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2023 is shaping up to be a huge year for football in the Oceania Football Confederation, with football tournaments set to be hosted across the region in almost every month of the year.
The action kicked off on January 11, with the start of the OFC U-17 OFC Championship in Fiji. Other highlights of the year include Olympic Qualifiers, as well as the inaugural OFC Women’s Champions League.
“Since the launch of the OFC Strategy 2023 – 2026 last year we have reaffirmed our commitment to high performance, so it’s fantastic to have a full competitions calendar in front of us,” said OFC General Secretary Franck Castillo.
“To say the last few years have been challenging would be an understatement, so now that borders are open, and teams can come together, we can celebrate football with our Oceania family. To announce nine tournaments confirmed is a great achievement and makes us immensely proud as an organisation.
“We’re really excited about our commitment to women’s football, in a year that’ll see New Zealand co-host the FIFA Women’s World Cup which will be massive for the Oceania region.”
It is an exciting time for age grade football, with the youth men’s grades of U-17 and U-15 both playing tournaments in the first half of the year. The women’s U-19 and U-16 championships will be played in June/July and September.
February will be a busy month for club sides, as the men battle it out for a place in the OFC Champions League finals, which will be hosted by Vanuatu in May. It will be the first time a full tournament will take place in Vanuatu, a decade after local side Amicale competed in the final against current champions Auckland City FC.
International beach soccer makes a return to the calendar as well in June, with the OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup 2023 set to take place in Tahiti.
The OFC Futsal Nations Cup will take place in New Zealand in October, rounding off what will be one of the busiest and exciting years ever for football in the Oceania region.
