2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC First Round

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]

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Loto-Tonga Soka Centre
21°8′S 175°12′W

Format

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]

Participating teams

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 Samoa200
 Cook Islands206
 Samoa197
 Tonga198

Standings
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 —
3  Cook Islands 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6 1–0 — — —
4  Tonga (H) 3 0 0 3 1 8 −7 0 0–3 1–2 0–3 —
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Host.

Matches

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.

Tonga 0–3 Cook Islands
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 300
Referee: Ravitesh Behari (Fiji)
Samoa 3–2 American Samoa
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 100
Referee: Nelson Sogo (Solomon Islands)
Cook Islands 1–0 Samoa
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 150
Referee: Robinson Banga (Vanuatu)
Tonga 1–2 American Samoa
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Salesh Chand (Fiji)
Tonga 0–3 Samoa
Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 250
Referee: Averii Jacques (Tahiti)
American Samoa 2–0 Cook Islands
 Report (FIFA)
Report (OFC)
Attendance: 250
Referee: Ravitesh Behari (Fiji)

Goalscorers

There were 17 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 2.83 goals per match.

4 goals
2 goals
1 goal

Notes
  1. The final round matches were originally scheduled to be played simultaneously at 15:00, but were changed by the OFC to be played consecutively one day before the matches.[8]

References
  1. "Preliminary Draw procedures outlined". fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. "Draw Procedures – Oceanian Zone" (PDF). FIFA.com.
  3. "OFC Executive Committee decisions". OFC. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  4. "Preliminary competition format outlined". Oceania Football Confederation. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  5. "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – August 2015 (CAF)". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  6. "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com.
  7. "Stage 1 draw revealed". OFC. 30 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
  8. "Kick-off changes for MD3". Oceania Football Confederation. 3 September 2015. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
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