiwis stroll to Oceania crown". OFC. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
3. "New Zealand qualify for Fifa under-17 World Women's Cup after winning Oceania title". stuff.co.nz. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
4. "Lutu standing out for Tonga". oceaniafootball.com. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
5. "Women's U-17 event cancelled". Oceania Football Confederation. 5 June 2020.
6. "OFC tournaments update". Oceania Football Confederation. 28 July 2020.
7. "OFC competitions schedule update for 2022". oceaniafootball.com. Oceania Football Confederation. 8 October 2021.

External links

• OFC Official Website