Despite their 4-5 penalty shootout loss to New Caledonia in the semi-finals of the OFC Under-16 Men’s Football Championship on Wednesday, Fiji still has a chance to qualify for the FIFA Under-17 Men’s World Cup.
The Oceania region was given three qualifying spots for the world cup, meaning that the top three from the tournament will go through.
The team, while defeated in their semi-final match, will have to regroup at a stronger level to cement their chances of qualifying for the biennial championship.
Fiji’s record in the U16 championship, had been on a steady rise from their first match against Tahiti, until they faced New Caledonia.
They will face Papua New Guinea in the third/fourth play-off tomorrow.
The winner of this match will take the third qualifying spot from Oceania to the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup 2026 in Qatar.
PNG lost nil-2 to New Zealand in the second semi-final yesterday.
NZ and New Caledonia have booked the first two spots from the Oceania region for the for the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup next year.