Asian Football Business Review will feature regular articles on the under-reported Oceania Football Confederation for the interest of our wide readership, particularly those Kuwaiti leaders who have disclosed a passionate concern about Pacific football after Australia's exit to Asia. Our previously stated position is to encourage the OFC to join the AFC as a constituent regional group.
The 13th South Pacific Games, to be played in Samoa from 25 August to 7 September are stage one of the Oceania Football Confederation's qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup 2010. The top three countries from the 10-team tournament will advance to a four-team, round-robin which will include New Zealand. The winner of that four-country tournament will advance to a two-game playoff against the fifth-ranking team from the Asian Football Confederation's play-offs, with the winner advancing to the World Cup in South Africa.
Fiji, Tahiti, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands and Tuvalu will play in Group A while hosts Samoa will be in Group B, where they will take on the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and American Samoa.
The 13th South Pacific Games, to be played in Samoa from 25 August to 7 September are stage one of the Oceania Football Confederation's qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup 2010. The top three countries from the 10-team tournament will advance to a four-team, round-robin which will include New Zealand. The winner of that four-country tournament will advance to a two-game playoff against the fifth-ranking team from the Asian Football Confederation's play-offs, with the winner advancing to the World Cup in South Africa.
Fiji, Tahiti, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands and Tuvalu will play in Group A while hosts Samoa will be in Group B, where they will take on the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and American Samoa.