Wikipedia

2026 OFC U-16 Men's Championship

The 2026 OFC U-16 Men's Championship will be the 23rd edition of the OFC U-16 Men's Championship, the international youth football championship organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for the men's under-16 national teams of Oceania. The final tournament will be played in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from 12 to 25 July 2026.[1]

2026 OFC U-16 Men's Championship
Tournament details
Host countryPapua New Guinea
CityPort Moresby
Dates12–25 July
Teams8 (from 1 confederation)
← 2025
TBD →

Background

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Papua New Guinea was selected as the host nation in May 2025.[2] It will be one of fifteen international tournaments hosted by OFC in 2026.[3] The draw for the group stage was held on 18 February 2026.[4]

Teams

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All 11 FIFA-affiliated national teams from the OFC entered the tournament, but only 8 played in the final tournament

Note: All appearance statistics include those in the qualifying stage (2016 and 2018).

Team App. Previous best performance
 American Samoa12thGroup stage (1999, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2023)
 Cook Islands13thEighth place (2025)
 Fiji21stRunners-up (1999, 2024)
 New Caledonia15thRunners-up (2003, 2013, 2017, 2023, 2025)
 New Zealand20thChampions (1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025)
 Papua New Guinea (hosts)12thSemi-finals (2017), Fourth place (1986, 2025)
 Samoa12thQuarter-finals (2023)
 Solomon Islands12thRunners-up (1993, 2018)
 Tahiti16thRunners-up (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015)
 Tonga13thQuarter-finals (2023)
 Vanuatu18thRunners-up (2005)

Venues

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Draw

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Qualifying stage

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A qualification round will be held from 25 to 31 March 2026 in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga.[5]

Standings

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Vanuatu 3 3 0 0 29 2 +27 9 Qualify for Final tournament
2  Cook Islands 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 6
3  Tonga (H) 3 1 0 2 6 9 −3 3
4  American Samoa 3 0 0 3 1 29 −28 0
Source: OFC
(H) Hosts
Cook Islands 4–0 American Samoa
 Report
Attendance: 50
Referee: Caleb Downes (New Zealand)
Tonga 1–6 Vanuatu
 Report
Attendance: 250
Referee: Ruben Wajoka (Tahiti)
Vanuatu 20–0 American Samoa
 Report
Attendance: 100
Referee: Lafi Ioane (Samoa)
Cook Islands 2–0 Tonga
 Report
Attendance: 250
Referee: Avikanshay Nand (Fiji)
Vanuatu 3–1 Cook Islands
 Report
Attendance: 100
Referee: Caleb Downes (New Zealand)
American Samoa 1–5 Tonga
 Report
Attendance: 250
Referee: Lafi Ioane (Samoa)

Group stage

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Group A

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Group B

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5th place match

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7th place match

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Knockout stage

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Bracket

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Semi-finals

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3rd place match

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Final

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Qualified teams for FIFA U-17 World Cup

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The following two teams from OFC will qualify for the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Team Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA U-17 World Cup1
23 July 2026
23 July 2026
25 July 2026
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Broadcasting

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Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ "OFC U-16 Men's Championship". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "OFC Executive Committee approves hosts for 2026 competitions". Oceania Football Confederation. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Busy year ahead for international tournaments in Oceana". Friends of Football. 3 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "Draws announced for OFC U-16 Men's Championship 2026". Oceania Football Confederation. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "OFC U-16 Men's Championship – Qualifying". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
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