While many of us are getting excited about Euro 2016 and the Copa America , there was another continental tournament run over the past two weeks that few have been paying attention to, despite once being an integral part of Australian football.
Yes, the OFC Nations Cup is still run every four years, is part of the qualifying tournament for the FIFA World Cup, with the winner achieving a similar prize to those nations that win the European Championship, the Copa America or the Asian Cup – qualification for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
While the Nations Cup was only re-launched for Australia’s last successful attempt at it in 2004, it barely rates a mention anymore in our media, and it’s a big sign that we, along with a lot of the footballing world, tend to forget about Oceania.
Some say that the OFC and the Nations Cup is just a one horse race, especially with Australia leaving to join the AFC in 2006, allowing New Zealand to essentially become the OFC superpower in the years that have followed.
OFC has never had a guaranteed qualification spot, but for two tournaments of the last three, Oceania’s entrant into the continental playoffs for the FIFA World Cup have made it to the finals (Australia in 2006 and New Zealand in 2010).
Australia famously made the round of 16, while New Zealand were knocked out in the group stage despite not losing a game in South Africa. Their group contained the reigning world champions in Italy as well.
New Zealand clubs have also dominated the OFC Champions League since Australia left the AFC. Waitakere United and Auckland City have won all bar one Champions League titles since 2007, highlighted by Auckland City using the win to finish in third place in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup.
But, every now and then there is light in the tunnel.
In 2010, Hekari United of Papua New Guinea defeated Waitakere United in the final of the Champions League, showing that toppling New Zealand can be done.
In fact, New Zealand has been disappointing over the last two OFC Nations Cups.
In 2012, New Zealand lost their semi-final to New Caledonia, paving the way for Tahiti to become the first nation other than Australia and New Zealand to win the Nations Cup, or any other form of OFC continental championships.
On Saturday, New Zealand were almost pipped by hosts Papua New Guinea in the final of the 2016 Nations Cup.
Papua New Guinea, headed by Danish manager Flemming Seritslev stretched New Zealand throughout the final, taking them all the way to penalties, where New Zealand triumphed 4-2.
The OFC has come a long way from qualifying tournaments such as in 2001, where the likes of American Samoa and Tonga were defeated by Australia 31-0 and 22-0 respectively.
Some may say it doesn’t matter how you win, as long as you do, but that is exactly what has happened against New Zealand in the past, allowing lesser known nations such as Papua New Guinea, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands, who finished as runners up in Oceania in 2004, have done.
Many of us have forgotten about Oceania and the OFC, but they sure haven’t forgotten about the football.
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