National women’s champions Eastern Suburbs will meet sides from host Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in their pool at the inaugural OFC Women’s Champions League.
This follows a draw at OFC headquarters which split the six contenders into two groups.
Main photo: OFC’s Ashleigh Cox draws Eastern Suburbs’ name in Group B.
Suburbs, who qualified for the inaugural OFC competition by winning the 2022 Women’s National League, will head to PNG for the nine-day tournament that starts on June 1.
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The tournament will be staged in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, having been postponed from its original schedule of March 9-18.
READ MORE: OFC postpones inaugural Women’s Champions League tournament >>>>
The establishment of the competition is expected to provide a pathway for an OFC club to represent the region at a FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2025.
Group A
- Labasa FC (Fiji)
- AS Academy Feminine (New Caledonia)
- Kiwi FC (Samoa)
Group B
- Hekari United (Papua New Guinea)
- Eastern Suburbs (New Zealand)
- Koloale (Solomon Islands)
Tournament format
The winners of each group will meet in the final, with the winner being crowned the inaugural OFC Women’s Champions.
The second-placed teams in each group will meet in a play-off to decide 3rd/4th.
The third-placed teams will play off for 5th/6th.
Fixtures
Game to be played on Thursday June 1, 2023
Hekari United v Eastern Suburbs
Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, Port Moresby, 7pm (NZ)
Game to be played on Wednesday June 7, 2023
Eastern Suburbs v Koloale
Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, Port Moresby, 7pm (NZ)
Schedule
The times given in the following match schedule are PNG local time.
The games kick off at 2pm and 7pm New Zealand time (group games).
The play-off for 3rd/4th on Saturday June 10 starts at 1pm (NZT), while the final takes place at 7pm that day.
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The New Zealand Women’s National League will expand from eight to 10 teams in 2023, with the winner qualifying for the 2024 OFC Women’s Champions League.
READ MORE: Women’s National League to expand to 10 teams for 2023 season >>>>
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