FIJI will need to first beat Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga to have any chance of qualifying for the FIFA U20 Men’s World Cup in Indonesia next year.
This is after the draws for the Oceania Football Confederation Under-19 Championship was conducted yesterday by Fiji national captain Roy Krishna.
The tournament will be held in Tahiti in September.
The two finalists from the tournament, which involves all 11 OFC member associations, will qualify for the U20 World Cup.
Group A sees seven-time champions New Zealand grouped with the Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, and American Samoa.
Hosts Tahiti, who were runners-up four years ago, have been drawn in Group B along with Fiji – who won the tournament in 2014 – Papua New Guinea, and Tonga.
Group C, which has three teams and will include a bye, has New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Samoa.
The winners and runners-up of each pool will qualify through to the quarter-finals, along with the two highest placed teams who finish third.
OFC competitions director Chris Kemp said the return of the U19 Championship was exciting for football in the region.
“We’re delighted to have got things underway with the draw today,” Kemp said.
“The U19 Championship is an important pathway for footballers in the Pacific, one that can lead them to a potential professional and international career.”
