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ЧМ-2026. Квалификация. Океания. Новая Каледония обыграла Соломоновы Острова, Новая Зеландия примет Вануату и другие матчи – Новости : football.by

World Cup 2026 qualification: Oceania Zone

New Caledonia edge Solomon Islands as New Zealand set to host Vanuatu

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) World Cup 2026 qualification got underway on Saturday with New Caledonia emerging 2-1 winners over the Solomon Islands.

Goals from Georges Gope-Fenepej and Raphael Lea'i either side of halftime secured the win for New Caledonia at the Stade Numa-Daly Magenta in Noumea.

Meanwhile, New Zealand will host Vanuatu on Sunday in Auckland, with the winner of that match to face Papua New Guinea in the third and final round of Oceania qualifying.

Other matches

In other matches on Saturday, Fiji defeated Tonga 2-0, while Samoa beat the Cook Islands 3-0.

American Samoa, meanwhile, received a bye to the second round, where they will face the winner of the match between Vanuatu and New Zealand.

Schedule

The second round of Oceania qualifying will be played in March 2023, with the third and final round to take place in November 2023.

The winner of the Oceania qualifying tournament will advance to the intercontinental playoffs, which will be played in June 2026.

Format

The OFC World Cup 2026 qualifying tournament will be played in a knockout format, with all matches played over a single leg.

The draw for the second round will be held on February 17, 2023, with the matches to be played from March 20-28, 2023.

The draw for the third and final round will be held on April 14, 2023, with the matches to be played from November 13-21, 2023.