New Zealand’s group draw at the OFC Men’s Olympic qualifying tournament has been revised following the withdrawal of American Samoa.
The tournament takes place in Auckland from August 27 to September 9 to decide who qualifies for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
America Samoa has been referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee by the Oceania Football Confederation after its decision to pull out of the tournament.
The OlyWhites will now play in a three-nation group, facing Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
To directly qualify for the Olympics, New Zealand’s U-23 side need to win the tournament.
Three OFC nations did not enter the Olympic competition.
New Caledonia and Tahiti are French territories so can not compete at the Olympics, while the Cook Islands have not put forward an U-23 football side for the Games.
Group A
- Fiji
- Papua New Guinea
- New Zealand
Group B
- Tonga
- Samoa
- Vanuatu
- Solomon Islands
Tournament format
Group fixtures will be staged at Mt Smart’s Go Media Stadium and Henderson’s Trusts Arena, kicking off at 12pm and 3pm (NZT).
The two group winners and runners-up will meet in semi-finals, kicking off at 3pm and 7pm (NZT).
The final will be played at North Harbour Stadium, Albany.
Fixtures
Game to be played on Sunday August 27, 2023
New Zealand v Papua New Guinea
Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, 3pm
Game to be played on Wednesday August 30, 2023
New Zealand v Fiji
Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, 3pm
Revised tournament schedule
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