Oceania Football Confederation
279712
226114756
2008-07-16T21:51:12Z
201.218.237.162
{{Infobox Organization <!-- START INFOBOX -->
|name=Oceania Football Confederation
|image=Ofclogo-hqfl.gif
|caption=Logo of OFC
|type=Sports organisation
|membership=[[List of national football teams#OFC .28Oceania.29|11 member associations]]
|formation=[[15 November]], [[1966]]
|map=OFC-Map.png
|mcaption=OFC member associations are in green
|headquarters=[[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]]
|leader_title=[[President]]
|leader_name=[[Reynald Temarii]]
|website= http://www.oceaniafootball.com/
}}
The '''Oceania Football Confederation''' (OFC) is one of the six "continental" confederations of international [[football (soccer)|football]], consisting of [[Papua New Guinea]], [[New Zealand]] and smaller island nations such as [[Tonga]], [[Fiji]] and other [[Pacific Islands|Pacific Island]] countries. It promotes the game in [[Oceania]] and allows the [[List of national football teams#OFC .28Oceania.29|member nations]] to qualify for the [[FIFA World Cup]].
Of the six confederations, the OFC is by far the smallest and weakest, predominately made up of small and often impoverished island nations, in many of which football is not the most popular sport. Consequently, it has little influence in the wider football world, either in terms of international competition or as a source of players for high-profile club competitions. In 2006, the OFC's largest and most successful nation, [[Australia]], transferred to the [[Asian Football Confederation]], leaving [[New Zealand]] as the most prominent federation within the OFC.
===History===
The confederation was formed in 1966. The founding members were the Australian Soccer Federation (now [[Football Federation Australia]]), [[New Zealand Soccer]], and the [[Fiji Football Association]]. In 1996 the OFC was confirmed as a full confederation and given a seat on the [[FIFA]] executive. In 1998, the OFC unveiled a new [[logo]] and an official magazine, entitled ''The Wave''. On [[May 24]], [[2004]], [[Fédération Calédonienne de Football|New Caledonia]] became the 12th member of the OFC. On [[January 1]] [[2006]], Australia left the OFC and joined the [[Asian Football Confederation]]. The qualification process for the world cup was then modified, allowing Oceania's top rank side to compete in the final stages of Asia's qualifiers.
[[Image:Old-ofclogo-hqfl.gif|thumb|Original Oceania Football Confederation logo]]
===Competitions===
The winner of the [[Football World Cup 2006 - Oceania Qualification Groups|OFC Football World Cup Qualifiers]] was allowed to compete in a two-legged home-and-away playoff with the team ranked fifth in the [[Football World Cup 2006 - South American Qualification Groups|South American qualifying competition]] for a place in the 2006 World Cup. Since 1996, OFC members also play for the [[OFC Nations Cup]], which is held every second year.
The OFC also organises the [[Oceania Club Championship]], a competition that has received surprisingly high levels of media support within New Zealand in its debut season. It serves primarily to determine the Oceania representative at the [[FIFA Club World Cup]]. In 2007, the OFC replaced the current club competition with the [[Oceania Champions League]] which begins in 2007. From 2007, this winner will no longer gain direct entry to the FIFA Club World Cup - but instead will play off against the host nation (currently Japan) champion for the final spot in the tournament. It is not clear whether this is permanent, or even if it could change if the Oceania entrant were to outperform entrants from other Confederations.
Of the federation's current teams, only [[New Zealand national football team|New Zealand]] has ever competed on the world stage from the confederation, competing in the [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982 World Cup]]. Ex-founding member Australia has also competed in the World Cup finals, in [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]] and [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]. At the conclusion of [[2006 FIFA World Cup|Germany 2006]], Australia's exit from the OFC was finalised (exiting formally on the [[1 January]] [[2006]]), being the last commitment of the transition before completely joining the [[Asian Football Confederation]]. The other minor exception to this has been the participation of the Solomon Islands in the 2006, 2007 y 2008 Beach Football World Cup, where they won their first match, but did not advance beyond the first round.
In the [[Oceania Nations Cup 2004|2004 OFC Nations Cup]], which doubled as the Oceania qualifying tournament for the [[Football World Cup 2006|2006 World Cup]], the [[Solomon Islands national football team|Solomon Islands]] unexpectedly made the finals after a 2-2 draw with Australia at the last round. This effectively denied [[New Zealand national soccer team|New Zealand]] a place in the third group phase by one group point as [[Vanuatu national football team|Vanuatu]] had beaten New Zealand 4-2 in an early round upset of the second group phase. Australia won OFC Nation Cup final by beating the Solomons 5:1 in Honiara and 6:0 in Sydney to represent OFC in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany 2005 The two teams met again in a two-legged World Cup qualifying final in September 2005 for the right to play the [[CONMEBOL]] representative for a place in the World Cup finals; Australia won 9:1 on aggregate (7:0 at home and 2:1 away) and progressed to the [[Football World Cup 2006 - Oceania-South America Qualification Playoff|Oceania - South America]] playoff. Australia won this playoff against [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] on penalties after a 1:1 aggregate score after both legs of the playoff and after extra time, and qualified for the World Cup.
in the 2008 Solomon Islands qualifies for The Futsal Word Cup
===Other competitions===
* [[Oceania Club Championship]]
* [[Oceania Champions League]] replaces the Oceania Club Championship in 2007, winner qualifies for play-off for [[FIFA Club World Cup]]
* [[AFC/OFC Cup Challenge|AFC/OFC Challenge Cup]]
* [[OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament]]
* [[OFC Under 20 Qualifying Tournament]]
* [[OFC Under 17 Qualifying Tournament]]
* [[Polynesia Cup]]
* [[Melanesia Cup]]
* [[Wantok Cup]]
* [[Football at the South Pacific Games|Pacific Games]]
====Female====
* [[OFC Women's Championship]]
* [[OFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament]]
* [[OFC Women's Under 20 Qualifying Tournament]]
* [[OFC Women's Under 17 Qualifying Tournament]]
===Futsal===
* [[OFC Futsal Qualifying Tournament]]
* [[Oceanian Futsal Championship]]
===Beach Soccer===
* [[OFC Beach Soccer Championship]]
==World Cup Qualifiers==
[[Oceania]] has sent representatives to the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] three times: [[Australia]] in 1974 and 2006, and [[New Zealand]] in 1982. However, [[Australia]] was not a member of the confederation in 1974, having withdrawn in order to apply to join the [[Asian Football Confederation]]. It rejoined the [[OFC]] in 1978. Neither [[Australia]] in 1974 nor [[New Zealand]] in 1982 progressed beyond the first round, while [[Australia]] in 2006 advanced to the second round. OFC is the only [[FIFA]] confederation that does not have a guaranteed spot in the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] finals (a major reason for [[Australia]]'s leaving the confederation in [[2006]] to join [[Asia]]). Between 1966 and 1982, OFC teams joined the [[Asia]]n zone qualification tournament, while from 1986 onwards, the winners of the [[Oceania]]n zone qualification tournament have to enter the Intercontinental Play-offs against teams from other confederations in order to gain a spot in the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] finals.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!World Cup
!Qualifier(s)
!Notes
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1930|1930]]-[[Football World Cup 1962|1962]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|No teams from [[Oceania]] entered.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1966|1966]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|Entered in [[Asia]].
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1970|1970]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|Entered in [[Asia]].
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1974|1974]]||[[Australia national football team|Australia]]
|style="text-align:left;"|Entered in [[Asia]], qualified but lost in group stage.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1978|1978]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|Entered in [[Asia]].
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1982|1982]]||[[New Zealand national football team|New Zealand]]
|style="text-align:left;"|Entered in [[Asia]], qualified but lost in group stage.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1986|1986]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|Australia lost to [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] in the Intercontinental Play-offs. This is the first [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] where [[Oceania]] was its own continent and thus did not partake in [[Asia]]n qualification.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1990|1990]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Israel national football team|Israel]] (who played in the Oceanian zone for political reasons) lost to [[Colombia national football team|Colombia]] in the Intercontinental Play-offs.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1994|1994]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|Australia beat [[Canada national football team|Canada]], then lost to [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] in the Intercontinental Play-offs.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 1998|1998]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|Australia lost to [[Iran national football team|Iran]] in the Intercontinental Play-offs.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 2002|2002]]||None
|style="text-align:left;"|Australia lost to [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] in the Intercontinental Play-offs.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 2006|2006]]||[[Australia national football team|Australia]]
|style="text-align:left;"|Australia beat [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] in the Intercontinental Play-offs to qualify, progressed through group stage, lost in round of 16 to [[Italian national football team|Italy]]. This is the first time any [[Oceanic]] country made it past the group stage.
|-
|[[Football World Cup 2010|2010]]||
|style="text-align:left;"|The gold, silver and bronze medal winners of the 2007 [[South Pacific Games]]; New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu are currently contesting the [[OFC Nations Cup]] with [[New Zealand]]. OFC Nations Cup winner then faces the fifth-placed [[Asia]]n nation for a place in the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] Finals.
|}
===Qualifications by country===
* 2*:<br>{{fb|AUS}}
* 1:<br>{{fb|NZL}}
(* - One qualification for [[Australia]] was not as a member of OFC but was as a member of AFC in 1974).
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.oceaniafootball.com Oceania Football Confederation Official Site]
{{fb start}}
{{International football}}
{{OFC associations}}
{{OFC teams}}
{{International women's football}}
{{OFC women's teams}}
{{International club football}}
{{International futsal}}
{{International Beach Soccer}}
{{fb end}}
[[Category:Oceania Football Confederation| ]]
[[ar:اتحاد أوقيانوسيا لكرة القدم]]
[[ca:Confederació de Futbol d'Oceania]]
[[cs:Oceania Football Confederation]]
[[da:Oceania Football Confederation]]
[[de:Oceania Football Confederation]]
[[et:Okeaania Jalgpallikonföderatsioon]]
[[el:Ποδοσφαιρική Συνομοσπονδία Ωκεανίας]]
[[es:Confederación de Fútbol de Oceanía]]
[[eu:OFC]]
[[fr:Confédération du football d'Océanie]]
[[ko:오세아니아 축구 연맹]]
[[id:Konfederasi Sepak bola Oseania]]
[[it:Oceania Football Confederation]]
[[he:קונפדרציית הכדורגל של אוקיאניה]]
[[lv:Okeānijas Futbola Konfederācija]]
[[hu:Óceániai Labdarúgó-szövetség]]
[[mt:OFC]]
[[nl:OFC]]
[[ja:オセアニアサッカー連盟]]
[[pl:OFC]]
[[pt:Confederação de Futebol da Oceania]]
[[ro:OFC]]
[[ru:Конфедерация футбола Океании]]
[[simple:Oceania Football Confederation]]
[[sk:Futbalová konfederácia Oceánie]]
[[sr:ОФК]]
[[fi:OFC]]
[[sv:OFC]]
[[vi:Liên đoàn bóng đá châu Đại Dương]]
[[tr:Okyanusya Futbol Konfederasyonu]]
[[zh:大洋洲足球協會]]